Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA 95-0225-2596: Abrasive Blasters, Parma and Akron, Ohio

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cocalis, Joseph C. ; Washko, Rita
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In response to a request from the Ohio Department of Health, a study was begun of possible silicosis in workers involved in or around abrasive blasting operations. Workers were screened from Parma and Akron, Ohio who were involved in abrasive blasting operations in April of 1995. The participants were recruited from the membership of the International Brotherhood of Painters Union. All of the 170 participants had chest X-rays, and 96 (56%) participated in blood lead (7439921) screening as well. Eight of the 170 participants had chest X-rays consistent with pneumoconiosis. All eight had worked as abrasive blasters. Only one of the eight had previously known that his chest X-ray was consistent with this diagnosis. The blood lead levels ranged from 2 to 30 micrograms/deciliter, with a median of 5 micrograms/deciliter. Results of questionnaires indicated deficiencies in knowledge of the proper use of respirators in that only one third of the workers were fit tested and 18% had facial hair that could interfere with respirator seal. There was also little understanding of the NIOSH recommendations to prevent silicosis. The authors conclude that there is a need for better training and education in silicosis prevention and the use of respiratory protection in abrasive blasting operations.
• Subjects:
  Construction Industry Lead Lung Lung Diseases Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Radiography Respiratory Protective Devices Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Silicon Dioxide

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• Keywords:
  Abrasive Blasting Abrasive Blasting Contractor Chest-X-rays Construction Crystalline Silica Hazard-Confirmed HETA-95-0225-2596 Lung-disease NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report OSHA Region 5 Painting And Paper Hanging Painting Contractor Pneumoconiosis Respirable Quartz Respirator Respiratory-protective-equipment Respiratory-system-disorders Sand-blasting Sandblasting Silica Silicosis Steel-Plate Fabrication Structural Steel Erection

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA9502252596
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; 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:
  24 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Hixon, Pamela
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00234324
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB97-136949
• 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 95-0225-2596, 1996 Sep ; :1-32
• CAS Registry Number:
  Lead (CAS RN 7439-92-1)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1996
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  1721 - Painting and paper hanging - (SIC) ; 1791 - Structural steel erection - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5ac8b21ea64e7c0578d9014a13ec0a3c71014459a05775ef19fc3a465fc94890aa7e465579258380ca90ebd0a0109da444b91de2aa53ca7375d2731aff1d659d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/171173/cdc_171173_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 251.35 KB ]