Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-85-132-1598: Mystic Seaport; Mystic, Connecticut

Details

• Personal Author:
  Landrigan, Philip J. ; Straub, Wesley E.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Environmental and breathing zone samples were analyzed for lead (7439921) at Mystic Seaport (SIC-3731), Mystic, Connecticut in January and February 1985. The evaluation was requested by the facility to assess lead exposures during cutting and rivetting operations aboard a lead painted, iron hulled ship. Blood lead and erythrocyte protoporphyrin (EP) concentrations were determined in 10 shipfitters. Noise exposure measurements were made. Breathing zone lead concentrations averaged 257 micrograms per cubic meter (microg/m3). The OSHA standard for lead is 50microg/m3. Two short term samples taken while the exhaust ventilation was temporarily disconnected contained 375 and 718microg/m3 lead. Blood lead concentrations averaged 37.8microg/deciliter (dl). Smoking shipfitters had higher blood lead concentrations than nonsmokers, 47microg/dl versus 32microg/dl, respectively. Four shipfitters had EP concentrations above the adult normal upper limit of 50microg/dl. No cases of symptomatic lead poisoning were noted. Noise levels adjacent to the rivetting averaged 121 A-weighted decibels (dBA). The OSHA standard for noise is 90dBA. The authors conclude that shipfitters working aboard ship are overexposed to lead and noise. Recommendations include substituting lead-based paint with less toxic materials if feasible, avoiding the use of lead/based putty, and establishing a hearing conservation program.
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution, Indoor Ear Lead Noise Occupational Health Respiratory System Safety Sense Organs Ships Ventilation

  More +
• Keywords:
  Air-contamination Exposure-limits Hazards-Confirmed HETA-85-132-1598 NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report OSHA Region 1 Respiration Ship Building And Repairing Shipyard-industry

  More +
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA851321598
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Connecticut ; 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:
  20 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Catlett, Lawrence
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00153674
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB86-135431
• 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 85-132-1598, 1985 May ; :1-18
• CAS Registry Number:
  Lead (CAS RN 7439-92-1)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1985
• 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-512:37ff6badea2568a8715b41ad8163992cb7a29ebee478315039e604da707f4ace5283112d97f9c6921b52ed7acfc2316fe69881fd634ed94d437a93c048d3f64c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172269/cdc_172269_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.85 MB ]