Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-82-246-1275: Swissvale Auto Surplus Parts, Inc.; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Details

• Personal Author:
  Aw, Tar-Ching ; Lee, Stephen A.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In response to a request from the Allegheny County Health Department, an evaluation was made of polychlorinated-biphenyl (1336363) (PCB) exposure at Swissvale Auto Surplus Parts, Inc., (SIC- 5093), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Work had been done at this facility some years earlier on scrap transformers and the transformer oil, which contained some PCBs was stored in inappropriately labeled drums. An attempt was made to burn a portion of this oil for heating purposes. Bulk samples of soil, soot, and dirt from the scrap yard were analyzed for PCBs, polychlorinated-dibenzodioxins (PCDDs), and polychlorinated- dibenzofurans (PCDFs). Wipe samples were taken from the hands of workers and various work surfaces and handheld tools. PCB isomers were detected at levels from 0.2 to 25 parts per million (ppm) per isomer in five of the six bulk samples. A soil sample taken near the storage area also contained PCBs. PCB concentrations on workers' hands ranged from 8.0 to 190 nanograms per square centimeter (ng/cm2). Surface PCB concentrations on a bathroom sink and on the handle of a handheld chipping power tool were 18 and 100ng/cm2, respectively. Blood samples from two of five scrap yard workers showed Aroclor-1254 (11097691) at 14 parts per billion (ppb) in one and Aroclor-1260 (11096825) at 11ppb in the other. The authors conclude that a hazard exists from surface and soil contamination with PCBs, although excessive PCB absorption was not seen in current workers. The authors recommend that some attempts be made to clean up the facility. Workers should be provided with suitable protective clothing for work involving possible contact with oils and chemicals. A clean wash area should be provided with provision for separate storage of home and work clothes. Eating, drinking and smoking in the scrap yard should be discouraged.
• Subjects:
  Blood Hematologic Tests Hydrocarbons Occupational Health Polychlorinated Biphenyls Safety Waste Management
• Keywords:
  Aroclor 1242 Aroclor 1248 Aroclor 1254 Aroclor 1260 Blood-analysis Chlorinated-hydrocarbons Hazard-Confirmed HETA-82-246-1275 Metal Scrap Yard NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report OSHA Region 3 PCBs Scrap And Waste Materials Soil-analysis Waste-disposal

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA822461275
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Pennsylvania ; OSHA Region 3
• 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:
  16 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Hale, Dorris ; Lipps, Debra A.
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00178935
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB84-210384
• 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 82-246-1275, 1983 Mar ; :1-13
• CAS Registry Number:
  Polychlorinated biphenyl(s)-PCB(s) (CAS RN 1336-36-3) ; Aroclor 1254 (CAS RN 11097-69-1) ; Aroclor 1260 (CAS RN 11096-82-5)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1983
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  5093 - Scrap and waste materials - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f0cce8ada4b1af36f4197f564b5b3e3f87a01d9eb73d7f319192fe011fc937e51f594b04710210d9b5fb2c788c07f50e8d0c9c80c0f45919f014d4c7292cff5a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172003/cdc_172003_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 769.59 KB ]