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Adhesive Compounds as Chemical Hazard Factors in the Footwear Industry

Adhesive Compounds as Chemical Hazard Factors in the Footwear Industry

ISSN 2223-6775 Ukrainian journal of occupational health Vol.20, No 4, 2024

https://doi.org/10.33573/ujoh2024.04.291

Adhesive Compounds as Chemical Hazard Factors in the Footwear Industry

Lototska-Dudyk U.B., Kuzminov B.P.

Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, Ukraine

Introduction:

The extensive use of adhesive compounds at various stages of shoe manufacturing, combined with the diversity of their chemical components, necessitates monitoring these substances in workplaces to evaluate potential risks to the health of industry workers. This study aims to assess the occupational exposure and associated risks linked to adhesive compounds in the footwear industry.

Aim of the Research

To analyze the composition of primary adhesives used in shoe manufacturing and evaluate the working conditions of employees by measuring the levels of adhesive components in workplace air.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 1,335 measurements of chemical substances were conducted at the workplaces of key footwear industry professions, including shapers of blanks, lasters, and shoe assemblers, who are in frequent contact with adhesives.

Results:

The footwear industry utilizes various types of adhesives, including adhesive solutions (polyurethane, polychloroprene), adhesive dispersions (butadiene-styrene, chloroprene), hot-melt adhesives (polyamide, polyester), and adhesives based on ethylene and vinyl acetate copolymers. The structural components of these adhesives belong to different hazard classes, posing health risks primarily through inhalation and skin contamination. While the majority of chemical concentrations in workplace air were within permissible limits, specific instances of exceeding hygienic standards were identified: ethyl acetate (15.0%) and toluene (7.7%) during manual application of polyurethane (Bonicol PUR) and polychloroprene (Boterm GTA) adhesives at the blank-forming stage; gasoline (26.7%) during halogenation of soles and use of adhesive solutions; chloroprene (10.0%) when applying chloroprene latex during blank tightening; phenol (18.8%) during shoe assembly involving adhesive solutions and dispersions; formaldehyde (16.7%) during the use of hot-melt polyester adhesives in blank-tightening operations.

Conclusions:

The work conditions of adhesive operators in the procurement department are classified as: Permissible (Class 2) with latex adhesives; Harmful (Class 3.1) with polychloroprene and polyurethane adhesive solutions, chloroprene dispersions; Harmful (Class 3.4) with hot-melt polyester adhesives. In assembly workshops, conditions ranged from permissible (Class 2) to harmful (Class 3.1) when using two-component adhesive solutions. These findings serve as a scientific foundation for assessing the health risks of workers exposed to adhesive compounds and guide the development of measures to optimize working conditions in the footwear industry.

Keywords: footwear industry, work conditions, adhesive solutions, adhesive dispersions, hot-melt adhesives, workplace air, chemical hazard.

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