Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-85-047-1632: General Telephone and Equipment Company; Carpenteria, California

Details

• Personal Author:
  Belanger, Pierre L.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Environmental and breathing zone samples were analyzed for methyl- chloroform (71556), benzene (71432), and mineral spirits at General Telephone and Equipment Company (SIC-3361), Carpenteria, California in January 1985. The evaluation was requested by a union local to investigate whether employees working in the switching offices were exposed to excessive concentrations of methyl-chloroform, bank cleaning fluid, or lubricant while cleaning and lubricating mechanical switches. Five workers were interviewed to determine if they experienced any symptoms of overexposure to solvents. All mineral spirits and methyl-chloroform concentrations were below their relevant standards. No benzene was detected. Two workers reported dizziness, headache, or finger numbness about 15 minutes after using methyl-chloroform to clean rotary switches. One worker reported white fingers after using methyl-chloroform. None of the workers were wearing protective equipment or clothing. The author concludes that no overexposure to organic solvents is occurring. The reported symptoms are consistent with solvent exposure, most probably dermal exposure to methyl-chloroform while cleaning rotary switches. Recommendations include providing periodic training in chemical handling and instructing workers on how to use barrier cream when handling methyl-chloroform.
• Subjects:
  Chemistry Communications Media Environmental Health Environmental Monitoring Hazardous Substances Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Air-sampling Chemical-properties Communication-workers Environmental-factors Hazards-Unconfirmed HETA-85-047-1632 Methyl Chloroform NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report OSHA Region 9 Toxic-effects

  More +
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA850471632
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• 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
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00157103
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB86-202892
• 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 85-047-1632, 1985 Nov ; :1-9
• CAS Registry Number:
  1,1,1-Trichloroethane (CAS RN 71-55-6) ; Benzene (CAS RN 71-43-2)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1986
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  3361 - Aluminum Foundries - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:42e8f2cafe8389d4dca34907dec622b352f9614234fc42bd174df5da3e890a72f033f9e58f7ecbb10259621b0890e4757b1e381e40ae7987c97e5e572f443c1c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172256/cdc_172256_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.14 MB ]