Airborne particulate matter and diesel engine exhaust on infrastructure construction sites in the Copenhagen metropolitan area

Patrick L Ferree; Merve Polat; Jakob K Nøjgaard; Keld A Jensen

doi:10.1093/annweh/wxae062

Airborne particulate matter and diesel engine exhaust on infrastructure construction sites in the Copenhagen metropolitan area

Patrick L Ferree, Merve Polat, Jakob K Nøjgaard, Keld A Jensen

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Abstract

Diesel engine exhaust (DEE) is carcinogenic and potentially hazardous for those working in close proximity to diesel-powered machines. This study characterizes workplace exposure to DEE and its associated particulate matter (PM) during outdoor construction activities. We sampled at 4 construction sites in the Copenhagen metropolitan area. We used portable constant-flow pumps and quartz-fiber filters to quantify personal exposure to elemental carbon (EC), and used real-time instruments to collect activity-based information about particle number and size distribution, as well as black carbon (BC) concentration. Full-shift measurements of EC concentration ranged from < 0.3 to 6.4 µg/m3. Geometric mean (GM) EC exposure was highest for ground workers (3.4 µg/m3 EC; geometric standard deviation, GSD = 1.3), followed by drilling rig operators (2.6 µg/m3 EC; GSD = 1.4). Exposure for non-drilling-rig machine operators (1.2 µg/m3 EC; GSD = 2.9) did not differ significantly from background (0.9 µg/m3 EC; GSD = 1.7). The maximum 15-min moving average concentration of BC was 17 µg/m3, and the highest recorded peak concentration was 44 µg/m3. In numbers, the particle size distributions were dominated by ultrafine particles ascribed to DEE and occasional welding activities at the sites. The average total particle number concentrations (PNCs) measured in near-field and far-field positions across all worksites were 10,600 (GSD = 3.0) and 6,000 (GSD = 2.8)/cm3, respectively. Sites with active drilling rigs saw significantly higher average total PNCs at their near-field stations (13,600, 32,000, and 9,700/cm3; GSD = 2.4, 3.4, and 2.4) than sites without (4,700/cm3; GSD = 1.6). Overall, the DEE exposures at these outdoor construction sites were below current occupational exposure limits for EC (10 µg/m3 in Denmark; 50 µg/m3 in the European Union), but extended durations of exposure to the observed DEE levels may still be a health risk.

Original language	English
Journal	Annals of Work Exposures and Health
Volume	68
Issue number	8
Pages (from-to)	791-803
Number of pages	13
ISSN	2398-7308
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1093/annweh/wxae062
Publication status	Published - 27 Sept 2024

Keywords

diesel exhaust particles
Elemental carbon
organic carbon
Construction workers
ultrafine particles
exposure measurements
operators
ground workers
drilling
digging
loading
Environmental Monitoring/methods
Humans
Workplace
Occupational Exposure/analysis
Particle Size
Construction Industry
Vehicle Emissions/analysis
Air Pollutants, Occupational/analysis
Inhalation Exposure/analysis
Carbon/analysis
Denmark
Particulate Matter/analysis
Soot/analysis

Access to Document

10.1093/annweh/wxae062

2 Active

Fornyet Fokus på Kemisk Arbejdsmiljø 2
Vogel, U. B. (Project Manager), Hougaard, K. S. (Project Manager), Madsen, A. M. (Project Manager), Andrup, L. (Project Manager), Hadrup, N. (Project Manager), Sørli, J. B. (Project Manager), Saber, A. T. (Project Manager), Nøjgaard, J. N. K. (Project Participant), Frederiksen, M. (Project Manager), Jensen, K. A. (Project Manager), Brostrøm, A. (Project Participant), Fonseca, A. S. (Project Manager), Danielsen, P. H. (Project Participant), Berthing, T. (Project Participant), Mortensen, A. (Project Participant), Terrida, E. B. (Project Participant), Guldbrandsen, M. (Project Participant), Kines, P. (Project Participant), Kofoed-Sørensen, V. (Project Participant), Jensen, S. P. (Project Participant), Kembouche, Y. (Project Participant), Polat, M. (Project Participant), Kofoed, V. C. (Project Participant), Sengupta, S. (Project Participant), Sundberg, M. (Project Participant), Rothmann, M. H. (Project Participant), Hammel, S. C. (Project Participant), Wagtberg, M. (Project Participant) & Gülen, H. (Project Participant)
30/03/2023 → 31/12/2026
Project: Research
FFIKA: Fornyet fokus på forskning i kemisk arbejdsmiljø
Vogel, U. B. (Project Manager), Jensen, K. A. (Project Participant), Jensen, A. C. Ø. (Project Participant), Berthing, T. (Project Participant), Andersen, M. H. G. (Project Participant), Hougaard, K. S. (Project Participant), Clausen, P. A. (Project Participant), Frederiksen, M. (Project Participant), Mortensen, A. (Project Participant), Saber, A. T. (Project Participant), Jacobsen, N. R. (Project Participant), Akhtar, Y. (Project Participant), Asp, A.-K. (Project Participant), Abildtrup, A. (Project Participant), Tegner, U. (Project Participant), Terrida, E. B. (Project Participant), Guldbrandsen, M. (Project Participant), Kembouche, Y. (Project Participant), Kofoed-Sørensen, V. (Project Participant), Nielsen, S. H. (Project Participant), Sahlgren, N. M. (Project Participant), Fonseca, A. S. (Project Participant), Danielsen, P. H. (Project Participant), Sørli, J. B. (Project Participant), Hadrup, N. (Project Participant), Ardenkjær-Skinnerup, J. (Project Participant), Nøjgaard, J. N. K. (Project Participant), Jørgensen, A. K. (Project Participant), Gutierrez, C. A. T. (Project Participant) & Brostrøm, A. (Project Participant)
01/01/2020 → 31/12/2026
Project: Research

