Exposure to Occupational Air Pollution in the Manufacturing Industries of Bhutan
Total particulate matter,Respirable dust, PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 concentration level in the manufacturing industries of Bhutan
Keywords:
Total Particulate Matter, Respirable Dust, PM1, PM2.5, PM10, Manufacturing Industry BhutanAbstract
Airborne pollution effects human health, mainly the respiratory and cardiovascular system. Industrial workers are highly susceptible to those air pollution and particulate matter emitted from their workplaces. The objective of this study is to determine the occupational exposure level of air pollution affecting respirable dust of various parameters in the manufacturing industries of Bhutan. The method used in this study include convenience sampling method and grab sampling method. All the 20 major manufacturing industries located in Phuntsholing, Samtse and Gomtu were selected for this study. However, the working area where possibilities of emitting higher air pollution during the work process within the companies was selected for grab air sampling. The level of respirable dust in the cement plants was found to be 13.1 times higher than Bhutan’s permissible level. Similarly, the respirable dust level in the ferroalloy plants was 2.34 times higher than OSHA and Bhutan’s permissible exposure level and 3.9 times higher than the ACGIH TLV. The level of total particulate matter in ferroalloy, cement and dolomite industries exceeds the Bhutan and OSHA permissible exposure level and ACGIH TLV. This study has found the prevalence of higher concentration level of particulate matter in the working environment of manufacturing industries in Bhutan. Therefore, it is also suggested for study on occupational health effect to build the relationship between exposure level and health effect.
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