From a technical safety perspective, dust particles are a key risk factor in many
workplaces due to their known harmful effects on the respiratory and cardiovascular
systems. For dust particles, it is important to consider several properties to ensure
occupational safety and health, such as size, composition (including heavy metals and
various organic and inorganic compounds), and reactivity. Oxidative potential (OP) is
rapidly becoming one of the key properties of such particles, and the literature on this
topic is still developing, resulting in many different protocols for determining OP.
Therefore, the aim of numerous studies, as well as this thesis, is to compare existing
methods and establish a simple protocol for determining OP, which is essential for the
wider adoption of the methodology, with the goal of protecting exposed groups of
workers, such as those in confined spaces (subways, welding shops, etc.), transport
workers, agricultural and construction workers, and others. In this work, I discussed the
two most common methods for determining OP: dithiothreitol and ascorbic acid. Based
on the established protocols, I tested several factors influencing the final OP and
determined the OP of two samples obtained from a village and an occupational
environment. I found that the ascorbic acid method is much easier and more reliable than
the dithiothreitol method, making it more suitable for wider use. The ultimate goal is to
analyse samples from exposed occupational environments to ensure a higher level of
occupational safety and health.
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