Assessment of the exposure of chipboard worker's to fungal bioaerosols and wood dusts

Wood dust is are wide range of bioaerosols and organic and inorganic particles. Timber airborne dust, as one risk factor for respiratory system diseases, is generated during the process of production, processing and transportation in industries. Since, there are not adequete information regarding the exposure of wood manufacturing workers to wood dusts and its bioaerosol contents, the objective of this study was to investigate occupational exposure of chipboard manufacturing workers in a nothern city of the Gonbad, Iran
This cross-sectional study conducted in a chipboard factory in the Gonbad city of Golestan province, northern of Iran. Worker's exposure to wood dust inhaled were assessed by means of standardized national organization of Occupational Health and safety with number 0500. Assessment of fungal and microbial aerosol density in workplace carried out using a microbial sampler, with a flow rate of 10 liters per minute. A total of 68 samples were collected and analyzed in the laboratory of mycology. Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for data analysis.
The Average exposure to dust inhalation was 32 mg per cubic meter. The average concentration of bioaerosols in the workplace as well as were 269 colonies per cubic meter. Penicillium species had the highest concentration among all fungus.
The results showed that average worker's exposure to dust inhalation in chipboard workers is several times more than standard limit recommended by the work health center for non-carcinogenic dust. According to the high exposure of workers with wood dust and airborne biological agents in this industry, cosidering the control measures to protect worker's health seems to be necessary.