Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-84-426-1963: Ormet Corporation; Hannibal, Ohio

Details

• Personal Author:
  Hartle, Richard W. ; Singal, Mitchell
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In response to a request from Local 5724, United Steelworkers of America, an evaluation was made of possible long-term exposure to potroom gases, fumes, and dusts at Ormet Corporation (SIC-3334), Hannibal, Ohio. The facility was a producer of primary aluminum, had six potrooms, each composed of two buildings housing 86 pots, for a total of 1032 pots. Excessive exposures to fluorides were determined among crane operators, particularly among cranemen involved with the placement of new carbon anodes in the pots. Personal samples for fluoride obtained from these men ranged from 0.95 to 3.61mg/m3. Sixteen percent of workers completing a medical questionnaire reported symptoms suggestive of asthma
  
  in 13 of these cases the asthma was temporally related to work and symptoms worsened in or near the potroom. Neurologic effects including memory impairment, cognitive dysfunction, anxiety, and neurasthenic symptoms were no more prevalent among current potroom workers than among other participants in the medical review. However, each was more prevalent among workers who had ever worked in the potroom. The authors conclude that there was a potential for excess exposures to fluorides among potroom crane operators. There was no convincing evidence of an association between exposure to aluminum (7429905) and neurologic effects. The authors recommend upgrading engineering controls to reduce the exposure of the crane operator to fluorides, exhausting the crucible to the outside, establishing good worker hygiene and work practices, maintaining pot access floors and shields, monitoring of airborne gases, and using respirators.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Aluminum Compounds Asthma Asthma, Occupational Carbon Monoxide Fluorides Metal Workers Occupational Health Safety Sulfur Dioxide
• Keywords:
  Aluminum Aluminum-foundries Aluminum-industry CO Coal Tar Pitch Volatiles CTPVs Hazard-Confirmed Hazard-Unconfirmed HETA-84-426-1963 Neurologic NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report OSHA Region 5 PNAs Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons Pot Room Primary Production Of Aluminum SO2

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA844261963
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; 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:
  30 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Burr, Gregory A. ; Kinnes, Gregory M. ; Newman, Mary ; Ruhe, Ray ; Bolyard, Michele ; Conway, Kathleen
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00190662
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB90-129057
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HETA 84-426-1963, 1989 May ; :1-28
• CAS Registry Number:
  Aluminum (CAS RN 7429-90-5)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1989
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  3334 - Primary aluminum - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3d472283195d8e683cb96aeba28007c0c3147783158cf6587f2d79261b7d1a51d7ece7c9c4420cbb2bfb9c5e3f6e073b76e8c5f77be1b221100578f520123a63
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/171817/cdc_171817_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 9.18 MB ]