Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-83-172-1409: Wappingers Central School District; Wappingers Falls, New York

Details

• Personal Author:
  Gorman, Richard W. ; Singal, Mitchell
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Reported illness at three schools (SIC-8211) in Wappingers Falls, New York was investigated in March 1983. Evaluation was requested by the Superintendent of Schools on behalf of students and staff. The reported outbreak of eye irritation, headache, and skin rashes began after completion of an energy conservation program that included application of methylene-bisphenyl-isocyanate (101688) based polyurethane foam insulation, installation of storm windows and water heaters, and sealing of fresh air intakes. One school did not open after the winter break. Air samples were collected, and earlier medical surveys and attendance records were reviewed. Air sampling did not reveal the presence of chemicals associated with insulation material. Boiler gases, indicated by sulfur-dioxide (7446095), were detected at the school that did open
  
  these gases entered the building through an improperly connected water heater flue pipe, and were dispersed throughout the building. Questionnaire review confirmed the prevalence of health complaints. Absence rates and frequency of health clinic visits were not increased. The authors conclude that the outbreak was probably associated with the energy conservation program that severely limited the amount of fresh air in the schools. Repair of the water heater flue pipe connection corrected the problem.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Education Eye Foreign Bodies Occupational Health Safety Skin Skin Diseases Sulfur Compounds
• Keywords:
  Energy Conservation Eye-irritants Hazards-Confirmed HETA-83-172-1409 Indoor Air Quality Insulation-materials Methylene Bisphenyl Isocyanate NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report OSHA Region 2 Skin-disorders Sulfur-oxides

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA831721409
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; OSHA Region 2
• 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:
  43 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00149691
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB85-179166
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HETA 83-172-1409, 1984 Jan ; :1-43
• CAS Registry Number:
  4,4’-methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (CAS RN 101-68-8) ; Sulfur dioxide (CAS RN 7446-09-5)
• Editor(s):
  Johnson, Patty ; Kidd, Connie L.
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1984
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  8211 - Elementary and secondary schools - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:355f0acfa09e81ff9f42abbb4d1b078c1f1d32dfd1a6a3128fcc6910a36d3e377ac58ce1e35746b293ba223a3e61fff7dc5a40070bf1b61a2d445fefd6e86203
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172666/cdc_172666_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.79 MB ]