Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-80-232-1055: Allied Chemical; Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Details

• Personal Author:
  Costello, Richard J. ; Melius, James M.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In response to a request from an employee, an evaluation was made of working conditions at Allied Chemical (SIC-2821), Baton Rouge, Louisiana. High density polyethylene was manufactured at this facility. Health problems at the facility had been attributed to chemical waste from the nearby Rollins Environmental Services chemical waste disposal facility. Measurable benzene (71432) concentrations, with a mean of 698 microgram/cubic meter (microg/m3) were found in 32 personal breathing samples. Toluene (108883) and xylene (1330207) were present in small amounts. Cyclohexane soluble particulates were present in 29 filter samples at concentrations up to 919microg/m3. Vapors of naphthalene (91203), indan (496117), indene (95136), and anthracene (120127) were measured in 13 samples. Excessive amounts of eye and respiratory irritation were noted among workers who spent significant amounts of time out of doors, and among the citizens of the nearby town of Alsen. The authors conclude that there was not a serious occupational hazard from chemical waste migrating from Rollins to the Allied Chemical facility. The authors recommend an investigation of the cluster of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) cases at the facility. While process changes at Rollins have been instituted which have eliminated the possibility of episodic exposures, a minimizing of outdoor activities should take place whenever widespread symptoms of eye and respiratory irritation exist.
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Eye Foreign Bodies Hazardous Substances Irritants Occupational Health Particulate Matter Plastics Safety Waste Management
• Keywords:
  Airborne-particles Eye-irritants Hazard-Unconfirmed Hazardous-materials Hazardous Waste Disposal, Environmental Contamination Hazardous Waste Treatment Plants HETA-80-232-1055 NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report OSHA Region 6 Plasticizers Plastics-industry Respiratory-irritants Waste-disposal-systems Waste-treatment

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA802321055
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Louisiana ; OSHA Region 6
• 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:
  87 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  King, Mike ; Froenberg, Brigette ; Donohue, Michael ; McDonald, Debbie
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00179178
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB83-214262
• 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 80-232-1055, 1982 Feb ; :1-31
• CAS Registry Number:
  Benzene (CAS RN 71-43-2) ; Toluene (CAS RN 108-88-3) ; Xylene (CAS RN 1330-20-7) ; Naphthalene (CAS RN 91-20-3) ; Indane (CAS RN 496-11-7) ; Indene (CAS RN 95-13-6) ; Anthracene (CAS RN 120-12-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1982
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  2821 - Plastics materials and resins - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:907c18170dac9f7d5e7f9ad347e9e5e50d313c15101e29eb700f710be63961548004d469a2fd10f449fe81b47e84cae89a57e9ed1342b2a121b6df2a7cef64bd
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/171969/cdc_171969_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 4.27 MB ]