Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-80-206-1164: Mid-South Terminals Corporation; Memphis, Tennessee

Details

• Personal Author:
  Gorman, Richard W. ; Liss, Gary M.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Effects of exposures from the coal-tar pitch and petroleum-pitch transfer operations at Mid-South Terminals Corporation (SIC-4463), Memphis, Tennessee were evaluated. Survey was requested by Local 1671 of International Longshoremen's Association and was performed in August and October 1981. Sixty workers were employed at the terminal. Personal and area breathing samples were measured and work practices and equipment were evaluated. All coal-tar-pitch benzene (65996932) soluble exposures approximated or exceeded the NIOSH 0.1 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3) criteria. The pitch operations generated respirable particles with a benzene soluble fraction ranging from 0.09 to 0.18mg/m3. Six polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons ranging from 0.02 to 0.07mg/m3 were identified in two respirable benzene soluble samples. Protective equipment was considered adequate
  
  however, work practices were deficient. Skin and eye irritations were reported almost universally by workers. The authors conclude that working with the pitch without appropriate personal protective equipment is associated with a health hazard. Handling the pitch at night and using personal protective equipment has decreased the health risks, but acute health effects are still occurring. Recommendations are for dust control, minimum contact with pitch dust, protection against ultraviolet light, and medical monitoring.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Coal Coal Tar Dust Irritants Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety Ships Skin
• Keywords:
  Benzene Solubles Breathing-zone Coal-products Coal Tar Pitch Dust-exposure Employee-exposure Hazards-Confirmed HETA-80-206-1164 Longshoremen Marine Cargo Handling Materials-transport NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report Occupational-exposure OSHA Region 4 Petroleum Pitch Photosensitivity Phototoxic Phototoxicity PNAs Shipyards Skin-exposure Ultraviolet Light

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA802061164
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Tennessee ; 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:
  21 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Slick, Ed ; Grote, Ardith A.
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00130023
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB84-149178
• 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 80-206-1164, 1982 Aug ; :1-21
• CAS Registry Number:
  Pitch, coal tar, high-temp. (CAS RN 65996-93-2)
• Editor(s):
  Widener, Betty
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1982
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  4463 - Marine Cargo Handling - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:881ccb8ea5f6c2099a169fd7ad66c114bc45a438a4f8b714eee64f33fd41d6a25a35ad50b81ff160590459646936f55390ca699eb33fae54e6814a12b4474e55
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172969/cdc_172969_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 5.22 MB ]