Laser paint removal is widely used in industry in recent years. Compared with traditional paint removal methods, laser paint removal is considered clean and environmentally-friendly. However, particles generated in the cleaning process may cause significant air pollution and harm to the operator’s health. In this work, we demonstrated that particles with different sizes, especially those smaller than 2.5 μm, are generated in the process of laser paint removal. The chemical composition of these particles is analyzed in-situ by using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy. The results show that heavy metal elements (such as Ba, Pb and Ti) can be found in the particles. These heavy metal elements containing, small size particles pollute the air to an unacceptable level. We suggest that great attention should be taken to deal with this particulate air pollution to reduce the health risk for laser paint removal workers.

近年来，激光除漆在工业中被广泛使用。与传统的除漆方法相比，激光除漆被认为是清洁且环保的。但是，清洁过程中产生的颗粒可能会造成严重的空气污染，并损害操作人员的健康。在这项工作中，我们证明具有不同尺寸的颗粒即，尤其是那些小于2.5 μ米，在激光除漆的过程中产生的。这些颗粒的化学成分被原位分析通过使用激光诱导击穿光谱。结果表明，可以在颗粒中发现重金属元素（例如Ba，Pb和Ti）。这些包含小颗粒的重金属元素会将空气污染到无法接受的水平。我们建议应特别注意处理这种颗粒状的空气污染，以减少激光除漆工人的健康风险。