本研究探討都市廢棄物焚化爐內各結晶型二氧化矽暴露源之特徵，並探討歲修期間各維修作業勞工結晶型二氧化矽暴露特徵、健康危害風險、及勞工結晶型二氧化矽暴露與肺功能指標之相關性。本研究計針對二座焚化爐實施採樣：A廠主要針對二氧化矽之暴露源 (壁灰、耐火磚) 實施採樣，而B廠則再針對勞工暴露情形加以採樣評估。為瞭解焚化爐燃燒過程對耐火材料中結晶型二氧化矽含量變化之影響，本研究首先針對焚化爐不同的耐火材料及不同區段之壁灰做分析。結果發現，燃燒前後之耐火泥及白磚其結晶型二氧化矽含量為均有明顯的上升。而在壁灰方面，結晶型二氧化矽含量多寡依序為乾燥區>預熱區>主燃燒室。有關個人暴露方面，研究針對焚化爐拆爐作業全部勞工依作業性質，將勞工分為七個相似暴露族群並實施個人可呼吸性氣膠採樣，結果發現結晶型二氧化矽暴露的濃度範圍為0.04 ~ 0.344 mg/m3，其中有16.7 ~ 100 %超出我國粉塵容許濃度標準，其中尤以噴砂作業、清潔爐床作業、及修補耐火泥作業勞工之暴露情形最為嚴重。在致矽肺症風險評估方面，本研究發現有四個相似暴露族群超過10-3，其中包括噴砂作業、清潔爐床、爐床整修、及修補耐火泥等作業勞工。在勞工肺功能檢測部分，本研究發現可呼吸性結晶型二氧化矽暴露組之勞工，其肺功能指標之檢測值大多低於非暴露組，可知暴露組之肺功能危害明顯高於非暴露組，而其MEFR、PEFR、FEF25%、及FEF50%為國民預測值之56 %、58 %、61 %、及75 %，可知暴露勞工之肺部細小支氣管應已受損。此外，粒徑分布採樣結果顯示，拆爐作業場所粉塵氣動粒徑中位數為6.39 ~ 12.10 μm，石英之氣動粒徑質量中位數為19.24 ~ 36.94 μm，因此若直接使用呼吸防護具，可能因粉塵負荷過高而增加勞工呼吸阻抗，為有效降低維修勞工可呼吸性粉塵及結晶型二氧化矽之暴露，降低致矽肺症風險，保障勞工肺部健康，建議以有效的通風控制及濕式作業改善環境。

The objective of the study was set out to assess the characteristics and health-risk associated with crystalline silica exposures to municipal waste incinerator (MPWI) demolition workers. Two MPWIs were investigated, including the A MPWI for characterizing exposure sources, and B-MPWI for assessing workers exposures. In order to assess the effect of the incinerating process on the contents of crystalline silica in various types of refractory material, we first measured three types of refractory material used in MPWI, and wall-ash attached on the wall of different combustion zones of MPWI. Results show that both refractory paste and white refractory brick significantly increased their crystalline silica contents after a long period of incineration in MPWI. As for wall-ash, we found their crystalline silica content as shown in sequence was: drying zone > preheating zone > main combustion chamber. For personal exposures, all demolition workers in a MPWI were selected to conduct personal respirable aerosol samplings. All workers were divided into 7 similar exposure groups (SEGs) according to their tasks and operating procedures. We found their exposures to crystalline silica (quartz) contents fell to the range 0.04-0.344 mg/m3, and ～16.7-100% of personal exposures exceeded the permissible exposure limits (PELs) that currently regulated in Taiwan. Among them, the most significant exposures were found in SEGs associated with sand blasting, stove cleaning, and refractory cement patching operation. We compared the results of pulmonary function tests with respirable crystalline silica exposure group and non-exposure group, and we found that pulmonary function parameters were lower in exposure group. Pulmonary functions of MEFR, PEFR, FEF25%, and FEF50% of the exposure group are found below the predicted values. The above results suggest that the terminal bronchiole has been injured. Particle size distribution sampling results show that all mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMADs) fell to the range 6.39 ~ 12.10μm. The above results suggest that the use of dust respirator for demolition workers might not be feasible, since the high particle loading might lead to the increase of the breathing resistance. It is suggested that either ventilation or wet operation should be adopted for demolition works in order to effectively reduce workers’ exposures.

