Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-85-441-1765: New Boston Coke Corporation; New Boston, Ohio

Details

• Personal Author:
  O'Malley, Michael A.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In response to a request from the Industrial Commission of Ohio, worker complaints of skin disease at the New Boston Coke Corporation (SIC-3312), New Boston, Ohio were investigated. The request was based on seven reports of dermatitis thought to be associated with steam exposure during coke (65996772) quenching. A maximum of approximately 48 workers were potentially exposed. Process materials, soaps, and skin cleansers used in the facility were evaluated qualitatively, and quench water was analyzed for pH and contaminants and was patch tested on rabbits. Medical examinations and review of records of the seven affected individuals were performed. Quench water had a pH of 8.85 and contained phenol (108952), ammonia (7664417), calcium-oxide (1305788), and suspended particulates (82 percent organic compounds)
  
  no irritant threshold levels were found for these compounds. Skin tests in rabbits showed a minimal irritant capacity for quench water. Medical records did not reveal the origin of dermatitis. Active skin lesions were characterized as nummular eczema or atopic dermatitis, which were not thought to be of occupational origin. The author concludes that coke quenching steam does not pose a skin hazard, but certain work activities may aggravate existing skin conditions. Recommendations include elimination of abrasive cleansing agents, use of skin moisturizers after washing, and prompt medical evaluation of skin complaints.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Laboratories Occupational Health Safety Skin Skin Diseases Water Purification
• Keywords:
  Blast Furnaces [Including Coke Ovens], Steel Works, And Rolling Mills Coke-oven-workers Coke Ovens Hazard-Unconfirmed HETA-85-441-1765 Laboratory-animals Medical-examinations NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report Occupational Skin Disease OSHA Region 5 Patch Testing Skin-disorders Skin-tests Soap-products Water-analysis

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA854411765
• 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:
  10 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Susten, Alan
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00167884
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB87-188538
• 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 85-441-1765, 1986 Dec ; :1-8
• CAS Registry Number:
  Coke (coal) (CAS RN 65996-77-2) ; Phenol (CAS RN 108-95-2) ; Ammonia (CAS RN 7664-41-7 ; Calcium oxide (CAS RN 1305-78-8)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1987
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  3312 - Blast furnaces and steel mills - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4b3e4dcd4bd6d61b4ce5a84a4636448f8498d7e466910dafd1d8bc899205d2be9975333c9b4a5c7cfc2d926159836b051d81fefec543b0f42a405a31bdfaab1d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172127/cdc_172127_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.71 MB ]