Evaluation of a chlorine gas release at a metal recycling facility

Details

• Personal Author:
  Boylstein, Randy J. ; Harvey, R. Reid
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In August 2015, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health received a request for technical assistance from a public health department following an unintentional chlorine gas release at a metal recycling facility. Health concerns included mucous membrane and respiratory effects following acute exposure to chlorine gas. We visited the facility on September 21-22, 2015 to interview employees and gather information about the chlorine gas release. We reviewed publicly available records from the state Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation. We reviewed medical records of employees hospitalized following exposure to chlorine gas. At least four employees were hospitalized for respiratory symptoms, one of whom died from complications of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Given past experience with other chlorine gas release events, it is possible that other employees may have experienced or still be experiencing symptoms related to the release. We recommend reviewing protocols designed to prevent containers under pressure and/ or containing hazardous materials from being accepted for processing. Furthermore, we recommend training employees on emergency plans including evacuation routes to use in the event of a chemical release.
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Chlorine Hazardous Substances Metals Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Recycling Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety
• Keywords:
  Acute Exposure Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Gases Metal Recycling OSHA Region 9 Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Reactive Airway Dysfunction Syndrome Recyclable Material Merchant Wholesalers Respiratory System Disorders Toxic Gases
• Source:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HHE 2015-0151-3281, 2017 May ; :1-17
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHHE201501513281
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Washington ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  RHD - Respiratory Health Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  24 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Duncan, Mary Anne ; McClelland, Tia L. ; McCullough, Joel ; Shumate, Alice ; Yeoman, Kristin
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20049796
• Citation:
  NIOSH [2017]. Health hazard evaluation report: evaluation of a chlorine gas ; release at a metal recycling facility. By Harvey RR, Boylstein RJ. Morgantown, ; WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease ; Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, ; NIOSH HHE Report No. 2015-0151-3281,
• CAS Registry Number:
  Chlorine (CAS RN 7782-50-5)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  423930 - Recyclable Material Merchant Wholesalers - (NAICS)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:032e1b6a2c4fc668063878a13341cc89398c95b28059cdb4af96754a7e355db255789620e1484ec7c5e99bb8f6de155e2b86eb418cc4749a71221a9487889232
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172391/cdc_172391_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 756.41 KB ]