Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA 2008-0052-3115: Skin and Respiratory Symptoms in Peanut Inspectors with Peanut Dust and Endotoxin Exposure

Details

• Personal Author:
  Sylvain, David C. ; Tapp, Loren C.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  On November 30, 2007, the GDPH submitted a request for technical assistance to NIOSH to address concerns about health symptoms in FSIS peanut inspectors who worked in the peanut grading room at Shann Peanut Company (Shann) in Ambrose, Georgia. FSIS employees began reporting irritation of the eyes, nose, respiratory tract, and skin
  
  nausea
  
  diarrhea
  
  vomiting
  
  headache
  
  fever
  
  and flu-like symptoms in middle to late October 2007. Prior to our evaluation, FDA and USDA analyzed peanut samples for fungi, mycotoxins, and pesticides. GDPH officials conducted an epidemiologic assessment. On December 5, 2007, we met with FSIS inspectors, GDPH officials, a USDA official, and the facility owner and walked around the peanut grading facility. We assessed ventilation in the grading room, examined the PPE provided to employees, and collected a sample of dust from the air conditioner filter in the grading room. We spoke with FSIS employees about their health concerns and reviewed their medical records. We later analyzed peanuts sent to us for endotoxin and VOCs. On October 22, 2008, we returned to Shann and conducted PBZ air sampling for endotoxin in the grading room. In 2007, we found that the grading room machinery did not vent peanut dust outdoors. FSIS inspectors reported wearing dust masks that were not NIOSH approved
  
  they also reported skin, gastrointestinal, respiratory, and flu-like symptoms. Employee medical records reported respiratory abnormalities in seven employees. Endotoxin were found on the air conditioner filter and in peanut samples. During the 2008 site visit, endotoxin were found in the grading room air and outdoor air. The acute respiratory and flu-like symptoms reported by FSIS employees were consistent with endotoxin exposure. The acute gastrointestinal and skin symptoms reported were consistent with exposure to chemical toxins, possibly mycotoxins. The persistence of symptoms in some workers after being removed from exposure was unusual. Persistent respiratory symptoms could be a result of additional lung insult from cigarette smoking or co-existing disease, such as COPD or asthma. In addition, persistence of symptoms might be explained by employees inadvertently taking home organic dust on their clothing and shoes and in their cars, thus continuing their exposure. We recommend reducing dust in the peanut grading room by installing ductwork on machines to discharge dust outdoors. We recommend providing employee training on the hazards of organic dust and ways to prevent exposure, providing appropriate respiratory and skin protection to reduce exposure to irritants and allergens, and encouraging employees to report potential work-related symptoms. FSIS management also should review injury and illness logs and conduct additional endotoxin sampling in FSIS peanut grading rooms throughout the state to monitor trends in work-related illness and exposures.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Digestive System Digestive System Diseases Dust Endotoxins Eye Foreign Bodies Food-Processing Industry Food Handling Food Industry Fungi Insecticides Irritants Lung Microbiology Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Skin Skin Diseases Ventilation

  More +
• Keywords:
  Dusts Endotoxin Eye-irritants Food-handlers Food-processing Food-processing-workers Gastrointestinal-system-disorders Gastrointestinal Symptoms Microorganisms Organic-dusts Organic Dust Other Farm Product Material Merchant Wholesalers Peanuts Personal-protection Personal-protective-equipment Pesticides Pesticides-and-agricultural-chemicals Protective-equipment Pulmonary-system-disorders Respirable-dust Respiratory-irritants Respiratory-protection Respiratory-protective-equipment Respiratory-system-disorders Respiratory Symptoms Skin Skin-diseases Skin-disorders Skin-irritants

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA200800523115
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Georgia ; OSHA Region 4
• 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:
  40 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Evans, Stefanie M. ; Fernback, Joseph ; Galloway, Ellen ; Grote, Ardith ; Smith, Robin
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20037695
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2011-100736
• Citation:
  NIOSH [2010]. Health hazard evaluation report: skin and respiratory symptoms in peanut inspectors with peanut dust and endotoxin exposure, Ambrose, GA. By Tapp L, Sylvain D. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, NIOSH HETA No. 2008-0052-3115,
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  424590 - Other Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers - (NAICS)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d05b93ca788d9043b8729d418a6c23434865c14925e2afc9fdf715a9682afc15a4f774472013716757f15cdaecfe31ebadb77fa97eb9f24a26be3e57adfa84f0
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172524/cdc_172524_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.24 MB ]