Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-93-0494-2478: Asbury Graphite Mills, Inc.; Asbury, New Jersey

Details

• Personal Author:
  Jennison, Elizabeth A. ; Piacitelli, Chris A.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In response to a request from the New Jersey Department of Health, environmental and medical surveys were conducted at Asbury Graphite Mill (SIC-1499), Asbury, New Jersey to investigate exposure to pneumoconiotic dusts. A case of pneumoconiosis had been reported in a former employee of the facility. One of 35 personal samples and 19 area samples taken and analyzed for respirable graphite (7782425) had a concentration that exceeded the threshold limit value (TLV) of 2mg/m3. The potential for overexposure to respirable crystalline silica (14808607) was demonstrated for several samples. Of the 34 personal breathing zone and 230 area samples collected for total dust, one personal and two area samples had levels which exceeded the TLV of 10mg/m3 for total particulate, not otherwise classified. The inadequacy of the local exhaust ventilation system was noted. Of the 54 current employees, 47 participated in medical studies. Chest X-rays consistent with pneumoconiosis were detected in three of the workers. Symptoms of chronic cough and chronic phlegm were reported more frequently among workers whose jobs included a higher potential for exposure to dust. Pulmonary function was inversely related to exposure. The authors conclude that a potential hazard existed from exposure to silica containing dusts. The authors recommend that local exhaust ventilation systems be improved, formal respiratory protection programs be developed, and a medical surveillance program be instituted.
• Subjects:
  Dust Environmental Monitoring Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Radiography Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Silicon Dioxide
• Keywords:
  Air-sampling Chest-X-rays Dust-exposure Hazard-Confirmed HETA-93-0494-2478 Mineral-dusts Miscellaneous Nonmetallic Minerals Natural Graphite NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report Occupational-exposure OSHA Region 2 Pneumoconiosis Respiratory-system-disorders Silica Silica-dusts Synthetic Graphite

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA9304942478
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  New Jersey ; 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:
  35 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Saltzstein, Sylvia ; Moreno, Ray ; Kinsley, Kathleen
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00225879
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB95-219572
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, Ohio: 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 93-0494-2478, 1994 Dec ; :1-34
• CAS Registry Number:
  Graphite (natural) (CAS RN 7782-42-5) ; Silica, Crystalline (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1995
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  1499 - Miscellaneous nonmetallic minerals - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f45c0f137a1d2f44b0540c50448b31484f2fac7ca594d3b210cec3b6575653e24b3967b17e791a23c94a1fd31634e3a62ab2f9c7100eed8faabecac7cdd63f41
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/171299/cdc_171299_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 362.25 KB ]