A study on assessment of personal exposures to hazardous chemical substances and health effects by using environmental monitoring continuously in hospitals.

虽然有许多危险化学品影响到医院的卫生保健工作者，但日本的《职业安全与卫生法案》规定和管制了几种化学品。ACGIH和美国niosh提出了防止健康危害的职业暴露限值。但是，评估短时间接触以预防急性健康危害是非常困难的。作者不断发展危险化学品浓度环境监测方法，并对这些化学品的暴露及其对健康的影响进行了评价。环境监测结果表明，仅在手术室采用清除系统是不够的，需要对工作环境进行控制。在TLV-TWA下，仅通过管理一般通风系统不能降低环境中环氧乙烷的浓度，可能存在潜在的慢性健康危害。有些工作方法会使工人接触到高浓度的乙基…更多的环氧乙烷。虽然甲醛和戊二醛主要用于冷灭菌过程，但已提出这些化学品的短时间接触或上限限制，以防止急性健康危害。工人呼吸区附近环境监测结果表明，在许多作业中，短时间接触值超过上限，可能存在潜在的急性健康危害。本研究中观察到，工人中出现了与接触这些化学物质有关的眼睛、上呼吸道和皮炎等症状。为了评估这些化学物质的长期和短期暴露，环境监测可以为我们提供重要的信息，本研究获得的数据应用于管理工作实践和控制工作环境。最后，提交人提出了关于工作环境控制和安全工作程序的准则，以防止与接触这些化学品有关的健康危害。少

Although there are many hazardous chemicals affecting health care workers in hospitals, there are several chemicals ruled and regulated by Japanese OSHActs. ACGIH and U.S.NIOSH have proposed occupational exposure limits for preventing health hazards. But it is very difficult to assess short-time exposures for preventing acute health hazards. The authours have developed the methods on environmental monitoring concentrations of hazardous chemicals continuously, and evaluated exposures to these chemicals and their health effects.The results of environmental monitoring waste anesthetic gases suggest that it is not sufficient to merely adapt scavenging system in operating rooms, and working environmental controls should be required. Environmental concentrations of ethylene oxide can not be reduced under TLV-TWA by only managing general ventilation system, and there might be potential chronic health hazards. Some of work practices would expose workers to extremely high concentration of ethyl … More ene oxide. While formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde have been mainly used for cold sterilization process, these chemicals have been proposed short-time exposure or ceiling limits for preventing acute health hazards. The results of environmental monitoring near breathing zone of workers suggest that the short-time exposure values exceed ceiling limits in many work practices, and there might be potential acute health hazards. Several episodes among workers, like irritation of eyes, upper respiratory system and dermatitis related with exposures to these chemicals have been observed in this study. In order to assess not only the long-time but also the short-time exposure to these chemicals, environmental monitoring can provide us with important information, and data acquired in this study should be refereed to managing work practices and controlling working environments. Finally, the authors have proposed the guidelines on working environmental controls and safety working procedures for preventing health hazards related with exposures to these chemicals. Less