噴漆作業場所之勞工有害金屬危害暴露調查——以某通風設備製造廠為例

Hazard Exposure of Toxic Metals for Workers in Spray-painting Workplaces—Case for an Industrial Ventilation Equipment Manufacture Plant

為了提升國人居住健康，目前已有多家塗料業者將其塗料產品進行綠建材標章之認證申請，但多數勞工所使用之產品表面噴漆屬溶劑型塗料，不易申請綠建材標章，且塗料因不同顏色所添加之顏料金屬成分含量與濃度無法可供管制，其有害金屬可能對勞工產生健康影響，故調查噴漆塗料中之有害金屬特徵濃度極為重要。本研究選定某通風設備廠之金屬產品表面噴漆作業場所進行調查，其使用噴漆塗料以防鏽漆及面漆為主。作業環境測定利用個人採樣泵連接纖維素酯濾紙進行噴漆作業勞工之金屬暴露採樣，再以ICP/AES進行金屬定性與定量分析。勞工暴露之平均鉛濃度為0.298±0.154 mg/m3超過八小時日時量平均容許濃度0.05 mg/m3(PEL-TWA)，且勞工短時間之可呼吸性粉塵中鉛濃度為0.362±0.297 mg/m3，亦超過鉛之短時間時量平均容許濃度0.15 mg/m3(PEL-STEL)。鉛於胸腔性粉塵中濃度佔總粉塵之濃度約57.04%，而鉛於可呼吸性粉塵中的含量與總粉塵之含量之比值約16.37%，顯示約有57.04%之塗料粉塵的鉛可能會進入人體呼吸道。世界衛生組織之國際癌症研究機構(IARC)已將鉛列為疑似對人類致癌(IARC: group 2B)，動物實驗已被證實且指出鉛暴露對公鼠精子發育和移動是有抑制作用，雖人體實驗還未確定，但勞工在使用防鏽漆相關產品時應注意其防護。

To improve public health and their living environment, many paint companies have been applying for green building material certification. However, much of the spray-painting products that are commonly used are solvent-based paints, which are much difficult to be certified as green building materials. In addition, the content and concentration of toxic metals in the pigments used in the paint products vary according to product color. Furthermore, workers exposed to inhalable metallic paints emitted by spray-painting processes may experience long-term adverse health effects. Therefore, this study measures concentrations of 13 metallic elements in terms of particle size in the ambient air at a spray-painting workplace in an industrial equipment manufacturing plant. This study involved the paint-spraying workplace of an industrial ventilation equipment manufacture plant in central Taiwan. The anti-rust paint and finishing coats of solvent-based paints were applied in the workplace by a pneumatic paint brush. The air was sampled for paint dusts by collecting the particulate phase of metals for the workers’ exposure using mix cellulose ester filters (MCE) and sampling pumps. Metallic particles were analyzed using an inductively coupled plasma with atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The mean concentration of lead (Pb) in the spray- painting workplace was 0.298±0.154 mg/m3, exceeding the 8-h permissible exposure limit (PEL-TWA) of 0.05 mg/m3. The mean Pb concentration of respirable dust among the short-term sampling was 0.362 ±0.297 mg/m3, exceeding the short-term exposure limit of 0.15 mg/m3 for lead. The mean percentage contributions of Pb content in respirable dusts and thoracic dusts within total dusts were 16.37% and 57.04%, respectively, indicating that a mean of 57.04% of Pb content in thoracic dusts passing into the lung below the larynx as a result of each worker’s breathing. The International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization has classified lead into Group 2B (possibly carcinogenic to humans). Animal experiments have verified that exposing rats to lead inhibits their semen viability and mobility, although this has not been confirmed in human subject research. However, this study suggested that proper personal protection equipment should be worn by workers in a workplace where solvent-based anti-corrosive paint spraying is performed.