Gustavsson P: Exposure to particles, elemental carbon and nitrogen dioxide in workers exposed to motor exhaust. Ann Occup Hyg 2007

Objectives: The main aim of this study was to investigate the personal exposure to diesel and petrol exhaust fumes in occupations when exposure is prevalent and/or high. We also investi-gated the correlation between the five particle fractions [particles with an aerodynamic diam-eter <1 mm (PM1), particles with an aerodynamic diameter <2.5 mm (PM2.5), particles in size 0.1–10 mm, elemental carbon (EC) and total carbon (TC)] and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), in the various occupational environments. Methods: Seventy-one workers were included in the study. They were subdivided into seven groups depending on working area, working indoors, out of doors or in vehicles and type of exposure (diesel or petrol exhaust). Personal measurements were performed during 3 days per worker. We used five indicators of the particle fraction: PM1, PM2.5, particle measured with a real-time monitoring instrument for particles in sizes 0.1 and 10mm (DataRAM), EC and TC. We used NO2 as an indicator of the gas phase. Results: Tunnel construction workers showed the highest levels of exposure for all indicators, followed by diesel-exposed garage workers. For the other five groups, the levels were statistically significantly lower, and the differences between the groups were small. The full-shift geometri