Exposure Assessment of Hazardous Chemical Agents for Dental Technicians in Ulsan City

울산지역 치과기공사들의 화학적 유해요인 노출 평가

  • Hong, Youngho (Department of Occupational Health, Catholic University of Daegu) ;
  • Choi, Sangjun (Department of Occupational Health, Catholic University of Daegu)
  • 홍영호 (대구가톨릭대학교 산업보건학과) ;
  • 최상준 (대구가톨릭대학교 산업보건학과)
  • Received : 2011.10.12
  • Accepted : 2011.12.19
  • Published : 2011.12.31

Abstract

Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the exposure level of hazardous chemical agents for dental technicians in Ulsan. Methods: We measured airborne total dusts and metals such as Nickel, Manganese, Cobalt, and Chromium in 10 dental laboratories by the NIOSH Methods 0500 and 7300, respectively. Methyl methacrylate (MMA), a key ingredient in acrylic resin, was also monitored using passive samplers for long-term sampling and Tenax tubes for short-term sampling. Results: Measured levels of all items were below 10% of the Korean exposure limit except for Nickel. The geometric mean concentration and geometric standard deviation of total dust, Nickel, and MMA were $0.14mg/m^3$ (2.16), $165.3{\mu}g/m^3$ (3.31), and 0.2 ppm (2.5) respectively. Airborne Nickel concentration of two dental laboratories exceeded the exposure limit ($1000{\mu}g/m^3$). The major emission sources of Nickel were metal trimming and casting processes. Conclusions: We found that Nickel, a carcinogen, should be controled most urgently to protect dental technicians.

Keywords

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