Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-83-159-1473: Seamless Hospital Products Company; Fayette, Alabama

Details

• Personal Author:
  Hickey, John L. S. ; Shy, Carl M. ; Williams, Ted M.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Worker exposures to solvents, plastic fumes and dust, and ethylene- oxide (75218) (EO), and consequent risks of cancer and miscarriages, were surveyed on November 9 and 10, 1983 at the Seamless Hospital Products Company plastics facility (SIC-5086) in Fayette, Alabama. The evaluation was requested by the United Rubber Workers International Union on behalf of 371 female production workers. Personal and area air samples were collected for total and respirable dust, nitrosamines, and EO. Available death certificates were reviewed, workers were questioned about possible health problems, and female employees completed a pregnancy questionnaire. Total and respirable dust concentrations were well below the respective OSHA limits of 15 and 5 milligrams per cubic meter. Measurable concentrations of benzene (71432) and EO were found. Both chemicals are suspected carcinogens, and NIOSH recommends that exposures be kept as low as possible. Nitrosamines were not detected. Combined solvent vapor exposures did not exceed the threshold limit value index of 1. No pattern of work-related health problems was reported by the workers, and incidences of cancer and miscarriages were not increased. The authors conclude that no increased risk of cancer or miscarriages due to work exposures exists at this company. They recommend increased ventilation, improved solvent dispensers, and further reduction of EO exposures.
• Subjects:
  Carcinogens Environmental Monitoring Epoxy Compounds Neoplasms Occupational Health Plastics Safety Solvents
• Keywords:
  Air-sampling Cancer Epoxides Ethylene Oxide Exposure-levels Hazards-Unconfirmed HETA-83-159-1473 Miscarriages NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report Organic Solvents OSHA Region 4 Plastics Plastics-industry Solvent-vapors Threshold-limit-values

  More +
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA831591473
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Alabama ; OSHA Region 4
• 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:
  22 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Marshall, Betsy ; Lawrence, Don ; Howard, Evelyn ; Bobo, Sandra
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00139230
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB85-184174
• 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 83-159-1473, 1984 Jun ; :1-21
• CAS Registry Number:
  Ethylene oxide (CAS RN 75-21-8) ; Benzene (CAS RN 71-43-2)
• Editor(s):
  Hooker, Pamela
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1984
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  5086 - Professional Equipment and Supplies - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:1d4a2b2b7a4695c1bd316fe6b46e9ffe6626ccb9ad9684be60321b3c2ae0837e1be39173b3d57bfcb8838e3fbbec6caaf3bb07596cc8af336a6b7b463a03815c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172803/cdc_172803_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 4.01 MB ]