Evaluation of Airborne MDF Dust Concentration in Furniture Factories

ABSTRACT High concentrations of airborne dust are observed during the cutting of medium density fiberboard (MDF) boards. This dust, at first considered just uncomfortable for workers, may be harmful to their health. The objective of this work was to evaluate the concentration of airborne dust during the cutting of medium density fiberboard (MDF). The experiment was developed in the MDF cutting sector of three furniture factories located in the city of Lavras/MG. The results showed that the mean concentrations of total dust suspended in these three furniture factories were above the tolerance limit set by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), giving evidence of a serious problem in these companies related to this type of risk agent.摘要 中密度纤维板（medium density fiberboard, MDF）裁切过程中会产生高浓度空气悬浮粉尘。这类粉尘最初仅被认为会令作业人员感到不适，实则可能对其健康造成危害。本研究旨在评估中密度纤维板裁切过程中的空气悬浮粉尘浓度。实验在位于拉夫拉斯市（Lavras/MG）的三家家具工厂的中密度纤维板裁切工段开展。结果显示，这三家工厂的总悬浮粉尘平均浓度均超过了美国政府工业卫生学家会议（American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, ACGIH）设定的容许限值，证实此类职业危害因素在相关企业中存在较为严重的健康风险问题。