1. American Industrial Hygiene Association, 1998. A strategy for assessing and managing occupational exposures. 1st Ed, AIHA, Fairfax, VA: 52-53.
2. American Thoracic Society, 1991. Lung function testing: Selection of reference values and interpretative strategies. Am Rev Respir Dis 144:1202.
3. Altieri A, Sperduto B, Verdel U, Porceli D, 1984. Identification of cristobalite and quartz in the production of silicon carbide. Riv Infort Mal Prof 71:131-135.
4. Balaan MR, Banks DE, 1992. Silicosis, In: Rom WN, eds. Environmental and occupational medicine. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company, pp.345-358.
5. Bégin R, Ostguy G, Cantin A, Bergeron D, 1988. Lung function in silica exposure workers: a relationship to disease severity assessed by CT scan. Chest 94:539-545.
6. Burgess GL, Turner S, McDonald JC, Cherry NM, 1997. Cohort mortality study of Staffordshire pottery workers:(Ⅰ) Radiographic validotion of an exposure matrix for respirable crystalline silica. Ann Occup Hyg 41:403-407.
7. Checkoway H, Heyer NJ, Demers PA, Breslow NE, 1993. Mortality among workers in the diatomaceous earth industry. Br J Ind Med 50:586-597.
8. Costallo J, Graham WGB, 1988. Vermont granite workers’ mortality study. Am J Ind Med 13:483-497.
9. Costallo J, Gastellan RM, Swecker GS, Kullmen GJ, 1995. Mortality of a cohort of U.S. workers employed in the crushed stone industry, 1940-1980. Am J Ind Med 27:625-640.
10. Cherniak, M., 1986; The Hawk’s Nest Incident: America’s Worst Incident Disaster. Yale University Press, New Haven, CT.
11. Cherry NM, Burgess GL, McNamee R, Turner S, McDonald JC, 1995. Initial findings from a cohort mortality study of British pottery workers. Appl Occup Envirton Hyg 10:1042-1045.
12. Cherry NM, Burgess GL, Turner S, McDonald JC, 1997. Cohort study of Staffordshire pottery workers:(Ⅱ) Nested case referent analysis of lung cancer. Ann Occup Hyg 41:408-411.
13. Dagle GE, Wehner AP, Clark ML, Buschbom RL, 1986. Chronic inhalation exposure of rats to quartz. In: Goldsmith DF, Winn DM, Shy CM, eds. Silica, silicosis, and cancer. Controversy in occupational medicine, cancer research monographs. Vol. 2. New York: Praeger, pp.255-266.
14. Donaldson K, Borm PJA, 1998. The Quartz Hazard: A Variable Entity. Ann. Occup. Hyg. 42: 287-294.
15. Dong D, Xu G, Sun Y, Hu P, 1995. Lung cancer among workers exposed to silica dust in Chinese refactory plants. Scand J Work Environ Health 21:69-72.
16. Fulekar MH, 1999. Occupational exposure to dust in quartz manufacturing industry. Ann. Occup. Hyg. 43:269-273.
17. George D. Guthrie, Jr., Brooke T. Mossman, 1993. Health effects of mineral dusts. Mineralogical Socirty of America, Washington, D.C.
18. Gillbert RO. 1987 Statistical methods for environmental pollution monitoring. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
19. Goldsmith, David F. (1997) The Link Between Silica Dust Levels, Risk Assessments, and Regulations. Journal of Exposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology 7: 385-395.
20. Green FHY, Vallyathan V, 1996. Pathologic responses to inhaled silica. In: Castranova V, Vallyathan V, Wallace WE, eds. Silica and silica-induced lung diseases. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, Inc., pp.39-59.
21. Grosjean R, Ackermans H, 1998. Determination of Free Silica in a Set of Toners. Ann. Occup. Hyg. 42: 219-220.
22. Groth DH, Stettler LE, Platek SF, Lal JB, Burg JR, 1986. Lung tumors in rats treated with quartz by intratracheal instillation. In: Goldsmith DF, Winn DM, Shy CM, eds. Silica, silicosis, and cancer. Controversy in occupational medicine, cancer research monographs. Vol. 2. New York: Praeger, pp.243-253.
23. Guénel P, Højberg G, Lynge E, 1989. Cancer incidence among Danish stone workers. Scand J Work Environ Health 15:33-37.
