Engineering intervention to reduce API dust exposure during milling operations

Publication date: Available online 18 August 2017 Source:Journal of Chemical Health and Safety Author(s): Vivek K.A., Manikandan Hareendran The health of workers in pharmaceutical industry is at risk as a result of inhalation of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) dusts generated during powder processing. A good number of workers are employed in powder processing areas where they are exposed to high concentrations of API dust. The work presented in this paper focuses on the efficiency of dust collection system in reducing API dust exposure from the working atmosphere near a powder milling machine. The dust was captured by creating suitable air stream at milling station which was further collected in a dust collector with HEPA (High-efficiency particulate arrestance) filter. The air stream was created by a blower, which was selected on the basis to get minimum air speed of minimum 0.5m/s in the working zones of workers. It was observed that the dust collection system successfully collects the significant amount of respirable API dust from the working atmosphere and able to reduce the dust concentration up to 80%. Further, the respirable dust concentration reduced below occupational exposure limit (OEL) of the API after the installation of engineering control.
Source: Journal of Chemical Health and Safety - Category: Chemistry Source Type: research