Occupational exposure to respirable dust from the coal-fired power generation process: sources, concentration, and health risk assessment

Abstract

To investigate the contamination levels of respirable dust released in the work environment and the induced workers’ health risk at a coal-fired power plant, we collected 405 dust samples from different dusty workstations by personal sampling during the coal-fired power generation process. Then, an inhalation risk assessment model from the USEPA was combined with the Monte Carlo simulation method to quantitatively evaluate the health risk caused by dust inhalation. Of 10 workstations researched, the dust concentration in the most workstations exceeded the prescribed occupational exposure limit. Workers engaged in ash removal suffered the highest health risk at 4.08 × 10−6 ± 2.85 × 10−6 (95% CI), closely followed by those involved in other job categories. The results can contribute to the formulation of targeted dust prevention measures and implementation of risk management for the coal-fired power sector.