24. Hewett P, Ganser GH, 1997. Simple procedures for calculation confidence intervals around the sample mean and exceedance fraction derived from lognormally distributed data. Appl. Occup. Environ. Hyg. 12:132-142.
25. Hnizdo E, 1992. Loss of lung function associated with exposure to silica dust and with smoking and its relation to disability and mortality in South African gold miners. Br J Ind Med 27:619-622.
26. Hnizdo E, Sluis-Cremer GK, 1993. Risk of silicosis in a cohort of white South African gold miners. Am J Ind Med 24:447-457.
27. Holland LM, Gonzales M, Wilson JS, Tillery MI, 1983. Pulmonary effects of shale dust in experimental animals. In: Wagner WL, Rom WN, Merchant JA, eds. Health issues related to metal and nonmetallic mining. Boston, MA: Butterworth Publishers, pp.485-496.
28. Holland LM, Wilson JS, Tillery MI, Smith DM, 1986. Lung cancer in rats exposed to fibrogenic dusts. In: Goldsmith DF, Winn DM, Shy CM, eds. Silica, silicosis, and cancer: Controversy in occupational medicine, Cancer Research Monographs. Vol.2. New York: Praeger, pp.264-279.
29. Hughes JM, Weill H, Checkoway H, Jones RN, Henry MM, Heyer NJ, Seixas NS, Demers PA, 1998. Radiographic evidence of silicosis risk in the diatomaceous earth industry. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 158:224-230.
30. IARC, 1987. IARC monographs on the evaluation of the carcinogenic risk of chemicals to humans: Silica and some silicates. Vol.42. Lyon, France: World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer.
31. Liou SH, 1994； “Occupational Disease Profile in Taiwan, Republic of China”, Am. Ind.Heal. 32：107-118.
32. McDonald JC, Cherry N, McNamee R, Burgess G, Turner S, 1995. Preliminary analysis of proportional mortality in a cohort of British pottery workers exposed to crystalline silica. Scand J Work Environ Health 21:63-65.
33. McDonald JC, Burgess GL, Turner S, Cherry NM, 1997. Cohort study of Staffordshire pottery workers:Ⅲ. Lung cancer, radiographic changes, silica exposure and smoking habit. Ann Occup Hyg 41:412-414.
34. McLaughlin JK, Jing-Qiong C, Dosemeci M, Rong-AnC, Rexing SH, Zhien W, Hearl FJ, McCawley MA, Blot WJ, 1992. A nested case-control study of lung cancer among silica exposed workers in China. Br J Ind Med 49:65-69.
35. Merlo F, Costantini M, Reggiardo G, Ceppi M, Puntoni R, 1991.Lung cancer risk among refractory brick workers exposed to crystalline silica: A retrospective cohort study. Epidemiology 2:299-305.
36. Miller SK, Bigelow PL, Sharp-Geiger R, Buchan RM, 1999. Exposure of geotechnical laboratory workers to respirable crystalline silica. App Occup an Envir Hyg.14: 39-44.
37. Muhle H, Takenaka S, Mohr U, Dasenbrock C, Mermelstein R, 1989. Lung tumor induction upon long-term low-level inhalation of crystalline silica. Am J Ind Med 15:343-346.
38. Muir, DCF, 1989. Silica exposure and silicosis among Ontario hardrock miners: III analysis and risk estimates. Am. J. Ind. Med. 16: 29-43.
39. Muramatsu K, Yamamoto T, Hasegawa A, 1989. A case of autoimmune hemolytic anemia associated with silicosis. Jpn J Chest Dis 48:45-50.
40. Neyer U, Woss E, Neuweiler J, 1994. Case report: Wegener’s granulomatosis associated with silicosis. Nephrol Dial Transplant 9: 559-561.
41. Ng TP, Chan SL, 1991. Factors associated with massive fibrosis in silicosis. Thorax 46:229-232.
42. NIOSH, 1998. Silica, crystalline, by XRD Analysis. NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods, forth edition, Method: 7500. NIOSH publ No.98-119.
