Health Hazard Evaluation Report HE 79-006-782: Coastal Industries, Inc.: Selma, Alabama

Details

• Personal Author:
  Donohue, Michael T. ; Emmett, Edward A. ; Kominsky, John R.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Personal breathing zone samples were analyzed for formaldehyde (50000) and health questionnaires and limited physical examinations were completed on 88 workers at Coastal Industries, Incorporated (SIC-2260) in Selma, Alabama, from November 28 to 30, 1978 and July 24 and 25, 1979. The evaluation was requested by an authorized representative of the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union, Local 516C on behalf of 126 workers who complained of eye, respiratory and skin irritation caused by exposure to formaldehyde. Concentrations of formaldehyde in 30 minute samples ranged from 0.30 to 1.8 parts per million (ppm), while 8 hour time-weighted average samples ranged from 0.54 to 0.91ppm. None of the samples exceeded the 3ppm 8-hour TWA OSHA standard. Burning of the eyes, tearing, redness and itching were very common and 75 percent of the affected workers reported that these symptoms only occurred at work. Nasal irritation, running nose, stuffiness and sneezing, scratchy sore throat, throat itching and burning, respiratory symptoms, dermatoses and miliaria also were reported. The authors conclude that a health hazard from formaldehyde exists as the breathing zone concentrations are sufficient to cause the reported irritations. They recommend local exhaust and dilution ventilation techniques, storage of the resin-treated fabric in a ventilated area, and operation of the ventilation system long enough prior to the beginning of the shift to reduce formaldehyde concentrations to background levels. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Ergonomics Eye Foreign Bodies Formaldehyde Lung Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Skin Skin Diseases Ventilation

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• Keywords:
  1,3-dimethylol-4-5 Dihydroxy2-imidazolidinone DMDHEU Dyeing And Finishing Textiles Environmental-engineering Eye-irritants Formaldehyde Glyoxal-formaldehyde Resin Hazards-Unconfirmed HHE-79-006-782 NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation OSHA Region 4 Post-cured Resin Pulmonary-system-disorders Skin-disorders

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHHE79006782
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Alabama ; Selma (AL) ; 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:
  15 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Kominsky, John R. ; Ferrara, Joanne ; Molenaar, Donald ; Berling, Leesa
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00111983
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB82-150202
• 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, HHE 79-006-782, 1980 Dec ; :1-13
• CAS Registry Number:
  Formaldehyde (CAS RN 50-00-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1981
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  226 - Textile Finishing, Except Wool - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3b7e1074bd96598ea24331a753f165fe2e039949443efe4ee1c50574583c22d15179dd649b17551a716e5a63b5e246c236dfb82231ef570ffcd107a1aeacc027
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/173470/cdc_173470_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.25 MB ]