Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-81-129-1455: Chemical Fabrics Corporation; North Bennington, Vermont

Details

• Personal Author:
  Wegman, David H.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Environmental samples were analyzed for fluoropolymers and other unspecified organic chemicals at Chemical Fabrics Corporation (SIC- 2295), North Bennington, Vermont, in January and April 1981. The evaluation was requested by the company management due to complaints of impotence among hourly and salaried employee Sixty-four employees were interviewed and given physical examinations. Laboratory tests for blood testosterone and prolactin concentrations were performed in January 1981. Twenty-eight workers were interviewed in a follow up in April 1981. No definitive analytical results were obtained due to difficulties in identifying the fluorocarbons, pyrolysis products, and process chemicals. Five of sixty-four employees reported persistent erectile dysfunction. Two of the cases occurred prior to employment at the facility. Six of 28 workers reported episodes of polymer fume fever. All subjects except one had normal physical examinations and testosterone and prolactin concentrations. The exception had atrophic testes, moderately elevated prolactin concentrations, and had undergone evaluation for impotence prior to being employed at the facility. The author concludes that there is no correlation between erectile dysfunction and occupational exposures at the Chemical Fabrics Corporation. Recommendations for reducing the incidence of polymer fume fever include prohibiting smoking and wearing of respirators by maintenance personnel.
• Subjects:
  Dust Endocrine System Fluorine Men Occupational Health Pyrolysis Safety Textile Industry
• Keywords:
  Erectile Dysfunction Fluorine-compounds Fluoropolymers Hazards-Unconfirmed HETA-81-129-1455 Hormone-activity Impotence NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report OSHA Region 1 Polymer-fume-fever Polymer Fume Fever Pyrolysis-products Textile Goods, Coated Fabrics Textiles-industry

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA811291455
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Vermont ; OSHA Region 1
• 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:
  36 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00142416
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB85-185189
• 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 81-129-1455, 1984 Apr ; :1-34
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1984
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  2295 - Coated fabrics, not rubberized - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:36fdada943b82246850090abc97536fd905945ddc6e75cb7ba9e77aca550875c176537dbbda163b29e706b794a474d39e235fb1286f581f7d1471ad7520825bd
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172785/cdc_172785_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 6.05 MB ]