Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-88-240-2210: The Mueller Company; Decatur, Illinois

Details

• Personal Author:
  Echt, Alan S. ; Elliott, Larry J.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In response to a request from an authorized employee representative at the Mueller Company (SIC-3362), Decatur, Illinois, an evaluation was undertaken of formaldehyde (50000) exposures to employees in the core making room and pour deck areas. The Mueller Company is a grey iron and brass foundry producing valves for water and gas distribution service. Formaldehyde levels of 0.32 to 0.65 parts per million were recorded. Three of seven readings exceeded the OSHA permissible exposure limit of 1 part per million. Respirable dust sampling measured 4.34mg/m3 in the breathing zone of the muller operator and 1.46mg/m3 at a location 10 feet from the front of the muller at breathing zone height. Silica (14808607) content in these samples was 60.2% and 50.0%, respectively. Exposure to cadmium (7440439), lead (7439921), and zinc (7440666) on the pour deck exceeded one or more of the evaluation criteria
  
  appropriate respiratory protection was used by workers in this area. Symptoms reported by the workers included headache, sinus pain, nausea, and eye irritation. Silicosis was verified in one worker. Formaldehyde related dermatitis was diagnosed in another. The authors conclude that there was a hazard from exposures to formaldehyde and silica. The authors recommend specific measures to reduce these hazardous exposures.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Dust Hazardous Substances Metals Metal Workers Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety Silicon Dioxide
• Keywords:
  Airborne-dusts Brass, Bronze Casting Foundries Cadmium Formaldehyde Foundries Foundry Foundry-workers Hazard-Confirmed HETA-88-240-2210 Lead Metal-dusts Metal-fumes NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report Occupational-exposure OSHA Region 5 Silica Toxic-gases Zinc

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA882402210
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Illinois ; 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:
  21 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Klincewicz, Steven
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00208284
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB92-221019
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, Ohio: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HETA 88-240-2210, 1992 May ; :1-24
• CAS Registry Number:
  Formaldehyde (CAS RN 50-00-0) ; Silica, Crystalline (CAS RN 14808-60-7) ; Cadmium (CAS RN 7440-43-9) ; Lead (CAS RN 7439-92-1) ; Zinc (CAS RN 7440-66-6)
• Editor(s):
  Goble, Jennifer
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1992
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  3362 - Brass, Bronze, and Copper Foundries - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c4b59b0ac204cc8ee7ee3e7ebe46d48151ea6655db4a3a8947aa87c210bc711875e7260c106cd9cfb94bfe74e18febc38b79e932d6377372f3c68d4130b9769d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/171577/cdc_171577_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 177.91 KB ]