SIMULATION OF PAST EXPOSURE IN SLAG WOOL PRODUCTION

A survey of the working conditions at a Danish slag wool production fa ctory during the early technological phase in the 1940s is presented. No exposure data, however, are available for that period. So, a full-s cale simulation of the past production of slag wool has been performed . Air monitoring was carried out in the working area around the cupola furnace. The aim was to measure exposure to air pollutants other than fibres. Such exposure might have confounded a possible association be tween lung cancer and exposure to fibres, in the early technological p hase of slag wool production. The simulation experiment demonstrated e xposure to PAH, a known lung carcinogen. The effect of other concurren t exposures is difficult to assess. Time-weighted average concentratio ns of particulate material ranged between 12.9 and 49.1 mg m-3 at the upper decks around the cupola. Corresponding concentrations of the dom inant metals zinc and lead were 4.4-22.7 mg Zn m-3 and 0.9-4.7 mg Pb m -3. Significant concentrations of PAH up to 269 mug PAH m-3 (4 mug BaP m-3) occurred during ignition of the cupola furnace. The carbon monox ide level reached 270 ppm also during ignition.