Health Hazard Evaluation Report: MHETA-82-191-1267: Engineered Air Systems, Incorporated (Formerly American Air Filter Company); St. Louis, Missouri

Details

• Personal Author:
  Aw, Tar-Ching ; Boiano, James M.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  The effects of exposure to sulfur-dioxide (7446095) (SO2) were investigated on April 1 and 2, 1982 at Engineering Air Systems, Incorporated (SIC-348) in St. Louis, Missouri. The evaluation was requested by the Assistant Director of Safety and Health, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers, and Helpers following an industrial accident in which SO2 was released when a dip tank was cleaned. The company employed 150 production workers. Information about the accident and general work procedures was reviewed, and medical questionnaires were given to the 40 workers who were seen by physicians following the accident. SO2 was released when sodium-bisulfite (7631905) was added to a dip tank containing chromic-acid (7738945) solution to clean and desludge the tank. The 40 workers experienced cough, chest discomfort, throat irritation, and eye irritation. Review of the workers' medical records concerning the accident did not reveal any X-ray or pulmonary function abnormalities. The authors conclude that acute overexposure to SO2 did occur at the company, but no serious long term health effects are evident. They recommend work practice and engineering controls to prevent reoccurrence of accidents.
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Hazardous Substances Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Surveys And Questionnaires
• Keywords:
  Accident-analysis Acute-exposure Chromic Acid Hazards-Confirmed Medical-surveys NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report Ordnance And Accessories OSHA Region 7 Respiratory Symptoms Sodium Bisulfite Sulfur Dioxide Toxic-gases

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHMHETA821911267
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Missouri ; OSHA Region 7
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DRDS - Division of Respiratory Disease Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  20 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Palassis, John
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00127216
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB84-210012
• Citation:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, MHETA 82-191-1267, 1983 Feb ; :1-18
• CAS Registry Number:
  Sulfur dioxide (CAS RN 7446-09-5) ; Sodium Bisulfite (CAS RN 7631-90-5) ; Chromic acid (CAS RN 7738-94-5)
• Editor(s):
  Lipps, Debra A. ; Grass, Jacqueline G.
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1983
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  348 - Ordnance and Accessories, not elsewhere classified - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2cbfc8e443633ae69cefc4d6315bfbde7df2d9412d5f523c8441f4e687894f46b183b2008d6accaca2e22dee73e7d2980e5220dd0cd8ef09f867959e2937834a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/173131/cdc_173131_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 4.02 MB ]