Occupational exposure to inhalable and respirable wood dust of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) in a furniture factory

Given the well-known carcinogenicity of hardwood dust, occupational exposure to oak wood dust has been determined in a furniture factory on different wood processing machines during sanding, planing, and milling. Determination of the mass concentrations of respirable and inhalable oak wood dust from ambient air was performed using personal sampling pumps and two types of filter holders: the Higgins-Dewell respirable dust cyclone, manufactured by Casella (Bedford, UK), and the inhalable dust IOM sampler manufactured by SKC (Dorset, UK). Out of a total of 30 values of inhalable mass concentration, 7 (23%) exceeded the occupational exposure level (OEL). The highest exposure levels for inhalable and respirable wood dust from the belt sander were 1.569 to 3.710 mg/m3 and 0.243 to 1.342 mg/m3, respectively. Worker exposure may be below the level of increased risk of 2 mg/m3 if a machine such as a planer or router is connected to a suction system. The share of respirable particles in the inhalable fraction ranged between 12% and 31%, and for samples with an inhalable mass concentration exceeding 2 mg/m3, the share was lower than 16%, with a slightly decreasing tendency. Thus, the risk of lower respiratory tract diseases increases with higher exposure to inhalable particles, and the OEL is an indirect measure of protection against exposure to respirable particles.