Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-83-375-1521: Federal Grain Inspection Service, USDA; Portland, Oregon

Details

• Personal Author:
  Ahrenholz, Steven H. ; Ahrenholz, Steven H.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Area and breathing zone samples were analyzed for carbon-disulfide (75150), carbon-monoxide (630080), carbon-tetrachloride (56235), chloroform (67663), 1,2-dichloroethylene (540590), ethylene- dibromide (106934), ethylene-dichloride (107062), methyl-bromide (74839), and grain dust at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Federal Grain Inspection Service (SIC-4782) field office, Portland, Oregon, in November, 1983 and April, 1984. The survey was requested by the USDA to evaluate exposures to fumigants at grain sampling and inspection stations. Maximum area exposures of ethylene-dibromide, carbon-disulfide, and carbon-tetrachloride averaged 21, 738, and 1960 parts per billion (ppb), respectively. The corresponding OSHA standards are 100, 20,000, and 10,000ppb. Personal exposures were: ethylene-dibromide, 0.49ppb
  
  and carbon- tetrachloride, 391ppb. Concentrations of other fumigants, carbon- monoxide, and grain dust were negligible. Maximum short-term concentrations of carbon-disulfide and carbon-tetrachloride were 327,000 plus and 1,136,000 plus ppb, respectively. Corresponding OSHA ceiling limits are 30,000 and 25,000ppb. The author concludes that there is a serious potential health hazard due to high fumigant concentrations in treated grain in incoming rail cars. Recommendations include wearing respiratory protective equipment when opening fumigated rail cars, aerating fumigated grain before inspection, and eliminating the sniff test as a routine procedure. Research on methods of removing fumigants from treated grain is needed.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution, Indoor Carbon Tetrachloride Dust Lung Lung Diseases Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety

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• Keywords:
  Air-contamination Carbon Disulfide Ethylene Dibromide Export Grain-dusts Grain-elevator-workers Grain Elevators Grain Fumigants Grain Inspection Hazards-Unconfirmed HETA-83-375-1521 Inspection And Weighing Services Connected With Transportation NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report OSHA Region 10 Pulmonary-congestion Pulmonary-system Sniff Test

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)   ; Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)  
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA) ; Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA833751521
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study ; Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Oregon ; OSHA Region 10
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies ; DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health ; Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America ; North America
• Pages in Document:
  65 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Ruhe, Raymond L. ; Behrens, Virginia ; Zaebst, Dennis D. ; Oser, James L. ; Woodfin, William J.
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00144922
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB85-207868
• 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 83-375-1521, 1984 Oct ; :1-63
• CAS Registry Number:
  Carbon disulfide (CAS RN 75-15-0) ; Carbon monoxide (CAS RN 630-08-0) ; Carbon tetrachloride (CAS RN 56-23-5) ; Chloroform (CAS RN 67-66-3) ; 1,2-Dichloroethene (CAS RN 540-59-0) ; 1,2-Dibromoethane (CAS RN 106-93-4) ; 1,2-Dichloroethane (CAS RN 107-06-2) ; Methyl bromide (CAS RN 74-83-9) ; Carbon disulfide (CAS RN 75-15-0) ; Carbon monoxide (CAS RN 630-08-0) ; Carbon tetrachloride (CAS RN 56-23-5) ; Chloroform (CAS RN 67-66-3) ; 1,2-Dichloroethene (CAS RN 540-59-0) ; 1,2-Dibromoethane (CAS RN 106-93-4) ; 1,2-Dichloroethane (CAS RN 107-06-2) ; Methyl bromide (CAS RN 74-83-9)
• Editor(s):
  Kidd, Connie L. ; Johnson, Patty ; Kidd, Connie L. ; Johnson, Patty
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1985
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  4782 - Inspection and Weighing Services - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ed1846c35864294a315c3f75a371141f9a908cafd30851f2b6fcadf5d60bcc6fd5c75de1a700380b7318844adf1f086ee838590c66d604a743a071d1948134e5
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172744/cdc_172744_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 9.96 MB ]