Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA 96–0093–2685: Microfibres, Inc., Pawtucket, RI

Details

• Personal Author:
  Burkhart, Joseph E. ; Piacitelli, Chris A. ; Washko, Rita
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  On February 28, 1996, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received a request from the management of Microfibres, Inc. to investigate the occurrence of two cases of what was initially thought to be hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP)-a type of interstitial lung disease (ILD)-among employees as its plant in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. This request was made at the urging of a local occupational medicine physician, who had clinically evaluated the patients and suggested a connection between this lung disease and exposure to air contaminants at the plant. This plant dyes, finishes, and cuts nylon (and some polyester) continuous fiber to produce flock and also applies the nylon flock to a backing fabric to produce flock-coating upholstery fabric, some of which is screen printed, embossed, or otherwise finished. The plant employs approximately 170 individuals, many of whom work substantial overtime. Following a walk-through inspection, NIOSH industrial hygienists conducted initial qualitative air sampling in the plant, followed by more comprehensive work area air sampling throughout the plant to characterize potential exposures to dust, bioaerosols, and gases. Bulk samples were also collected for microbial analysis.
• Subjects:
  Dust Endotoxins Irritants Lung Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety
• Keywords:
  Dust-exposure Fabrics Fibers Flock Flock Workers Lung Formaldehyde Hazards-Confirmed Interstitial Lung Disease Lung-fibrosis Nylon OSHA Region 5 Particulate Not Otherwise Classified Particulate Not Otherwise Regulated PNOC PNOR Respiratory-irritants Respiratory Irritation Textile Goods, Not Elsewhere Classified Upholstery Fabric

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA9600932685
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Rhode Island ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  86 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Beeckman, Lu-Ann ; Castellan, Robert ; Castranova, Vince ; Day, Brian ; Fedan, Kathleen ; Freeland, Diana ; Hayes, Eileen ; Jones, Bill ; Kahn, Jeff ; Kreiss, Kathleen ; Petsko, Ray ; Pflock, Marty ; Porter, Dale ; Ryan, Mark ; Taylor, Jim ; Vandestouwe, Kurt ; Yereb, Daniel J.
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20000471
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB99-152357
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HETA 96-0093-2685, 1998 Apr ; :1-86
• CAS Registry Number:
  Formaldehyde (CAS RN 50-00-0) ; Ethyl acrylate (CAS RN 140-88-5) ; Ethyl propionate (CAS RN 105-37-3) ; Ethyl acetate (CAS RN 141-78-6) ; Propylene glycol (CAS RN 57-55-6) ; Toluene (CAS RN 108-88-3) ; Methanol (CAS RN 67-56-1) ; Ethanol (CAS RN 64-17-5) ; Isopropyl alcohol (CAS RN 67-63-0) ; 2-Butoxyethanol (CAS RN 111-76-2) ; Acetone (CAS RN 67-64-1) ; Methyl propionate (CAS RN 554-12-1) ; Ethyl butyrate (CAS RN 105-54-4)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1998
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  2299 - Textile goods, not elsewhere classified - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f3b71d29e9ec60c6128b0e79aaa36bca565703dbacba2cf0ee1acded4b12bc3af45474495588070f2c8e366eab7a37eaff2dd2acca96580304c47b006803c354
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/171047/cdc_171047_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.08 MB ]