Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-92-0361-2343: M-I Drilling Fluids; Greybull, Wyoming

Details

• Personal Author:
  Robinson, Laura ; Van Gilder, Thomas J.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In response to a request from the state epidemiologist in Wyoming, an investigation was begun of two cases of acute, febrile hepatitis in employees of M-I Drilling Fluids (SIC-1459), Greybull, Wyoming. The two cases of hepatitis were caused by Coxiella-burnetii, the rickettsia which causes Q-fever. The men worked at the bentonite mine in Greybull. A survey of 39 workers using a self-administered questionnaire and a blood test for antibodies to C-burnetii revealed seven workers with serologic evidence of infection. Three showed evidence of recent infection and four showed evidence of past infection. The major risk factor identified through the questionnaire data was sheep ownership. Risk factors suggestive of either recent or past infection included working outdoors, operating heavy equipment, and hunting. The authors conclude that a potential health hazard existed in outdoor workers at this bentonite mining facility. The authors recommend that a high index of suspicion for Q-fever in persons with unexplained fever and influenza like symptoms, hepatitis, or pneumonia should be maintained. Cases of Q- fever should be reported to the state epidemiologist by local physicians. All contact with soil obviously contaminated with animal urine, feces or birth products as well as animals which are in the process of giving birth should be avoided. Pregnant women and persons with valvular heart disease should be warned of the dangers of Q-fever.
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Disease Vectors Epidemiology Liver Mining Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Bentonite Mining Coxiella Burnetii Disease-vectors Hazard-Confirmed Hepatitis HETA-92-0361-2343 Infectious-diseases Liver-disorders Mine-workers NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report Occupational OSHA Region 8 Q Fever Vector-borne Wyoming Bentonite

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA9203612343
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Wyoming ; OSHA Region 8
• 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:
  18 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00217012
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB94-129509
• 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 92-0361-2343, 1993 Aug ; :1-18
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1993
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  1459 - Clay and related minerals, not elsewhere classified - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:407cb6e6abfb0f333d2dc6d9b12b16047a4ed360dd38088c051d131b684f0369d315ec705a818530d905cd5559baa4a71e79b0ffaf455ec9446f2a66cdd49c27
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/171457/cdc_171457_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 196.79 KB ]