1 Poster

Airborne particulate matter and diesel engine exhaust on infrastructure construction sites in the Copenhagen metropolitan area
Ferree, P. L., Polat, M. & Jensen, K., 2024.
Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster › Research

Cite this

@article{58a730919bab4e428fe9ec866f781817,

title = "Airborne particulate matter and diesel engine exhaust on infrastructure construction sites in the Copenhagen metropolitan area",

abstract = "Diesel engine exhaust (DEE) is carcinogenic and potentially hazardous for those working in close proximity to diesel-powered machines. This study characterizes workplace exposure to DEE and its associated particulate matter (PM) during outdoor construction activities. We sampled at 4 construction sites in the Copenhagen metropolitan area. We used portable constant-flow pumps and quartz-fiber filters to quantify personal exposure to elemental carbon (EC), and used real-time instruments to collect activity-based information about particle number and size distribution, as well as black carbon (BC) concentration. Full-shift measurements of EC concentration ranged from < 0.3 to 6.4 µg/m3. Geometric mean (GM) EC exposure was highest for ground workers (3.4 µg/m3 EC; geometric standard deviation, GSD = 1.3), followed by drilling rig operators (2.6 µg/m3 EC; GSD = 1.4). Exposure for non-drilling-rig machine operators (1.2 µg/m3 EC; GSD = 2.9) did not differ significantly from background (0.9 µg/m3 EC; GSD = 1.7). The maximum 15-min moving average concentration of BC was 17 µg/m3, and the highest recorded peak concentration was 44 µg/m3. In numbers, the particle size distributions were dominated by ultrafine particles ascribed to DEE and occasional welding activities at the sites. The average total particle number concentrations (PNCs) measured in near-field and far-field positions across all worksites were 10,600 (GSD = 3.0) and 6,000 (GSD = 2.8)/cm3, respectively. Sites with active drilling rigs saw significantly higher average total PNCs at their near-field stations (13,600, 32,000, and 9,700/cm3; GSD = 2.4, 3.4, and 2.4) than sites without (4,700/cm3; GSD = 1.6). Overall, the DEE exposures at these outdoor construction sites were below current occupational exposure limits for EC (10 µg/m3 in Denmark; 50 µg/m3 in the European Union), but extended durations of exposure to the observed DEE levels may still be a health risk.",

keywords = "diesel exhaust particles, Elemental carbon, organic carbon, Construction workers, ultrafine particles, exposure measurements, operators, ground workers, drilling, digging, loading, Environmental Monitoring/methods, Humans, Workplace, Occupational Exposure/analysis, Particle Size, Construction Industry, Vehicle Emissions/analysis, Air Pollutants, Occupational/analysis, Inhalation Exposure/analysis, Carbon/analysis, Denmark, Particulate Matter/analysis, Soot/analysis, Partikler, Kemisk arbejdsmilj{\o}",

author = "Ferree, \{Patrick L\} and Merve Polat and N{\o}jgaard, \{Jakob K\} and Jensen, \{Keld A\}",

note = "{\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society.",

year = "2024",

month = sep,

day = "27",

doi = "10.1093/annweh/wxae062",

language = "English",

volume = "68",

pages = "791--803",

journal = "Annals of Work Exposures and Health",

issn = "2398-7308",

publisher = "Oxford University Press",

number = "8",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Airborne particulate matter and diesel engine exhaust on infrastructure construction sites in the Copenhagen metropolitan area

AU - Ferree, Patrick L

AU - Polat, Merve

AU - Nøjgaard, Jakob K

AU - Jensen, Keld A

N1 - © The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society.

