| BackgroundHigh performance steel powder is made of high quality water mist in powder or sponge iron as raw material, by high temperature reduction, finished processing technology system, forming a kind of high performance powder materials with good compressibility, formability properties. The iron and steel powder metallurgy products are widely used in automobile, motorcycle, engineering machinery, electric tools, household appliances, textile machinery, etc, because of its unique performance and cost advantages. With the rapid development of automobile industry in our country and performance requirements continuously improving, automotive powder metallurgical structure demand increases gradually, accordingly accompanied by increasing high performance steel powder demand. In2009, there were a total of nearly290000tons of production of iron and steel powder, including180000tons of reduced iron powder and nearly100000tons of water atomization steel powder.There were few studies about the health effect of powder metallurgical dusts home and abroad such as respiratory symptoms, pulmonary function. After a search of domestic and foreign literature, studies about the powder metallurgical workers to respiratory symptoms, pulmonary function and personal protection and ventilation equipment related factors were not found. Therefore due to the deficiency of literature about the powder metallurgy industry workers respiratory diseases, effects should be made in order to understand the importance of emerging industry on potential lung problems and for further evaluation and measures should be taken to protect the health of workers.Purposes1. This research is oriented at the prevalence rate of abnormal respiratory symptoms among workers in powder metallurgy and its influencing factors.2. It aims at finding out the prevalence rate of abnormal pulmonary function of workers in powder metallurgy and its influencing factors.3. It also aims at the result of the X-ray examination and its influencing factors.4. Testing the dust concentrations and free silica content of metallurgy industry, the result of the test could be used as the reference resources for the assessment of powder metallurgy respiratory hazards.5. To discuss the problems of the harm and potential occupation health by dust and safety protection in powder metallurgy industry, as the reference resources for workers and related powder metallurgy industry to improve the working environment and health promotion.MethodsThis study is a cross-sectional study. The factory each workshop dust concentration data was obtained through sampling of airborne dust in work environment. The basic data and respiratory symptoms of workers the workers personal protection and plant ventilation equipment was obtained through the examination form in the physical examination of the on-the-job occupation workers. Arrange the data of workers basic data, health status, examination results, after the occupation health check is completed. After the decoding and proofreading, proofread the date again by EXCEL2003. The data was analyzed by SPSS16.0. The statistical methods included general description and chi-test.Results1.General information of workers This study analyzed the information of about294powder metallurgical workers and there was no significance in age, work age, education and income between male and female workers (p>0.05). There was statistical significance in smoking and drinking between male and female workers (p<0.05). The knowing rate of occupational knowledge was low, with knowing the fact that dusts could lead to pneumoconiosis accounting for42.9%and knowing that regular occupational examination should be made accounting for25.5%.2. The results of dusts detectionThe free silicon dioxide concentrations in dust were lower than10%. The PC-STEL pass rate of8workplaces such as the screening, the coarse crushing, fine crushing, drying machine, tank platform, tunnel kiln, unloading platform, packaging machine is89.6%. Dust concentration maximum location for unloading platform (17.3±2.4mg/m3), the lowest point for tunnel kiln (1.8±0.6mg/m3). The workers8hours of individual exposure to dust concentration sampling, the highest concentrations were for the job of dump truck, with the average concentration15.3±2.5mg/m3, and the lowest concentrations was in stoker, with the average concentration1.5±0.5mg/m3.3. Respiratory symptoms and analysis of related factorsThere were41people with respiratory symptoms (cough, expectoration, wheezing, shortness of breath), accounting for13.9%. There was significance between respiratory symptoms and work age, smoking, type of work, fan, local-air filter, dust concentration (p<0.05). There was no significance between gender, age, the use of anti-dust mask and respiratory symptoms (p>0.05)4. Abnormal pulmonary function and analysis of related factorsThere were92people with abnormal pulmonary ventilation, accounting for31.3%, of which17.7%was restricted type air barrier,10.5%for blocking type air barrier,3.1%for the mixed air barrier. There was significance between abnormal pulmonary ventilation and work age, smoking, the use of anti-dust mask, type of work, fan, local-air filter, dust concentration (p<0.05). There was no significance between gender, age and abnormal pulmonary function (p>0.05)5. The results of X-ray on chest and analysis of related factorsThere were26workers with lung grain coarsening, accounting for8.8%of the total number of workers, and the workers X-ray chest radiography did not see clear shadow lung marking the coarsening. There was significance between type of work, dust concentration, work age and smoking (p<0.05). And there was no significance between lung grain coarsening and gender, use of anti-dust masks (p>0.05)ConclusionsAccording to the survey findings, the following was concluded:1. Smoking, work age and dust concentration are the risk factors of damaging the respiratory system of powder metallurgy workers.2. The use of anti-dust masks and local dust removal system are protective factors of the respiratory diseases. |
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