What are the best practices for managing occupational exposure to air pollutants?

1 Why is it important?

Occupational exposure to air pollutants can have short-term and long-term effects on your health. Some of the common symptoms include irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs, coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and headaches. Some of the serious consequences include asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and premature death. Moreover, occupational exposure to air pollutants can also affect your productivity, performance, and well-being at work.

2 What are the sources?

The sources of occupational exposure to air pollutants can vary depending on the type of work and the location. Common sources include combustion products, like carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter from engines, boilers, furnaces, generators, or fires; volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as benzene, formaldehyde, and toluene from solvents, paints, adhesives, cleaners, or fuels; metals, such as lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium from welding, smelting, soldering, or battery manufacturing; fibers like asbestos, silica, or wood dust from cutting, drilling, grinding or sanding materials; and biological agents like bacteria, fungi, viruses or allergens from animals, plants soil water or waste.

3 How to measure it?

To manage occupational exposure to air pollutants, you need to measure it first. This can be done by using various methods and instruments, such as sampling devices like pumps, filters, tubes or badges to collect air samples for later laboratory analysis. Monitors can also be used, such as sensors, meters or detectors, to measure the concentration of specific pollutants in real time or over a period of time. Additionally, indicators such as smoke tubes, colorimetric tubes or test strips can be used to show the presence or absence of certain pollutants by changing color or producing smoke. The selection of the method and instrument depends on the type of pollutant, the level of exposure, the accuracy required and the cost and availability of resources.

4 How to control it?

To control occupational exposure to air pollutants, you need to apply the hierarchy of controls, which prioritizes the most effective and feasible ways to eliminate or reduce the hazards. This includes eliminating the source of the pollutant or the worker from the exposure area, substituting a hazardous material or process with a less hazardous one, engineering equipment or systems that reduce emission or dispersion of the pollutant, implementing policies or procedures that limit duration and frequency of exposure, and providing and wearing personal protective equipment. It's best to use a combination of these controls, starting from the top of the hierarchy and moving down as needed.

5 How to monitor it?

To adequately monitor occupational exposure to air pollutants, you should evaluate the effectiveness of the controls and the health status of the workers. This can be done by using a variety of methods and tools, such as inspections to check the condition and operation of the equipment and systems that control the pollutant emission or dispersion, maintenance to clean, repair, or replace these systems, testing to measure the concentration of the pollutant in the air or in the workers' blood or urine samples, surveillance to track and record symptoms, diseases, or injuries related to pollutant exposure among workers, and feedback to collect and analyze opinions and suggestions from workers and managers. The best practice is to use a continuous and participatory approach that involves all stakeholders and is able to adjust to changing conditions and needs.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?