Avaliação da qualidade do ar em ambiente interno: estudo de caso em empresa de fundição e usinagem no norte do Paraná

Abstract

In Brazil, the study of indoor air quality has been gaining more and more visibility, being a complex area that involves professionals from various disciplines. The metalworking sector is a very representative area in Brazil, but it presents a working environment with worrying conditions for employees due to high temperatures and emission of pollutants. The objective of this work was to analyze the conditions of the internal environment of the foundry and metal-mechanic machining sectors, in order to evaluate if there is interference in the productivity and health of the occupants. The following parameters were evaluated: temperature and relative humidity, which determine thermal comfort, concentration of CO2 and concentration of fungi and bacteria, establishing the microbiological quality of the indoor air. The technique used for sampling fungi and bacteria was by Spontaneous Sedimentation (exposure for 10 minutes), while the parameters of temperature, humidity and CO2 concentration were by means of the portable CO2 analyzer (direct reading). Data collection was carried out in May 2018, on 05/14 (Monday) and 05/18 (Friday), including sampling in the morning and afternoon. As there is no current legislation for indoor environments without air conditioning that determines the maximum permissible limits for the parameters analyzed, ANVISA RE 09 of 2003 was used as a basis for data analysis, while NT-SCE-02 was used for bacteria. As final results, considering the comfort parameters, the concentration of CO2 presented values below 1.000 ppm proposed by ANVISA in both sectors, the temperature values exceeded the admitted range in all the afternoon periods of the Casting and Machining sectors, implying in the well-being of the employees and consequently in their productivity, while the humidity remained within the range, proving adequate. Regarding the microbiological parameters, the values of CFU/m³ for fungi, remained within the 750 CFU/m³ stipulated by the standard, except for the PF5 point on 05/18. The bacteria presented values above 500 CFU/m³ established by the NT-SCE-02 in both sectors, with emphasis on the Machining sector. As for the identification of filamentous fungi, there was predominance of 36% of the genus Aspergillus sp.