Worker Exposure to Particulate Matter and Noise During Apartment Reconstruction

Indoor apartment reconstruction can generate short-duration particulate matter (PM) and noise peaks that are masked by average measurements. Time-resolved PM1, PM2.5 and PM10, gaseous pollutants and noise were monitored at five reconstruction sites (CS1–CS5) in Novi Sad, Serbia, with a stationary multi-sensor node placed on a tripod at 1.5 m height, 1–2 m from the workers. Five-minute records were linked to a retrospective activity log and analyzed for confirmed working periods (85.2 h). Working hours had 2.7-fold higher PM2.5 and 1.9-fold higher PM10 than non-work hours (mixed-effects model). The highest concentrations occurred during mechanical wall sanding, metal cutting and drywall work, and demolition by breaking, whereas long tiling periods contributed substantially to cumulative exposure. Exposure was strongly episodic: on all workdays, 19–31% of working time accounted for half of the cumulative PM10 exposure, and the largest event contributed 40% of daily PM2.5 exposure within 85 min. Differences between workdays exceeded those between sites, PM10–noise correlations were weak (ρ = 0.36), and screening ratios for carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide relative to EU occupational limit values were below 0.15. As the measurements were stationary and involved two workers, the results describe near-field potential rather than personal exposure.