Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-85-021-1654: Portsmouth Naval Shipyard; Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Details

• Personal Author:
  McManus, Kevin P.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Following a request from the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, the source of nose bleeds and upper respiratory tract irritation among employees in the insulation shop at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (SIC-3731) Portsmouth, New Hampshire, was investigated. Air samples were collected and analyzed for total fiber count. Samples were also analyzed by transmission electron microscopy for fiber identification, gravimetrically for respirable dust exposure, and using X-ray diffraction for quartz (14808607) content. Medical questionnaires were completed by 73 of 100 insulators. Respirable dust concentrations ranged from 8.7 to 30 micrograms per cubic meter (microg/m3). Concentrations of total fibers less than 5 microns in length ranged from 0.0017 to 0.005 fibers per cubic centimeter. Asbestos (1332214) concentrations did not differ significantly from zero. Symptoms most frequently reported were sneezing, experienced by 81 percent of respondents, followed by runny nose, frequent colds, and skin irritation. Sixty three percent reported having some nose bleeds, consisting of spotting when blowing the nose, with an average frequency of two per week. The author concludes that employee symptoms are probably caused by the irritating properties of magnesium-silicate, portland cement (65997151), and fibrous glass, as well as poor work practices which resulted in direct contact and transfer of the irritating dusts. Rigorous attention to personal hygiene is recommended.
• Subjects:
  Aluminum Silicates Dust Glass Irritants Lung Nose Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Sense Organs

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• Keywords:
  Fibrous-dusts Fibrous-glass Hazard-Confirmed HETA-85-021-1654 Irritation Magnesium-Silicate Nasal-disorders NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report Nose-bleeds OSHA Region 1 Portland Cement Pulmonary-system-disorders Respiratory-irritants Ship Building And Repair Silicates Upper Respiratory

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA850211654
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  New Hampshire ; OSHA Region 1
• 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:
  15 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00163126
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB86-221587
• 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 85-021-1654, 1986 Jan ; :1-11
• CAS Registry Number:
  Silica, Crystalline (CAS RN 14808-60-7) ; Asbestos (CAS RN 1332-21-4) ; Cement, portland, chemicals (CAS RN 65997-15-1)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1986
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  3731 - Ship building and repairing - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:efb1b87d88345897567c5f97bdbc71225f4a8c49e6bb1eaf45cef0223d3425ba8720794d55a6574a2a651493800f3cd0ca6e90913c09eb3a3b5414db1a5c582f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172226/cdc_172226_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.73 MB ]