Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-81-369-466-1591: Electric Machinery - McGraw Edison Company; Minneapolis, Minnesota

Details

• Personal Author:
  Habes, Daniel J. ; Murphy, Denise C. ; Stephenson, Richard L.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Environmental and breathing zone samples were analyzed for amines, aliphatic aldehydes, boron-trifluoride-monoethylamine (75230), epichlorohydrin (106898), total volatile fluorides, formaldehyde (50000), lead (7439921), methyl-tetrahydrophthalic-anhydride (26590205), and n-butyl-glycidyl-ether (2426086) at Electric Machinery/McGraw Edison Company (SIC-3621), Minneapolis, Minnesota in December 1981 and February 1983. The surveys were requested by the union local because of irritative symptoms and respiratory problems reported by employees exposed to epoxy resin compounds and impregnated materials. Medical questionnaires were administered to 51 employees in the hand taping and pole winding departments and 57 comparisons. Formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and lead were the only contaminants detected. All concentrations were below their OSHA standards. Skin rash and irritation, eye irritation, and throat irritation were the most frequently reported symptoms. Fifty six percent of the exposed workers had evidence of carpal tunnel syndrome versus 7 percent of the comparisons. The authors conclude that mucous membrane irritation and dermatitis are common among workers exposed to epoxy resins. A high prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome was also found. Recommendations include reducing formaldehyde concentrations, using personal protective equipment and barrier creams, and maintaining proper work practices and good personal hygiene to minimize contact with epoxy resin materials.
• Subjects:
  Dermatitis Electricity Ergonomics Hypersensitivity Occupational Health Safety Skin
• Keywords:
  Biomechanical Stress Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Dermatology Electrical-industry Electrical Motors And Generators Epoxy Resins Hazards-Confirmed NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report OSHA Region 5 Sensitization Skin-sensitivity

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA813694661591
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Minnesota ; 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:
  39 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Ahrenholz, Steven H. ; Grass, Jacqueline C. ; Jolliffe, Lynette K. ; Conway, Kathy
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00153672
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB86-133758
• 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 81-369-466-1591, 1985 Apr ; :1-37
• CAS Registry Number:
  (T-4)-(Ethanamine)trifluoroboron (CAS RN 75-23-0) ; Epichlorohydrin (CAS RN 106-89-8) ; Formaldehyde (CAS RN 50-00-0) ; Lead (CAS RN 7439-92-1) ; Methyltetrahydrophthalic anhydride (CAS RN 26590-20-5) ; n-Butyl glycidyl ether (CAS RN 2426-08-6)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1985
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  3621 - Motors and generators - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:01e2ca7c1191e8a1e809506b79b4cf69647da44c25b4e17c4020fb0ce6bc1e7c59b2371a95c267f45d41ba26af2567f21933b145639a9cb4f15ee2fe3cc17fa5
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172271/cdc_172271_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 6.42 MB ]