PY - 2024/9/27

Y1 - 2024/9/27

N2 - Diesel engine exhaust (DEE) is carcinogenic and potentially hazardous for those working in close proximity to diesel-powered machines. This study characterizes workplace exposure to DEE and its associated particulate matter (PM) during outdoor construction activities. We sampled at 4 construction sites in the Copenhagen metropolitan area. We used portable constant-flow pumps and quartz-fiber filters to quantify personal exposure to elemental carbon (EC), and used real-time instruments to collect activity-based information about particle number and size distribution, as well as black carbon (BC) concentration. Full-shift measurements of EC concentration ranged from < 0.3 to 6.4 µg/m3. Geometric mean (GM) EC exposure was highest for ground workers (3.4 µg/m3 EC; geometric standard deviation, GSD = 1.3), followed by drilling rig operators (2.6 µg/m3 EC; GSD = 1.4). Exposure for non-drilling-rig machine operators (1.2 µg/m3 EC; GSD = 2.9) did not differ significantly from background (0.9 µg/m3 EC; GSD = 1.7). The maximum 15-min moving average concentration of BC was 17 µg/m3, and the highest recorded peak concentration was 44 µg/m3. In numbers, the particle size distributions were dominated by ultrafine particles ascribed to DEE and occasional welding activities at the sites. The average total particle number concentrations (PNCs) measured in near-field and far-field positions across all worksites were 10,600 (GSD = 3.0) and 6,000 (GSD = 2.8)/cm3, respectively. Sites with active drilling rigs saw significantly higher average total PNCs at their near-field stations (13,600, 32,000, and 9,700/cm3; GSD = 2.4, 3.4, and 2.4) than sites without (4,700/cm3; GSD = 1.6). Overall, the DEE exposures at these outdoor construction sites were below current occupational exposure limits for EC (10 µg/m3 in Denmark; 50 µg/m3 in the European Union), but extended durations of exposure to the observed DEE levels may still be a health risk.

AB - Diesel engine exhaust (DEE) is carcinogenic and potentially hazardous for those working in close proximity to diesel-powered machines. This study characterizes workplace exposure to DEE and its associated particulate matter (PM) during outdoor construction activities. We sampled at 4 construction sites in the Copenhagen metropolitan area. We used portable constant-flow pumps and quartz-fiber filters to quantify personal exposure to elemental carbon (EC), and used real-time instruments to collect activity-based information about particle number and size distribution, as well as black carbon (BC) concentration. Full-shift measurements of EC concentration ranged from < 0.3 to 6.4 µg/m3. Geometric mean (GM) EC exposure was highest for ground workers (3.4 µg/m3 EC; geometric standard deviation, GSD = 1.3), followed by drilling rig operators (2.6 µg/m3 EC; GSD = 1.4). Exposure for non-drilling-rig machine operators (1.2 µg/m3 EC; GSD = 2.9) did not differ significantly from background (0.9 µg/m3 EC; GSD = 1.7). The maximum 15-min moving average concentration of BC was 17 µg/m3, and the highest recorded peak concentration was 44 µg/m3. In numbers, the particle size distributions were dominated by ultrafine particles ascribed to DEE and occasional welding activities at the sites. The average total particle number concentrations (PNCs) measured in near-field and far-field positions across all worksites were 10,600 (GSD = 3.0) and 6,000 (GSD = 2.8)/cm3, respectively. Sites with active drilling rigs saw significantly higher average total PNCs at their near-field stations (13,600, 32,000, and 9,700/cm3; GSD = 2.4, 3.4, and 2.4) than sites without (4,700/cm3; GSD = 1.6). Overall, the DEE exposures at these outdoor construction sites were below current occupational exposure limits for EC (10 µg/m3 in Denmark; 50 µg/m3 in the European Union), but extended durations of exposure to the observed DEE levels may still be a health risk.

KW - diesel exhaust particles

KW - Elemental carbon

KW - organic carbon

KW - Construction workers

KW - ultrafine particles

KW - exposure measurements

KW - operators

KW - ground workers

KW - drilling

KW - digging

KW - loading

KW - Environmental Monitoring/methods

KW - Humans

KW - Workplace

KW - Occupational Exposure/analysis

KW - Particle Size

KW - Construction Industry

KW - Vehicle Emissions/analysis

KW - Air Pollutants, Occupational/analysis

KW - Inhalation Exposure/analysis

KW - Carbon/analysis

KW - Denmark

KW - Particulate Matter/analysis

KW - Soot/analysis

KW - Partikler

KW - Kemisk arbejdsmiljø

U2 - 10.1093/annweh/wxae062

DO - 10.1093/annweh/wxae062

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 39102900

SN - 2398-7308

VL - 68

SP - 791

EP - 803

JO - Annals of Work Exposures and Health

JF - Annals of Work Exposures and Health

IS - 8

ER -

Airborne particulate matter and diesel engine exhaust on infrastructure construction sites in the Copenhagen metropolitan area

Abstract

Keywords

Access to Document

Projects

Fornyet Fokus på Kemisk Arbejdsmiljø 2

FFIKA: Fornyet fokus på forskning i kemisk arbejdsmiljø

Research output

Airborne particulate matter and diesel engine exhaust on infrastructure construction sites in the Copenhagen metropolitan area

Cite this