RÉSUMÉ
Background N-hexane has been a widely used solvent in industrial production, but it is volatile at room temperature and can be accumulated in the body, and its prolonged occupational exposure may lead to serious chronic diseases in workers. Objective To use four risk assessment models to evaluate the health risk levels of n-hexane-exposed workers, discuss the applicability of the four models in the health risk assessment of n-hexane exposure, and make an important supplement to the health risk assessment of n-hexane in China. Methods In 2022, a total of 167 jobs (1724 workers) exposed to n-hexane in 85 manufacturing enterprises in Jiangsu Province were selected, and a cross-sectional study was conducted and included questionnaire surveys and evaluation of on-site air n-hexane of each job. Subsequently, the China’s classification standards of occupational hazards at workplaces (China model), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) model, Singapore semi-quantitative risk assessment model (Singapore model), and the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) model were applied to the quantitative, semi-quantitative, and qualitative assessments of the occupational health risk level of n-hexane-exposed workers. Results All job’s 8-h time-weighted average concentrations (CTWA) of n-hexane were within the national occupational exposure limits (OELs). The results of the China model graded all jobs as relatively harmless. The Singapore model graded all jobs as low risk, except that two monitoring sites of adhesive jobs were assessed as medium risk. The ICMM quantitative model evaluated all jobs as intolerable for n-hexane airborne exposure, while the matrix method evaluated all jobs as low risk. The U.S. EPA model identified five sites involving painting, printing, and adhesive jobs as high risk and the other jobs as low risk. Conclusion Inconsistent grading results are observed by using the four models for the occupational health risk assessment of n-hexane exposure, that is, harmless for all jobs by China model, while medium and high risks by Singapore model and U.S. EPA model. Therefore, we recommend to combine the Singapore model and the U.S. EPA model with the China model to assess the occupational risk of n-hexane-exposed workers by considering actual concentrations of exposure.
RÉSUMÉ
Objective@#To understand the characteristics and causes of pesticide poisoning in Xuzhou city, and provide basis for formulating prevention and control measures.@*Methods@#The cases of pesticide poisoning in Xuzhou City from 2005 to 2017 were collected from "Pesticide Poisoning Report Card" . The data were analyzed and assessed by EpiData. The SPSS 22.0 software was used for statistical analysis.@*Results@#During the thirteen years, there were a total of 8092 cases of pesticide poisoning, among which, the number of occupational pesticide poisoning was 1 408, accounting for 17.4% of the total number of cases, 14 patients died, the case fatality rate was 0.1%. There were 2, 992 cases of male poisoning, accounting for 36.97% of the total number of cases, and 5, 100 cases of female poisoning, accounting for 63.03%. There were 6684 non-productive pesticide poisonings, accounting for 82.6% of the total number of cases; 387 deaths occurred, and the mortality rate was 5.8%. Among non-productive poisonings, the incidence of oral pesticide poisoning was 84.3%, and the incidence of accidental poisoning by pesticides was 15.7%. Organophosphorus pesticides poisoning cases accounted for the majority of oral pesticide poisoning cases. The overall incidence of pesticide poisoning showed a downward trend. The age of non-productive pesticide poisoning cases was mainly 15-44 years old, and the number of cases of poisoning were 4 029 cases (60.28%) . With the increase of age, the mortality rate of poisoning cases was higher, especially for those over 60 years old who died of oral pesticide poisoning (40.1%) . The peak of pesticide poisoning began to increase in the second quarter and reached its peak in the third quarter.@*Conclusion@#Although the cases of pesticide poisoning reported in Xuzhou City have been declining in recent years, the situation is still severe. The proportion of oral pesticide suicide accounts for a large proportion, and the mortality rate of elderly and female is relatively high, and the government should pay more attention. Workers should conduct safety education and psychological counseling to improve the knowledge and consciousness of safe use of pesticides.