Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA 95-0239-2553: St. Vincent Medical Center, Staten Island, New York

Details

• Personal Author:
  Kiefer, Max ; Lushniak, Boris D.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In response to a request from the St. Vincent Medical Center (SIC- 8062) Staten Island, New York, an investigation was begun into indoor environmental quality and employee health concerns in the Labor and Delivery, Maternity, and Newborn Nursery wards on the second floor of the Sister Loretta Bernard building. Employees health complaints included skin rashes, asthma, congestion, hives, and throat irritation. Carbon-dioxide (124389) levels varied but were within standard limits. Temperatures were well within acceptable ranges and relative humidity levels were at the high end of acceptable. Only trace amounts of volatile organic compounds were noted in ambient air. Personal samples for glutaraldehyde (111308) exposure showed 0.06 parts per million, well below the ceiling limit. The authors conclude that no obvious environmental explanation was found for the symptoms and complaints experienced. The authors recommend that improvements be made in ventilation systems, and that eye and face protection be provided during the use of glutaraldehyde. Latex free and powder free gloves should be provided for personnel with latex allergies.
• Subjects:
  Air Pollution, Indoor Environmental Health Health Personnel Hospitals Hypersensitivity Occupational Health Safety Skin Skin Diseases Volatile Organic Compounds Workplace

  More +
• Keywords:
  Allergic-reactions Anaphylactic Reaction General Medical And Surgical Hospitals Glutaraldehyde Hazard-Unconfirmed Health-care-personnel HETA-95-0239-2553 IAQ Indoor-air-pollution Indoor-environmental-quality Indoor Environmental Quality Latex Allergy NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report OSHA Region 2 Skin-disorders VOCs Work-environment

  More +
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA9502392553
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; OSHA Region 2
• 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:
  Frost, Barbara
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00231103
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB96-209663
• 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 95-0239-2553, 1995 Dec ; :1-24
• CAS Registry Number:
  Carbon dioxide (CAS RN 124-38-9) ; Glutaraldehyde (CAS RN 111-30-8)
• 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:a59848331f315e2577eeba92656aa359ce60f1c64bc0fd92da6fdf444010d9357b2caf68f4a3d2ba1d58d13374c422ff1ac05a7441beed39e00051f89c72c582
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/171200/cdc_171200_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 312.29 KB ]