Hazardous Substances

May 2015

Hazardous substances

Hazardous Substances | Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA | May 2015 2 | 10

Which strains and pollutants is the lung subject to while working? ?

How do possible strains and pollutants affect us? ?

Hazardous substances What are potential dangers?

§  Aerosols are extremely fine airborne particles as solid or liquid particles such as dust, fume, mist. Aerosol is the collective term for dispersed solid and liquid particles in gases (suspended matter).

-  Dust is the collective term for extremely fine solid particles in gases, especially in the air, that result from mechanical processes or have become part of the air because they were raised

-  Mist consists of fine drops of liquid (especially water drops) in the air

-  Fumes are gaseous residues of combustion. Apart from gases and vapors smoke additionally contains solid matter in a very fine shape (often colloidal) such as soot, metal oxide particles or aerosols like drops of oil

Hazardous Substances | Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA | May 2015 3 | 10

Aerosols

Dust

solid particles, eg.g. wood, flour,

soot

Mist

liquid aerosols

Fumes

aerosols generated by combustion, eg.g

nickel monoxide

Hazardous substances What are potential dangers?

§  Gases and vapors are gaseous substances

§  All of them represent a potential risk for human breathing!

Hazardous Substances | Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA | May 2015 4 | 10

Gases and vapors

Gas

gaseous substances,

e.g. suplhur dioxide

Vapor

gaseous, but at 20° C, 1 bar, liquid or solid

Hazardous substances Which organs are affected by hazardous substances?

Hazardous substances may affect the human organs in many ways. Certain types of hazardous substances affect different organs.

Also solid dust does not only affect the respiratory organs but if it enters the blood via the alveoli it might cause severe damage in the whole organism as do gases and vapors.

Hazardous Substances | Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA | May 2015 5 | 10

Mist

Fumes

Dust

Vapor

Gas

Hazardous substances What is the average particle size?

•  Particles are differentiated by size.

•  Depending on their origin, the particle size varies extremely and thus, their danger and the possible protective measures.

•  Particles below 5 µm are called fine dust.

•  Fine dust can be inhaled by human beings and can reach the lungs. Therefore, this range is particularly relevant for respiratory protection.

In order to understand the proportions in size of the different particles you see objects below the scale that correspond to these dimensions. For example, the size of a virus compared with a granule is approximately the size of a pea compared with a skyscraper.

Coarse sand Rain

Coarse industrial dust Coal dust

Spores, pollen Cement dust

Metallurgical dust & fumes Germs, bacteria

Insecticide dusts Paint spray & mist Oil mist

Tobacco smoke Viruses

Large molecules

0,001 0,01 0,1 1 5 10 100 100 (1 mm)

10,000 [µm] (1 cm)

Human hair

Hazardous Substances | Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA | May 2015 6 | 10

Coarse dust (Ø > 5 µm) Fine dust (Ø < 5 µm)

Hazardous substances How do particles get into the body?

•  Depending on their size, particles find their way into the body via the respiration.

•  All kinds of dust that are inhaled are a potential risk ─ the most dangerous particles are those of a critical size that are inhaled but not exhaled again.

•  E.g. soot, asbestos, quartz, oil mist are not exhaled even if their diameter is very small.

•  The bigger the particle, the lower the probability that it is inhaled.

Diameter

Fine dust Coarse dust

Pro

babi

lity

Fine dust

Total amount of dust

1

0

Alveolar dust

Tranchea bronchial dust

Exhaled dust

Dust of the larynx

Non inhaled particles of dust

Hazardous Substances | Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA | May 2015 7 | 10

Hazardous substances What are typical occupational diseases?

Especially the lung and other organs that enable human respiration can be damaged.

Typical occupational diseases that can be avoided by proper respiratory protective measures are:

Respiratory diseases

Silicosis

Asbestosis

Occupational asthma

Allergies

Cancer

Hazardous Substances | Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA | May 2015 8 | 10

Hazardous substances Important information

The content provided on these web sites is intended for the purpose of training and instructional purposes only. It is absolutely necessary to understand and strictly observe the corresponding operating instructions when using any of the products shown or mentioned on the pages of this web site. In particular, the content of these web sites shall in no way be used in place of or as a supplement for these operating instructions.

The employees’ self-information does not release the employer from observing the required safety instructions. This information platform does not serve as an exemption from having to observe national codes of practice and laws, such as the BGR 190 in Germany.

The information and material for training courses provided on this website are protected by copyright for Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA. They may be used for your own training purposes by correctly and completely indicating the source and referring to the copyright of Dräger Safety. The use for commercial training purposes is not permitted.

Hazardous Substances | Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA | May 2015 9 | 10

Thank you for your attention.