Health risk assessment on tunnel workers’ exposure to PM10 based on triangular fuzzy numbers

The triangular fuzzy numbers were introduced to environmental assessment system, health risk assessment model based on triangular fuzzy numbers was built to calculate exposure dose and characterize the health risk of tunnel workers’ exposure to PM10. PM10 was measured on the site at 7 sampling spots of the tunnel. In order to ensure the accuracy of the assessment, the exposure factors of tunnel workers were obtained through questionnaires instead of handbooks. 176 workers including 5 types of workers were selected as samples. The results showed that PM10 exposure concentrations of different types of workers from high to low were excavation workers, blasting workers, secondary-lining workers, slag-out workers, and supporting workers. According to health risk assessment, all of the five types of tunnel workers had health risk. Excavation workers’ highest hazard quotient was mainly due to extremely high concentration of PM10. For secondary-lining workers, their hazard quotient was second only to excavation workers for their relatively high inhalation rate and exposure time.