Technical Assistance Report No. 80-115-802: Centers for Disease Control: Atlanta, Georgia

Details

• Personal Author:
  Ruhe, Raymond L.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Employee exposures to xylene (1330207), ethyl-alcohol (64175), formaldehyde (50000) and asbestos (1332214) were evaluated at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (SIC-9199) in Atlanta, Georgia on October 9 and 10, 1980. The measurements were made in response to a request from the Office of Biosafety at CDC to evaluate employee exposure to organic solvents and asbestos. Personal and area samples for evaluating exposure to organic solvents were analyzed by gas chromatography
  
  asbestos was estimated by polarized light microscopy and dispersion staining techniques. In five area and personal samples, xylene concentrations ranged from 1 to 5 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/cu m)
  
  the OSHA permissible exposure limit (PEL) is 435mg/cu m on a 8 hour time weighted average. Ethyl- alcohol ranged from 6 to 8mg/cu m
  
  the OSHA PEL for ethyl alcohol is 1900mg/cu m. Formaldehyde ranged from 1 to 3mg/cu m, exceeding the NIOSH ceiling limit of 1.2mg/cu m for a 30 minute average. No asbestos fibers were found in air samples, but 6 of 13 bulk insulation samples contained chrysotile asbestos in concentrations 5 to 60 percent. The author concludes that a health hazard exists at CDC from overexposure to formaldehyde, and six areas have a potential for airborne asbestos exposure. Recommendations include the provision of adequate ventilation to control formaldehyde vapors, the replacement of asbestos insulation, provision of an employee education program, and provision of personal protective equipment. [Description provided by NIOSH]
  
  
• Subjects:
  Aldehydes Asbestos Carcinogens Dust Formaldehyde Inorganic Chemicals Laboratories Occupational Health Safety Solvents Ventilation

  More +
• Keywords:
  Alcohols Asbestos-dusts Dust-exposure Hazards-Confirmed NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report Organic-solvents OSHA Region 4 TA-80-115-802 Worker-health
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Georgia ; Atlanta (GA) ; 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:
  10 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Brown, Odessa
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00114050
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB82-187907
• 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, TA 80-115-802, 1981 Jan ; :1-7
• CAS Registry Number:
  Xylene (CAS RN 1330-20-7) ; Ethanol (CAS RN 64-17-5) ; Formaldehyde (CAS RN 50-00-0) ; Asbestos (CAS RN 1332-21-4)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1981
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  9199 - General government, not elsewhere classified - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0ec19c7ee55a7ec80c634cd6c3a698329028173c8930c3640db09eec8b532d21fb0b250866b134126163aedbbe893a31726540e79aa516c8efa42b068d5c695e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/173414/cdc_173414_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 363.79 KB ]