HETA #2005-0291-3025, University of Dayton Research Institute, Dayton, Ohio

Details

• Personal Author:
  Birch, M. Eileen ; Evans, Douglas E. ; Hoover, Mark D. ; Methner, Mark M.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  On July 8, 2005, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received a management request to conduct a health hazard evaluation (HHE) at the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) in Dayton, Ohio. The request asked NIOSH to evaluate potential sources of emissions from carbon nanofiber handling processes. No health complaints were reported by management or workers. Measurements made with real-time instruments capable of sizing and determining airborne particle concentrations indicate that most processes did not release substantial quantities of carbon nanofibers when compared to background particle measurements. However, some processes (wet sawing of composite material and the transferring of carbon nanofibers to a mixing vessel) did elevate area airborne particle mass concentrations. Surface sampling indicated that carbon nanofiber material migrated from the laboratory to an adjacent office area, with employee footwear being the most likely means of transport. Despite the absence of occupational exposure criteria, UDRI management decided to take a cautious approach and instituted a policy requiring the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). The PPE used by lab workers included disposable Tyvek lab coats, latex gloves, and elastomeric half-mask respirators with a P100 pre-filter and organic vapor cartridge. A laboratory hood and local exhaust ventilation were evaluated with "smoke tubes" and appeared to operate as designed. NIOSH investigators cannot conclude whether a health hazard exists to UDRI laboratory workers from exposure to nano-scale materials. There are currently no occupational exposure limits for carbon nanofibers nor clearly defined health effects, so no conclusions can be made regarding excessive exposure. The UDRI lab did have exhaust ventilation available to control potential releases of carbon nanofibers, but the ventilation was not operating during mixing outside the laboratory hood or wet saw cutting. The lab workers were wearing PPE
  
  however, latex gloves should be replaced with nitrile gloves to avoid the potential development of latex allergy.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Dust Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Occupational Health Particulate Matter Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Safety Ventilation
• Keywords:
  Carbon Nanofibers Composites Dust-control Dust-exposure Dust-particles Dusts Exposure Assessment Fugitive Emissions Materials-handling Nanomaterial Handling Practices Nanoparticles Nanotechnology OSHA Region 5 Particle Concentration Particulate-dust Particulates Personal-protective-equipment Polymers Protective-equipment Research And Development In The Physical, Engineering, And Life Sciences Respiratory-protective-equipment Ventilation-systems

  More +
• 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 2005-0291-3025, 2006 Oct ; :1-20
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA200502913025
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies ; DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  26 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Bon-Ki Ku ; Crouch, Keith ; Galloway, Ellen ; McCleery, Robert E. ; Smith, Robin
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20031204
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2007-103039
• CAS Registry Number:
  Carbon (CAS RN 7440-44-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2007
• NORA Priority Area:
  Research Tools and Approaches: Control Technology and Personal Protective Equipment
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  541710 - Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences - (NAICS)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:9935e0b270ca5bca6a350ee1aaa994beb58d3ee0e1b6e31913be2874f2be66ddb278d44e596e60378de0c56521194b948de4bee5df8021847cca3ed64519609b
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172611/cdc_172611_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.36 MB ]