Health Hazard Evaluation Determination Report GTA 81-205-1060, Munsingwear Incorporated, Minneaplolis, Minnesota

Details

• Personal Author:
  Piacitelli, Laurie A. ; Sepulveda, Martin-Jose
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  A health hazard evaluation was conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) at Munsingwear, Incorporated. Minneapolis, Minnesota, in April 1980. The purpose of the investigation was to evaluate the pulmonary effects of cotton dust exposure in knitting department personnel. The evaluation consisted of a site visit, review of medical and environmental surveillance programs and limited vertical elutriator dust sampling. Systematic vertical elutriator (VE) dust sampling by Munsingwear showed no knitting department work area exceeding a mean time weighted average (TWA) of 0.220 mg/m3 since the program was initiated in spring 1980. NIOSH VE sampling in the two dustiest knitting areas demonstrated mean TWA's of 0.110 mg/m3 and 0.140 mg/m3, confirming the generally low level of dust exposure. Review of company medical surveillance data revealed 63% of shift pulmonary function tests unacceptable by American Thoracic Society (ATS) criteria (6) in either or both preshift and postshift spirometry. Among ATS acceptable spirograms, baseline lung function was normal in 92% and shift drops in FEV1 10% occurred in 14% of smokers and 7% of non-smokers. Chest tightness, work-related cough, dyspnea and asthma were not found in the knitting department population. Chronic cough and chronic phlegm were present only in smokers with prevalence rates of 20.4% and 16.7% respectively. These findings are not interpretable owing to methodologic problems encountered (refer section Discussion & Recommendations) and the absence of a control population. Based on these findings, it is difficult for NIOSH to assess accurately the prevalence of respiratory morbidity among workers at this knitting site. Diminished operation and imminent closure of the facility preclude additional NIOSH evaluation. Respiratory morbidity data for the knitting industry would require a controlled, medical and environmental study of a random sample from the industry. Recommendations for improving similar surveillance systems are contained in the section Discussion & Recommendations.
• Subjects:
  Demography Dust Environmental Exposure Lung Lung Diseases Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety
• Keywords:
  Cotton Dust Cotton Fibers Demographic Characteristics Dusts Exposure Levels GTA-81-205-1060 Knitting Machine NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report OSHA Region 5 Pulmonary Function Pulmonary System Disorders Respiratory System Disorders

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• Source:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, GTA 81-205 -1060, 1981 Sep ; :1-24
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHGTA812051060
• 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:
  DRDS - Division of Respiratory Disease Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  24 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Basile, Kay ; Boyles, Connie ; Engelberg, Alan L. ; Hankinson, John L. ; Mangan, James ; McMahon, Bradley ; Watson, Aremeta
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20048534
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2016-104187
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1981
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3b0c1103342f93fc1bb1f596281ce7cd9dafd2fd68f29779c14ada71bf790aeeb65fbb40803d86d86e3c13ee69eae8abbb198ac0836a33fc8a16fcad83059104
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172406/cdc_172406_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 8.22 MB ]