Health Hazard Evaluation Determination Report No. HE 79-79-611: Great Northern Paper Company: Millinocket, Maine

Details

• Personal Author:
  Johnson, Paul L. ; Wilcox, Thomas G.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Air sampling and medical interview data were collected on May 8 and 9, 1979 at a pollution control facility in the Great Northern Paper Company (SIC-2647) in Millinocket, Maine. The evaluation was requested by an authorized representative of the United Paper Workers International Union, Local 12 to evaluate alleged employee exposure to substances causing sore throat, bronchitis, and headaches. Results of long term air sampling for sulfur-dioxide (7446095), toluene (108883), turpentine-terpenes (8006642), and hydrogen-sulfide (7783064), were below limits of detection and OSHA standards. Of the 10 medical interviewees, 3 had probable and 2 had possible work related skin disorders, primarily small puritic papules. Five employees reported experiencing moderately severe headaches, apparently from odors (probably hydrogen-sulfide). Two other workers reported excessive cough and phlegm productions that possibly were aggravated by work exposure. Frequent sore throat that would improve markedly when away from work were described by three workers. Two employees reported suffering a severe urticarial reaction possibly caused by a substance at the work site. Recommendations resulting from the evaluation include application of increased quantities of lime materials for purification, more frequent removal of pressed sludge materials from the facility, and installation of a hydrogen sulfide meter and alarm system in the pressed sludge piling area. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Digestive System Diseases Environmental Monitoring Headache Hydrogen Sulfide Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Paper Safety Skin Sulfur Dioxide
• Keywords:
  Air-sampling H2S Hazards-Unconfirmed Headache HHE-79-79-611 Hydrogen Sulfide Medical-screening Nausea NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation Occupational-exposure OSHA Region 1 Paper Paper-and-allied-products Pulp Rash SO2 Sulfur Dioxide

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHHE7979611
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Maine ; Millinocket (ME) ; OSHA Region 1
• 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:
  Flesch, Jerome P. ; White, Gary L. ; Woodruff, Jackie
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00091566
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB80-147226
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HHE 79-79-611, 1979 Aug ; :1-10
• CAS Registry Number:
  Sulfur dioxide (CAS RN 7446-09-5) ; Toluene (CAS RN 108-88-3) ; Turpentine (CAS RN 8006-64-2) ; Hydrogen sulfide (CAS RN 7783-06-4)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1979
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  2647 - Sanitary Paper Products - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:23535e1a8881d682102cb900a45c3a05722ca11668058ba8c53ee1b95064796208d855b4413452b83535aae1f97dcd22b107b9951ad21c3f581a161e3e051f49
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/173767/cdc_173767_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.94 MB ]