Hairdressers are exposed to particulate matter (PM), a known air pollutant linked to adverse health effects. Still, studies on occupational PM exposures in hair salons are sparse. We characterized indoor air PM concentrations in three salons primarily serving an African/African American (AA) clientele, and three Dominican salons primarily serving a Latino clientele. We also assessed the performance of low-cost sensors (uRAD, Flow, AirVisual) by comparing them to high-end sensors (DustTrak) to conduct air monitoring in each salon over 3 days to quantify work shift concentrations of PM_2.5, respirable PM (RPM), and PM₁₀. We observed high spatial and temporal variability in 30-min time-weighted average (TWA) RPM concentrations (0.18–5518 μg/m³). Readings for the uRAD and AirVisual sensors were highly correlated with the DustTrak (R² = 0.90–0.99). RPM 8-hour TWAs ranged from 18 to 383 µg/m³ for AA salons, and 9–2115 µg/m³ for Dominican salons. Upper 95th percentiles of daily RPM exposures ranged from 439 to 2669 µg/m³. The overall range of 30-min TWA PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ concentrations was 0.13–5497 and 0.36-,541 μg/m³, respectively. Findings suggest that hairdressers could be overexposed to RPM during an 8-hour shift. Additional comprehensive monitoring studies are warranted to further characterize temporal and spatial variability of PM exposures in this understudied occupational population.

中文翻译：

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马里兰州美发师职业暴露于颗粒物的实时空气监测：一项试点研究

美发师会接触颗粒物 (PM)，这是一种已知的空气污染物，会对健康造成不利影响。尽管如此，关于美发沙龙职业性 PM 暴露的研究很少。我们对主要为非洲/非裔美国人 (AA) 客户提供服务的三个沙龙和主要为拉丁裔客户提供服务的三个多米尼加沙龙中的室内空气 PM 浓度进行了表征。我们还评估了低成本传感器（uRAD、Flow、AirVisual）的性能，将它们与高端传感器 (DustTrak) 进行比较，在每个沙龙进行为期 3 天的空气监测，以量化 PM _2.5和可吸入 PM 的轮班浓度（ RPM) 和 PM ₁₀。我们观察到 30 分钟时间加权平均 (TWA) RPM 浓度 (0.18–5518 μg/m ³）。uRAD 和 AirVisual 传感器的读数与 DustTrak 高度相关（R ²  = 0.90–0.99）。RPM 8小时TWAS 18〜383微克/米³为AA美发，和9-2115微克/米³为多明尼加美发。每日 RPM 暴露的第 95 个百分位数范围从 439 到 2669 µg/m ³。30 分钟 TWA PM _2.5和 PM ₁₀浓度的总体范围为 0.13-5497 和 0.36-,541 μg/m ³， 分别。调查结果表明，美发师在 8 小时轮班期间可能会过度暴露于 RPM。有必要进行额外的综合监测研究，以进一步表征这一研究不足的职业人群中 PM 暴露的时间和空间变异性。