2021, Number 3
Occupational exposure to wheat flour dust in a milling industry
Language: Spanish
References: 19
Page: 1-18
PDF size: 260.49 Kb.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Wheat flour is a fine powder that has irritating properties that, in cases of exposure, can penetrate by inhalation and at high concentrations in the work environment favor the manifestations of irritation of the tissues. Objective: To evaluate the levels of occupational environmental exposure to wheat flour dust of the workers of a Cuban milling company. Material and method: 30 samples were taken and analyzed, which included all the workstations in the grinding, packing and stowage areas, 26 of them corresponded to personal samples and 4 to stationary samples. The sampling covered 75% of the working day and was carried out under normal working conditions. Results and discussion: The concentrations of 7 of the 11 personal samples analyzed in the milling area were above the admissible limits, the highest corresponding to the operator who attends the bank and the person in charge of general cleaning with values of 23.2 and 15.4 mg/m3 respectively. All concentrations of the stationary samples exceeded the reference value. In the packing area, 3 samples reached concentrations that exceeded the established limit, 1 belonging to the 100 lb bag container and 2 to the1 kg bag container. During stowage, 4 samples were obtained above the reference value. Conclusions: 53.8% of the personal samples analyzed and 100% of the stationary ones reported concentrations above the admissible limit value reported in the reference standards.REFERENCES
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