Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-94-0373-2480: Suffolk County Courthouse; Boston, Massachusetts

Details

• Personal Author:
  Burkhart, Joseph E. ; Parker, John E.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In response to a request from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, an investigation was begun into possible health hazards from exposure to isocyanates and volatile organic compounds at the Suffolk County Courthouse (SIC-9199), Boston, Massachusetts. Waterproofing and caulking materials had been applied at the site during an ongoing renovation and waterproofing project. Workers complained of cough, wheezing, chest tightness, asthma, eye irritation, sore throat, shortness of breath, fatigue, headache, and nausea. The last application of the materials was in June 1994, but health complaints from workers continued. Efforts at odor abatement were made and some workers were moved out of the building. The NIOSH investigation was conducted in August 1994. Samples taken from the courthouse revealed no measurable quantities of isocyanates and only low quantities of volatile organic compounds. The authors conclude that a health hazard from low level exposure to isocyanates and volatile organic compounds may exist for some workers, due to individual susceptibility, preexisting medical conditions, and hypersensitivity. The authors recommend that an effective ventilation system be installed. Workers still experiencing health problems should be relocated within the building or off site until a ventilation system is operational. Some individuals with medically documented isocyanate sensitization may be unable to return to work in the building.
• Subjects:
  Air Pollution, Indoor Asthma Asthma, Occupational Environmental Health Environmental Monitoring Isocyanates Lung Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Solvents Toluene Volatile Organic Compounds

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• Keywords:
  Air-quality-monitoring Asthma Bituthane Duramem General Government, Not Elsewhere Classified Hazard-Confirmed HETA-94-0373-2480 Indoor-air-pollution Indoor-environmental-quality Lung-irritants MDI Methylene Biphenyl Diisocyanate NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report Occupational-exposure Office-workers OSHA Region 1 Respiratory-system-disorders Respiratory Irritant Sensitization Solvent-vapors TDI Toluene Diisocyanate VOCs Volatile Organic Compounds Volatiles

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA9403732480
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; 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:
  36 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00225272
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB95-200697
• 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 94-0373-2480, 1995 Jan ; :1-53
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1995
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  9199 - General government, not elsewhere classified - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4c6b983d014a73076c45712360c1e2077e5614c273f1643d06decb88082aab8964730200642f9980c8c78cc26d99fc0e23714f84558ed6338f27fdbb3300578b
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/171303/cdc_171303_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 315.03 KB ]