Conclusions
The present paper shows that both TSP and total PAH concentrations
of the three selected sintering process areas were
higher than that of the control room. The above results could
be explained by the filtration efficiency of the air conditioning
device installed inside the control room. PAH homologue
distributions of the three selected sintering process areas were
significantly different from that of the outdoor environment suggesting
that PAHs found in the sintering workplace atmospheres
were mainly contributed by process fugitives. Total PAH exposure
levels in the selected areas of the sintering plant were lower
than the current permissible exposure limits, thus suggesting that
sintering workers are usually exposed to quite low PAH concentrations.
Consistently, our risk estimate for the lung cancer risks
associated with the above PAH exposures gave lower values as
compared to the significant risk level defined by US Supreme
Court.