Dental prosthesis laboratories (DPLs) are among the workplaces where predominantly manual production takes place. In such working environments, during the manual manufacturing process, which involves fine smoothing and polishing of dental prostheses, fine particulate matter is released into the ambient air. In this study, the particulate matter (PM) concentrations and elemental content of the fine particles in the working ambient air were identified in six DPLs in Kocaeli, Turkey. PM_2.5 mass concentrations, measured in all the DPLs, ranged between 80.8 and 1645 μg/m³ (mean 414 ± 406). As a result of the analyses performed with an ICP-MS device (Perkin Elmer Elan®DRC-e), trace elements of Be, Cd, Hg, and, notably, Co, Cr, Mo, and Ni were found. The researchers calculated the excess lifetime cancer risks and total hazard indexes. The average total cancer risk for all the DPLs was 8 × 10⁻³, which is higher than the acceptable limit of 1.0 × 10⁻⁶, and the total hazard index was 187, which is greater than the acceptable limit of 1.0. Considering these high-level risks, the study concluded that there is a need for new production methods, and strict application of occupational health and safety measures, to reduce the fine particle exposure of the workers in the laboratories. In addition, there are prescribed limit values for particulate matter only for respirable particles in working environments. The establishment of limit values, especially for PM_2.5 concentrations, is important for the protection of the health of the employees.

假牙实验室（DPL）是主要进行人工生产的工作场所之一。在这样的工作环境中，在手工制造过程中（包括对牙齿假体进行精细的平滑和抛光），精细的颗粒物质被释放到周围的空气中。在这项研究中，在土耳其Kocaeli的六个DPL中确定了工作环境空气中细颗粒物的颗粒物（PM）浓度和元素含量。在所有DPL中测量的PM _2.5质量浓度范围为80.8至1645μg/ m ³（平均414±406）。作为使用ICP-MS设备（Perkin ElmerElan®DRC-e）进行分析的结果，发现了痕量元素Be，Cd，Hg，尤其是Co，Cr，Mo和Ni。研究人员计算了终生癌症风险和总危害指数。所有DPL的平均总癌症风险为8×10 ^-3，高于可接受的上限1.0×10 ^-6，总危险指数为187，大于可接受的限制1.0。考虑到这些高风险，研究得出结论，需要新的生产方法，并严格执行职业健康和安全措施，以减少实验室工人的细颗粒暴露。此外，规定了仅适用于工作环境中可吸入颗粒物的颗粒物极限值。限值的建立，特别是对于PM _2.5浓度的限值，对于保护员工的健康非常重要。