Size distribution and metal composition of airborne particles in a waste management facility

The objective of the current study was to measure the particle mass concentration, mass size distribution, and metal composition of airborne particles in a waste management facility located at Chania (Crete, Greece). Measurements were performed at two locations of the waste management facility. High particulate matter (PM 10 ) concentrations were observed at the indoor site of manual waste sorting. In particular, the average concentration of PM 10 was equal to 217 μg/m 3 during working hours, while during non-working hours was equal to 60 μg/ m 3 . The particle mass size distributions were unimodal reflecting the resuspension of coarse particles. Furthermore, the deposited dose of particles and particle-bound metals and their retention in the human respiratory tract was determined using a dosimetry model (ExDoM2). The ExDoM2 model was applied for an adult male worker (06:30–14:30) at the indoor site of a manual waste sorting. The daily working deposited dose of PM 10 ranged from 1677 to 3028 μg, while the daily working deposited dose of particle-bound metals ranged from 22 to 39 μg. The highest daily working deposited dose in the respiratory tract is calculated for iron mass (PΜ Fe ) and the daily working deposited dose for PΜ Fe ranged from 18 to 33 μg.