Hygienic assessment of the potential danger of exposure to fine particles and rare earth elements present in the workplace air for workers at metallurgical enterprises

Introduction. One of the main air pollutants in the working area of metallurgical enterprises is rare earth elements, which are sorbed on fine dust particles and have a negative impact on the health of workers. The study aims to carry out a comprehensive hygienic assessment of the potential health hazards of fine particles and rare earth elements (REE) contained in the air of the working area at metallurgical enterprises. Materials and methods. The specialists have took samples of the working area air to measure the content of REE, dust and industrial aerosol of small fractions, they have assessed the levels of REE in the blood of employees of the metallurgical enterprise (n=31) and the comparison group (n=12). The scientists have measured the REE content in the air of the working area and blood using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry on an Agilent 7900 mass spectrometer. The authors have measured the dust content in the air of the working area in accordance with the MUK 4.1.2468-09 method and determined the content of fine fractions of industrial aerosol using the DustTrak 8533 aerosol analyzer. Results. Analysis of the metal content in the air of the working area showed an excess of control concentrations for chronic inhalation exposure to cerium. In points with a high concentration of metals, the content of industrial aerosol of a fine fraction of 10 microns prevails. During the study of the work area, experts found significantly higher concentrations in the blood of workers employed in production, compared with the comparison group. Limitations. The limitation of research is due to the period of sampling of the working area air, insufficient number of samples of the working area air and samples of biomaterial. The expansion of the list of surveyed points in production and the list of metallurgical enterprises, as well as an increase in the number of surveyed workers, may become a direction for further research to assess the impact of fine particles and rare earth elements on workers of metallurgical enterprises. Conclusion. Since higher concentrations of REE were found in the air of the work area and in the blood of workers compared to the control point/group, reducing the impact of harmful production factors of working conditions and production processes in order to preserve the health of workers remains relevant for enterprises of the metallurgical industry. Ethics. The study was conducted in compliance with Ethical standards in accordance with the Ethical principles set out in the Helsinki Declaration of the World Medical Association (ed. 2013). The study was approved by the local Ethical Committee of the Federal Scientific Center for Medical and Preventive Technologies for Public Health Risk Management of Rospotrebnadzor (meeting protocol No. 2 dated 02/11/2021).