Spatiotemporal modeling of occupational particulate matter using personal low-cost sensor and indoor location tracking data.

Occupational exposure to particulate matter (PM) can result in multiple adverse health effects and should be minimized to protect workers' health. PM exposure at the workplace can be complex with many potential sources and fluctuations over time, making it difficult to control. Dynamic maps that visualize how PM is distributed throughout a workplace over time can help in gaining better insights into when and where exposure occurs.

Limited Health Risks in Performing Drug Reconstitution and Handling Tasks in Pharmacies-Results of an Occupational Risk Assessment Study.

Objective: Some drugs need processing before they can be administered or dispensed. We measured airborne exposure of pharmacy staff to small particles when performing these tasks.

Methods: Reconstitution of powdered drugs in vials; crushing, splitting, and counting of tablets; and opening of capsules, using different ventilation strategies, were investigated in five pharmacies after in a worst-case approach.

Future Prospects of Occupational Exposure Modelling of Substances in the Context of Time-Resolved Sensor Data.

This commentary explores the use of high-resolution data from new, miniature sensors to enrich models that predict exposures to chemical substances in the workplace. To optimally apply these sensors, one can expect an increased need for new models that will facilitate the interpretation and extrapolation of the acquired time-resolved data. We identified three key modelling approaches in the context of sensor data, namely (i) enrichment of existing time-integrated exposure models, (ii) (new) high-resolution (in time and space) empirical models, and (iii) new 'occupational dispersion' models.

Ethics and Privacy Considerations Before Deploying Sensor Technologies for Exposure Assessment in the Workplace: Results of a Structured Discussion Amongst Dutch Stakeholders.

Will sensor-based exposure assessment be the future in workplace settings? Static instruments with embedded sensors are already applied to monitor levels of dangerous substances-in the context of acute health effects-at critical locations. However, with wearable, lightweight, miniaturized (low-cost) sensors developing quickly, much more is possible with sensors in relation to exposure assessment. Sensors can be applied in the work environment, on machines, or on employees and may include sensors that measure chemical exposures, but also sensors or other technologies that collect contextual information to support the exposure measurements.

Proposal for a risk banding framework for inhaled low aspect ratio nanoparticles based on physicochemical properties.

We present a conceptual framework that can be used to assign risk bands to inhaled low aspect ratio nanoparticles starting from exposure bands assigned to a specific exposure situation. The framework mimics a basic physiological scheme that captures the essential mechanisms of fate and toxicity of inhaled nanoparticles and is composed of several models and rules that estimate the result of the following processes: the deposition of particles in the respiratory tract, their (de-)agglomeration, lung burden and clearance, their diffusion through the lung mucus layer, translocation and cellular uptake and local and systemic toxicity. Each model is based on a set of particle's physicochemical properties, including the size and size distribution(s), the zeta potential (or net charge at a specific pH), the surface hydrophobicity or hydrophilicity, the conduction band energy (for metals, metal oxides, quantum dots, etc.

Experimental estimation of migration and transfer of organic substances from consumer articles to cotton wipes: Evaluation of underlying mechanisms.

The aim of this work was to identify the key mechanisms governing transport of organic chemical substances from consumer articles to cotton wipes. The results were used to establish a mechanistic model to improve assessment of dermal contact exposure. Four types of PVC flooring, 10 types of textiles and one type of inkjet printed paper were used to establish the mechanisms and model.

'Stoffenmanager', a web-based control banding tool using an exposure process model.

In the scope of a Dutch programme to reinforce the working conditions policy on hazardous substances, an internet-based tool was developed to help small- and medium-sized companies to handle hazardous substances with more care. The heart of this tool, called the Stoffenmanager, is a risk banding scheme. It combines a hazard banding scheme similar to that of COSHH Essentials and an exposure banding scheme based on an exposure model originally presented by Cherrie et al.