Evaluation of Occupational Exposures at a Drycleaning Shop Using SolvonK4

Details

• Personal Author:
  Broadwater, Kendra R. ; Ceballos, Diana M.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  The Health Hazard Evaluation Program received a request from the managers of a drycleaning shop. The request concerned potential occupational exposures to the drycleaning solvent SolvonK4. We evaluated the drycleaning shop in May 2014. The shop was staffed by 10 full-time employees (pressers, tailors, and a cashier) and two owners. The pressers worked from 6 a.m. until they completed pressing for the day. The tailors worked from 12 p.m. to approximately 6 p.m. The shop drycleaned 20-40 loads per week, including five loads each day during our visit. We took air samples for butylal, the main ingredient in SolvonK4. We also took air samples for formaldehyde and butanol. These chemicals can be produced by SolvonK4. We measured temperature and relative humidity to learn about the risk for illnesses from the heat. We found butylal, but not formaldehyde or butanol, in the personal air samples from employees. We saw employees spraying and brushing pretreatment solutions onto fabrics. The employees did not wear gloves or eye protection. Although the shop had heating and air-conditioning, the front and back doors were opened to provide general dilution ventilation, as needed. The temperatures inside the shop ranged from 78 degrees F to 104 degrees F and the relative humidity range ranged from 21%-57%. Comparing our calculated heat indices to the OSHA guidelines for heat illness prevention, we noted that the risk of heat-related illness varied throughout the work day from low in the morning to high in the early and late afternoon. It was warmest in the pressing areas of the shop. Cool drinking water was available from a dispenser in the break area, and we saw employees drinking water during breaks and at lunch. We saw dust and lint in the shop, which can be a source of fuel if there is a fire. We recommended the employer (1) train employees to pour and brush pretreatments onto fabrics instead of spraying, (2) inspect and maintain the drycleaning machine according to the manufacturer's recommendations, (3) follow OSHA guidance on protecting employees from the effects of heat, (4) clean the shop regularly with a high efficiency particulate air vacuum cleaner or a wet mop, and (5) provide eye protection and chemical resistant gloves. We recommended the employees wear eye protection and chemical resistant gloves while pretreating fabrics and wash hands or exposed skin with soap and water after contact with chemicals, and wash their hands after removing gloves.
• Subjects:
  Environmental Monitoring Eye Formaldehyde Heat Stress Disorders Hot Temperature Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Protective Clothing Safety Sense Organs Skin Small Business Solvents Ventilation

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• Keywords:
  Alternative Drycleaning Solvents Butanol Butanols Butylal Chemical-cleaning Chemical Abstract Service 2568-90-3 Dry-cleaning-industry Dry-cleaning-solvents Drycleaning And Laundry Services, Except Coin-Operated Drycleaning Solvents Employee-exposure Exposure-assessment Eye-protection Formaldehyde Formaldehydes Gloves Heat Heat-exposure Heat-stress Heat-stroke Hispanic Employees Korean Laundering Machine-operation OSHA Region 3 Personal-protective-equipment Pretreatment Skin-exposure Small-businesses SolvonK4 Spanish Sprays Vacuum-cleaning-systems Virginia Work-practices

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• Source:
  Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HETA 2014-0081-3231, 2015 Feb ; :1-17
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA201400813231
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Virginia ; OSHA Region 3
• 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:
  22 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Arnold, Jim ; Booher, Donald E. ; El Burai-Felix, Alia ; Eun Gyung Lee ; Galloway, Ellen ; Meehee Cho ; Moore, Kevin ; Neumeister, Charles ; Nourian, Fariba ; Renaud, Kelli ; Roberts, Jennifer ; Streicher, Robert, Watts, Shawna
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20045765
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2015-103702
• Citation:
  NIOSH [2015]. Health hazard evaluation report: evaluation of occupational exposures ; at a drycleaning shop using SolvonK4. By Ceballos D, Broadwater K. Cincinnati, ; OH: 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. 2014-0081-3231,
• CAS Registry Number:
  SolvonK4 (CAS RN 2568-90-3) ; n-Butanol (CAS RN 71-36-3) ; Formaldehyde (CAS RN 50-00-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  812320 - Drycleaning and Laundry Services (except Coin-Operated) - (NAICS)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4ce4cae0f28b23d232f49d2e1c74941dcaa78a0366cab40c3bd5e866ed61bc861648108381417fb35d756c9dd527377c66f67b5bd782b47935d0d52f02d67dd4
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172432/cdc_172432_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.09 MB ]