Question

The exposure limit as prescribed by the Swedish National Board of Occupational Safety and Health for respirable dust is

• A. \(5\text{ mg/m}^3\)
• B. \(10\text{ mg/m}^3\)
• C. \(15\text{ mg/m}^3\)
• D. \(20\text{ mg/m}^3\)

Hint:

Respirable agricultural dust threshold: $5\text{ mg/m}^3$. Total dust threshold: $10\text{ mg/m}^3$.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Occupational safety standards set maximum Threshold Limit Values (TLV) for time-weighted average (TWA) concentrations of respirable agricultural dusts to prevent respiratory illnesses.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Agricultural operations such as harvesting, threshing, and grain handling produce fine airborne dust particles containing organic matter, silica, and mold spores.
Under the Swedish National Board of Occupational Safety and Health standards (and international ergonomic guidelines for agricultural environments), the permissible exposure limit for total organic respirable dust is set at \(5\text{ mg/m}^3\) (with \(10\text{ mg/m}^3\) for total non-toxic dust).

Step 3: Final Answer:
Thus, the prescribed exposure limit for respirable dust is \(5\text{ mg/m}^3\), corresponding to option (A).