Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-78-121-1071: Allis-Chalmers Corporation; West Allis, Wisconsin

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cone, James E. ; Johnson, Paul L. ; Thoburn, Theodore W.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In response to a request from a representative of Local 248 of the United Auto Workers, an evaluation of possible health hazards was made at the Allis-Chalmers Corporation (SIC-3321), West Allis, Wisconsin. Air samples were analyzed for free crystalline silica (7631869), carbon-monoxide (630080), and nickel (7440020), each of which was found to be present in excessive amounts in several areas of the facility. A second follow-up survey measured concentrations of metal fumes, dimethylethylamine (75649), carbon-monoxide, and methylene-bisphenyl-isocyanate (101688) (MDI). Exposures to respirable crystalline silica, nickel and carbon-monoxide exceeded the NIOSH recommended standards. Of the 67 workers for whom occupational histories and chest x-rays were available, six had silicosis, including one case of silicotuberculosis. One other pneumoconiosis case was also found. Symptoms of recent upper respiratory symptoms were noted in 75 percent of the workers. Nine showed abnormal pulmonary function tests. The authors conclude that health hazards exist due to excessive exposure to free crystalline silica in the core making and cleaning department, carbon-monoxide in the old coke fired cupolas and pouring areas and to nickel in the finishing area. The authors recommend that engineering controls, monitoring, and medical management be improved.
• Subjects:
  Dust Isocyanates Lung Metal Workers Nickel Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Silicon Dioxide Welding

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• Keywords:
  Carbon Monoxide Dust-control Foundry Foundry-workers Gray And Ductile Iron Foundries Hazard-Confirmed HETA-78-121-1071 NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report OSHA Region 5 Pulmonary-system-disorders Respirable-dust Respirable Crystalline Silica Silica-dusts Silicosis

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA781211071
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Wisconsin ; 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:
  56 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Watanabe, Arthur ; Kominsky, John R. ; Pryor, Paul D. ; Ollinger, William ; Howlett, Michael ; Grote, Ardith A. ; Walter, Kim ; Bolyard, Michele ; Lowe, Dorothy ; Harris, Stephanie
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00179182
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB85-178762
• 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 78-121-1071, 1982 Mar ; :1-53
• CAS Registry Number:
  Silica (CAS RN 7631-86-9) ; Carbon monoxide (CAS RN 630-08-0) ; Nickel (CAS RN 7440-02-0) ; tert-Butylamine (CAS RN 75-64-9) ; 4,4’-methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (CAS RN 101-68-8)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1982
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  3321 - Gray and ductile iron foundries - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:df01e32b157ae78696ca074d56df60d6d5d81b9c4f9cbf4885b2437631b60013ce107b3bec87056253a622e2b00d07cf1a118d8390fec1011c3ce53240e82daa
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/171965/cdc_171965_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.45 MB ]