Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-81-128-1107: Janesville Products; Brodhead, Wisconsin

Details

• Personal Author:
  Almaguer, Daniel ; Kramkowski, Richard S. ; Orris, Peter
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In response to a request from the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union, an evaluation was made of potential hazards existing at Janesville Products (SIC-2531), Brodhead, Wisconsin. Particular attention was given to toluene-diisocyanate (584849) (TDI), methylene-bisphenyl-isocyanate (101688) (MDI), and methylene- chloride (75092) exposures. This facility was involved in the production of polyurethane foams, particularly seats for the automotive industry. TDI concentrations in personal breathing samples ranged from not detectable to 0.001 parts per million (ppm). Area air samples in the repair room showed TDI ranging from 0.004 to 0.006ppm. MDI was not detectable in any sample. Methylene- chloride concentrations in the ceiling ranged from 5.8 to 399ppm. Time weighted average values for long term samples of methylene- chloride ranged from 4.7 to 39.5ppm. The repair area showed carbon- monoxide (630080) concentrations of about 25ppm. Shortness of breath was reported by 34 percent of the interviewed employees. Pulmonary function tests were within the normal range for all individuals tested. A decrease in Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second of over 10 percent was noted among three employees over the course of their shift. The mean blood carbon-monoxide levels were 2.53 percent before and 2.67 percent following the shift. The authors conclude that a potential toxic exposure to the combined effects of methylene-chloride and carbon-monoxide was alleviated through engineering controls. The authors recommend specific measures to control exposures, including measures concerning personal hygiene, work practices, health and safety programs, the ventilation system, personal protective equipment, medical surveillance, and exposure monitoring.
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Irritants Isocyanates Lung Methylene Chloride Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Solvents
• Keywords:
  Auto Seats Carbon Monoxide Cyanates Hazard-Confirmed HETA-81-128-1107 Methyene Bisphenyl Isocyanate NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report Organic-vapors OSHA Region 5 Polyurethane Foams Pulmonary-system-disorders Respiratory-irritants Toluene Diisocyanate

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA811281107
• 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:
  27 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00178939
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB84-141845
• 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 81-128-1107, 1982 May ; :1-24
• CAS Registry Number:
  2,4-Toluene diisocyanate (CAS RN 584-84-9) ; 4,4’-methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (CAS RN 101-68-8) ; Methylene chloride (CAS RN 75-09-2) ; Carbon monoxide (CAS RN 630-08-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1982
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  2531 - Public building & related furniture - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ca241a712056e9d93105103d07c765ee16b27a9cd14652639eb8e629bacb0c31fe7fe5c05499619444adc65f99c9142b39f2728125db8f1be68cdd352c85317f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/171999/cdc_171999_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.86 MB ]