CONCENTRATION AND SIZE OF AIRBORNE PARTICLES IN MANUFACTURING ENVIRONMENTS

ABSTRACT In furniture factories, the cutting of medium density fiberboard (MDF) generates high concentrations of particulates suspended in the air, which, depending on their dimensions, can reach the sensitive areas of the respiratory tract of workers. The aim of this study was to test a method to measure particle sizes derived from the cutting of wood paneling. The experiment was conducted in two small furniture factories located in the municipality of Lavras, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. During the cutting of MDF, airborne particles were collected and measured by means of optical microscopy. The data obtained showed a critical condition in the work environments, with high concentrations of small particles (

摘要：在家具制造工厂中，中密度纤维板（MDF）的切割过程会产生大量悬浮于空气中的颗粒物，其尺寸取决于具体数值，并可达到工人呼吸道的敏感区域。本研究旨在检验一种从木材面板切割过程中衍生出的颗粒尺寸测量方法。实验于巴西米纳斯吉拉斯州的拉沃拉斯市内的两家小型家具工厂进行。在MDF切割过程中，通过光学显微镜收集并测量了空气中的颗粒物。所得数据揭示了工作环境中存在临界状况，小颗粒物的浓度较高（