Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-81-432-1105: Roofing Sites; Rochester and Buffalo, New York

Details

• Personal Author:
  Tharr, Dawn G.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Exposure to coal-tar (8007452) tear-off and asphalt roofing applications were investigated on October 12 to 14, 1981 in Rochester and Buffalo (SIC-1761), New York. Evaluation was requested by the Director of Safety and Health, United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers, and Allied Workers. Fourteen workers were employed. Personal and area air samples were collected to determine concentrations of cyclohexane soluble coal-tar products, polynuclear aromatics (PNAs), acetone (67641), toluene (108883), xylene (1330207), and hexane (110543). Dust exposures during tear-off procedures were 1.8 to 6.2 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3). Respirable particles were 0.67 to 1.7mg/m3, compared to ACGIH exposure limits of 10 and 5mg/m3, respectively. Exposures to cyclohexane solubles ranged up to 0.51mg/m3. NIOSH recommended upper limit is 0.1mg/m3. Several PNAs were identified with concentrations as high as 27 micrograms per cubic meter. No safe exposure limit is known. Highest cyclohexane soluble and PNA exposures were found in workers exposed during tear-off. Concentrations of organic solvents for workers applying adhesives were less than 13 percent of their respective evaluation standards. The author concludes that workers are exposed to excessive amounts of coal-tar pitch dust, but not to solvent vapor. Recommendations to improve work practices and avoid exposures are made.
• Subjects:
  Occupational Health Safety Skin
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA814321105
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; 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:
  15 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Reed, Laurence D.
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00127108
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB84-141860
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, Ohio: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HETA 81-432-1105, 1982 May ; :1-15
• CAS Registry Number:
  Coal tar (CAS RN 8007-45-2) ; Acetone (CAS RN 67-64-1) ; Toluene (CAS RN 108-88-3) ; Xylene (CAS RN 1330-20-7) ; n-Hexane (CAS RN 110-54-3)
• Editor(s):
  Woodruff, Jackie
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1982
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  1761 - Roofing, siding, and sheet metal work - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:1b2e603dddafc902544c3cee525c28bb4cd30c34ce1872fe363968c5c0c88ff2bf29cfd6e9f82eb0a133675bc0b649db8a3887232101d0663adc879d6361b36c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/173152/cdc_173152_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 7.51 MB ]