Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-84-038-1513: Kennecott Smelter; Hurley, New Mexico

Details

• Personal Author:
  Gunter, Bobby J. ; Seligman, Paul J.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Environmental and breathing zone samples were analyzed for arsenic (7440382), cadmium (7440439), copper (7440508), lead (7439921), sulfuric-acid (7664939), sulfur-dioxide (7446095), and crystalline silica (7631869) at Kennecott Smelter (SIC-3331), Hurley, New Mexico in January, 1984. The survey was requested by the Steelworkers Union due to the death of a worker from lung cancer. Company medical records of 66 employees were reviewed. Nineteen samples for blood lead and 48 for urine arsenic were collected and analyzed. All arsenic, cadmium, copper, sulfuric-acid, and silica concentrations were below their relevant standards. Lead concentrations ranged from 0.006 to 0.06 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3). The OSHA standard for lead is 0.05mg/m3. None of seven sulfur-dioxide samples exceeded the OSHA standard of 13mg/m3, but six exceeded the NIOSH standard of 1.3mg/m3. No symptoms of acid gas exposure were reported. All blood lead and urinary arsenic concentrations were within normal limits. The authors note that proper respiratory protection was worn in all areas of the smelter. They conclude that there is a potential health hazard due to sulfur-dioxide and lead exposure at the facility. They recommend establishing a stop smoking program and improving the respiratory protection program.
• Subjects:
  Arsenic Cadmium Copper Inorganic Chemicals Lead Lung Lung Diseases Mining Neoplasms Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety

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• Keywords:
  Cancer Hazards-Unconfirmed HETA-84-038-1513 Kidneys Liver Mining-industry NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report OSHA Region 6 Pulmonary-congestion Pulmonary-function Sulfur Dioxide

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA840381513
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  New Mexico ; OSHA Region 6
• 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:
  25 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Moll, Maria E.
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00144845
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB85-208361
• 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 84-038-1513, 1984 Oct ; :1-22
• CAS Registry Number:
  Arsenic (CAS RN 7440-38-2) ; Cadmium (CAS RN 7440-43-9) ; Copper (CAS RN 7440-50-8) ; Lead (CAS RN 7439-92-1) ; Sulfuric acid (CAS RN 7664-93-9) ; Sulfur dioxide (CAS RN 7446-09-5) ; Silica (CAS RN 7631-86-9)
• Editor(s):
  Emerson, Loraine L.
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1985
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  3331 - Primary copper - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d3ab43c89825fa5ea36bf974276b40269be68bae5a781c00788c9af80ac9855e340acb871ef0e4d7b6a4a379844e44ac8fe3821435a6ca8da3333067247d615d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172750/cdc_172750_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 5.81 MB ]