In-situ analyzing of air pollution by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy in laser paint removal

Abstract

Abstract Laser paint removal is widely used in industry in recent years. Compared with traditional paint removal methods, laser paint removal is considered clean and environmentally-friendly. However, particles generated in the cleaning process may cause significant air pollution and harm to the operator’s health. In this work, we demonstrated that particles with different sizes, especially those smaller than 2.5 μm, are generated in the process of laser paint removal. The chemical composition of these particles is analyzed in-situ by using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy. The results show that heavy metal elements (such as Ba, Pb and Ti) can be found in the particles. These heavy metal elements containing, small size particles pollute the air to an unacceptable level. We suggest that great attention should be taken to deal with this particulate air pollution to reduce the health risk for laser paint removal workers.