During metal welding and cutting, large amounts of particulate matter (PM) are produced that might represent a significant health risk for the exposed workers. In the present pilot study, we performed an elemental analysis of fine PM collected in a metal workshop. Also, elemental analysis of the hair and nail samples collected from workers exposed to the workshop dust and control group was done. Concentrations of 15 elements in PM were measured with X‐Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Particle Induced X‐ray Emission (PIXE), whereas inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS) was used to determine 12 elements in hair and nail samples. Mean 8‐hr concentrations of PM_2.5, Fe, and Mn in the vicinity of welders were up to 1803, 860, and 30 μg/m³, respectively, whereas in the nearby city, daily PM_2.5 concentrations are on average 11 μg/m³. We found that several elements, especially Fe and Mn, had substantially higher concentrations in hair and nail samples of exposed workers than in the control group, which indicates the accumulation of metals in workers' tissues, although limit values were not exceeded.

中文翻译：

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金属车间中的颗粒物和裸露工人的生物样品的元素分析

在金属焊接和切割过程中，会产生大量颗粒物质（PM），这可能对裸露的工人造成重大健康风险。在当前的试验研究中，我们对金属车间收集的细颗粒PM进行了元素分析。此外，还对从暴露于车间灰尘和对照组的工人收集的头发和指甲样本进行了元素分析。用X射线荧光（XRF）和颗粒诱导X射线发射（PIXE）测量了PM中15种元素的浓度，而电感耦合等离子体质谱法（ICP-MS）用于测定头发和指甲样品中的12种元素。焊机附近的PM _2.5，Fe和Mn的8小时平均浓度高达1803、860和30μg/ m ³分别是，而在附近城市中，每日PM _2.5浓度平均为11μg/ m ³。我们发现，暴露的工人的头发和指甲样本中的几种元素（尤其是Fe和Mn）的浓度明显高于对照组，这表明金属在工人组织中的积累，尽管未超过限值。