小型集じん装置の粉じんばく露低減の有効性.

Dust collectors with bag filters are widely used to remove hazardous aerosols in work environments. Package type dust collectors, which include a fan and motor, differ in a wide variety of ways, such as the inner structure, the filter media, methods for cleaning collected dust, and flow control methods. In this study we focus on the performance of dust collectors for respirable dust fraction, which can reach the lung alveoli and cause pneumoconiosis. We surveyed the actual situation of dust collectors at worksites by means of light scattering photometers with PM2.5 cyclones, measured the details of performance of a typical dust collector using common test dust (Atomite) in a laboratory, and then tested the collection efficiency of the filter samples with and without dust load. The test aerosols for the filter samples were generated by the nebulization of standard monodisperse particles (Polystyrene latex particles, 0.6 to 3 μm). The penetration measured by photometers with PM2.5 cyclones approximated the performance of dust of 1.2 μm in nominal size. We propose the test methods at worksites and the filter media of bag filters in confirming the performance of dust collectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]