43. OSHA, 2002. Quartz and cristobalite in workplace at mospheres: Method ID-142, OSHA, Salt Lake City.
44. Oudyk JD, 1995. Review of an extensive ferrous foundry silica sampling program. App Occu Envir Hyg 10:331-340.
45. Owens MW, Kinasewitz GT, Gonzalez E, 1988. Case report: Sandblaster’s lung with mycobacterial infection. Am J Med Sci 295:554-557
46. Parkes, W.R.1994. Occupational lung disorders. 3rd Ed. 841-844.
47. Parker JE, 1994. Silicosis. In: Rakel RE, ed. Conn’s current therapy. Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders, pp.207-210.
48. Parmeggiani, L. “Silica &silicates”, Encyclopaedia of Occupational health & Safety. 3rd Ed, 1991, 2033-2036.
49. Pouthier D, Duhoux P, Van Damme B, 1991. Pulmonary silicosis and glomerular nephropathy. A case. Nephrologie 12:8-11.
50. Puntoni R, Goldsmith DG, Valerio F, Vercelli M, Bonassi S, Di Giorgio F, Ceppi M, Stagnaro E, Filiberti R, Santi L, Merlo F, 1988. A cohort study of workers employed in a refractory brick plant. Tumori 74:27-33.
51. Rice FL, Stayner LT, 1995. Assessment of silicosis risk for occupational exposure to crystalline silica. Scand J Worker Environ Health 21:87-90.
52. Saffiotti U, Daniel LN, Mao Y, Williams AO, Kaighn ME, Ahmed N, Knapton AD, 1993. Biological studies on the carcinogenic mechanisms of quartz. In: Guthrie GD Jr., Mossman BT, eds. Reviews in mineralogy: Health effects of mineral dusts. Vol. 28. Washington, DC: Mineralogical Society of America, pp.523-544.
53. Saffiotti U, Williams AO, Daniel LN, Kaighn ME, Mao Y, Shi X, 1996. Carcinogenesis by crystalline silica: Animal, cellular, and molecular studies. In: Castranova V, Vallyathan V, Wallace WE, eds. Silica and silica-induced lung diseases. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, Inc., pp.345-381.
54. Sanderson WT and Steenland K, 2000. Historical Respirable Quartz Exposures of Industrial Sand Workers: 1946-1996. Am J Ind Med 38:389-398.
55. Sherson D, Jørgensen F, 1989. Rapidly progressive cresenteric glomerulonephritis in a sandblaster with silicosis. Br J Ind Med 46:675-676.
56. Silicosis and Silicate Disease Committee, 1988. Diseases associated with exposure to silica and nonfibrous silicate minerals. Arch Pathol Lab Med 112:673-720.
57. Steenland K and Brown D, 1995. Silicosis Among Gold Miners Exposure – Response Analysis and Risk Assessment. Am J of Public Health 85:1372-1377.
58. Steenland K, Brown D, 1995. Mortality study of gold miners exposed to silica and nonasbestiform amphibole minerals: An update with 14 more years of follow-up. Am J Ind Med 27:217-229.
59. Spiethoff A, Wesch H, Wegener K, Klimisch H-J, 1992. Te effects of thorotrast and quartz on the induction of lung tumors in rats. Health Phys 63:101-110.
60. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1996; Ambient Levels and Noncancer Health Effects of Inhaled Crystalline and Amorphous Silica: Health Issue Assessment.
61. Virta RL, 1993. Crystalline silica: What it is-and isn’t Minerals Today, October:12-16
62. Weill H, Jones RN, Parkes WR, 1994. Silicosis and related diseases. In: Parkes WR, ed. Occupational lung disorders. 3rd ed. London: Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd., pp.285-339
63. 勞工保險局 (1996-2001)，勞工保險統計年報。
64. 勞工安全衛生研究所 (1998-1999)，耐火磚作業流程與勞工粉塵危害調查，IOSH87-H309。
65. 工業技術研究院工業材料研究所，1995，進口耐火材料剖析與我國發展機會探討，ITRIMR-151-S202(84)。
66. 許國敏，賴俊雄，李福春，郭憲文，1994，中部地區鑄造業勞工肺部疾病與粉塵測定濃度相關性研究。勞工安全衛生研究所，IOSH83-M224。
67. 李建洲，1990, 台灣省耐火磚製造作業員工肺塵症之職業流行病學研究。中國文化大學勞工研究所。
68. 宋光梁，1978，實用耐火材料學，臺灣區耐火材料工業同業公會，臺北巿。