Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA 95-0313-2589: University of Michigan Hospitals, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Details

• Personal Author:
  Friedman, Deborah B. ; Herrera-Moreno, Veronica
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In response to a request from the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, an investigation was begun into the exposure of floor care workers to glycol ethers during striping and waxing activities at the University of Michigan Hospitals (SIC- 8062). Workers had reported nausea, headaches, sore throats, and dizziness. Concentrations of glycol ethers and ammonia (7664417) detected in air samples were all well below their respective OSHA limits. Formaldehyde (50000) and acetaldehyde (75070) were also detected but also at levels well below their limits. Acetaldehyde, ethylene-glycol-monobutyl-ether (111762) and ammonia were detected at levels greater than their respective odor thresholds, which may explain the strong odors experienced during stripping and waxing activities. Documented cases of chronic illness could not be confirmed, although some of the workers complained of acute irritation of the mucous membranes. Recommendations were made concerning ventilation systems, the use of personal protective equipment, and the functioning of the Environmental Services Department health and safety program.
• Subjects:
  Aldehydes Ammonia Ether Formaldehyde Hospitals Irritants Maintenance Occupational Health Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Solvents

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• Keywords:
  Ammonia Cleaning-compounds Custodians Ethers Floor Stripping/Waxing General Medical And Surgical Hospitals Glycol Ethers Hazard-Unconfirmed HETA-95-0313-2589 Hospital Maintenance-workers NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report Organic-solvents OSHA Region 5 Respiratory-system-disorders Solvent-vapors

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA9503132589
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Michigan ; OSHA Region 5
• 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:
  27 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Blythe, Ellen E. ; Burr, Gregory A. ; Etnyer, Grant
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00235002
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB97-147250
• 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 95-0313-2589, 1996 Jul ; :1-23
• CAS Registry Number:
  Ammonia (anhydrous) (CAS RN 7664-41-7) ; Formaldehyde (CAS RN 50-00-0) ; Acetaldehyde (CAS RN 75-07-0) ; 2-Butoxyethanol (CAS RN 111-76-2)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1996
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  8062 - General medical & surgical hospitals - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f6f80f592427aac495b3c2c40faa385cfd5e2588e7e65f8e90748370a494d5fa091a9e12586d3b65aaa985b6b73320b4e4f5ced811223548f7fbc12084b34d68
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/171169/cdc_171169_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 14.57 MB ]