on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society doi:10.1093/annhyg/men048 Respiratory Exposure to Components of Water-Miscible Metalworking Fluids

Water-miscible metalworking fluids (MWFs) are capable of causing respiratory symptoms and diseases. Recently, much emphasis has been put on developing new methods for assessing respi-ratory exposure to MWF emulsions. The air concentrations of ingredients and contaminants of MWF and inhalable dust were measured in 10 metal workshops in southern Finland. Oil mist was determined by infra red spectroscopy analysis after tetrachloroethylene extraction from the filter. Aldehydes were collected on Sep-Pak chemosorbents and analysed by liquid chroma-tography. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were collected on Tenax adsorbents and ana-lysed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection after thermal desorption. Endotoxins were collected on glass fibre filter and analysed by enzyme-based spectrophotom-etry, and viable microbes were collected on polycarbonate filter and cultured. Inhalable dust was collected on cellulose acetate filter and quantified gravimetrically. Associations between the different exposures were calculated with Spearman’s correlations. The mean concentration of oil mist was 0.14 (range <0.010–0.60) mg m23. The mean total concentration of aldehydes was 0.095 (0.026–0.38) mg m23, with formaldehyde as the main aldehyde. The average total concentration of VOC was 1.9 (0.34–4.5) mg m23 consisting mainly of high-boiling aliphati