Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-83-166-1594: Witco Chemical Corporation; Perth Amboy, New Jersey

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cummings, Curtis E. ; Roseman, Jerry
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Area and personal air samples were analyzed for ethylene-oxide (75218), glycols, and adipic-acid (124049) at the Witco Chemical Corporation (SIC-2816), Perth Amboy, New Jersey from November to December, 1983 and May, 1984. The evaluation was requested by the union to investigate possible health effects due to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), glycols, and ethylene-oxide. The evaluation was assigned to the New Jersey State Department of Health. Medical examinations which included spirometry testing and serum PCB determinations were given to 52 workers. Medical and work histories were obtained. Ethylene-oxide exposures averaged 0.7 to 7.1 parts per million (ppm). The OSHA standard for ethylene-oxide is 1.0ppm. Glycol concentrations averaged less than 0.7ppm. Adipic-acid concentrations ranged from 0.47 to 0.79 milligram per cubic meter. There are no federal standards for glycols and adipic-acid. Mucosal irritation and bronchitis were reported by 56 and 27 percent of the workers, respectively. One second forced expiratory volumes were significantly reduced. Serum PCB concentrations were elevated, but within the normal range. They were weakly correlated with systolic blood pressure and liver enzyme activities. The authors conclude that health hazards due to ethylene-oxide and airborne fatty acid exposures exist. Recommendations include improving ventilation and work practices and implementing an OSHA approved respirator program.
• Subjects:
  Ethylene Oxide Glycols Lung Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Occupational Health Respiratory System Safety Stearates Temperature
• Keywords:
  Adipic Acid Analytical-models Chemical-industry-workers Exposure-limits Hazards-Confirmed HETA-83-166-1594 Inorganic Pigments NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report OSHA Region 2 Polychlorinated Biphenyls Polyester Manufacture Pulmonary Effects Temperature-measurement Workers

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA831661594
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  New Jersey ; 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:
  48 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Sbarra, Joseph ; Hall, Nancy E. L.
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00131536
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB86-145638
• 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 83-166-1594, 1985 May ; :1-46
• CAS Registry Number:
  Ethylene oxide (CAS RN 75-21-8) ; Adipic acid (CAS RN 124-04-9)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1985
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  2816 - Inorganic pigments - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7914464a7b4fc1830d9b967e5e450bc73f258599443e8081fd67f5cc500c585f725f52aa067eea427394ff76a56567dc0314a25e6f07463469a8163a05625535
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172926/cdc_172926_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.40 MB ]