Industrial hygiene survey of Owens Corning Fiberglas, Kansas City, Kansas.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Dement, John M. ; Wallingford, Kenneth M. ; Zumwalde, Ralph D.
• Description:
  Exposures to fibrous glass (14808607), free silica (7631869), phenol (108952), formaldehyde (50000), ammonia (7664417), carbon-monoxide (630080), cyclohexane (110827), toluene (108883), and noise were investigated at the Owens Corning Fiberglas Company (SIC-3296), in Kansas City, Kansas, from January 29 to February 2, 1973. The company employed 1,250 workers, had a full-time nurse and a part- time physician, and conducted pre-employment examinations. Personal and area air samples were collected from various production points and analyzed for fiber content and total dust. Noise was measured in most areas of the factory. Seven of 27 area silica samples and 1 personal sample exceeded the recommended OSHA standard of 10 milligrams per cubic meter divided by the percent of silicon-dioxide plus two, and 0.91 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/cu m), respectively. Noise measurements ranged from 77 to 105 decibels relative to the A-weighted scale (dBA); the OSHA standard is 90dBA. Concentrations of phenol, formaldehyde and ammonia were below OSHA standards of 5, 3 and 50 parts per million (ppm), respectively. Cyclohexane, toluene, and carbon-monoxide concentrations were also below the respective standards of 300, 200 and 50ppm, however, potentially hazardous carbon-monoxide exposures existed in packing areas due to poor ventilation. Concentrations of fibrous glass were below the OSHA 15mg/cu m standard for nuisance dust, however, many of the fibers were of respirable size. The authors conclude that workers are exposed to hazardous amounts of silica dust. Ventilation should be improved to ensure that excessive carbon- monoxide exposure does not occur, and workers should be provided with hearing protectors.
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Acetone Animals Environmental Monitoring Laboratories Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Solvents Styrene

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• Keywords:
  Air-contamination Control-methods Field-Study Health-services Health-surveys Industrial-processes IWS-35-16 Mineral-wool NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Survey Occupational-health-programs Protective-equipment Region-7 Workplace-studies

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• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Studies ; Industry Wide
• Place as Subject:
  Kansas ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 7
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSCI - Division of Field Studies and Clinical Investigations
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-35
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00107568
• 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, IWS 35-16, 1973 May; :1-35
• CAS Registry Number:
  Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7) ; Silica (CAS RN 7631-86-9) ; Phenol (CAS RN 108-95-2) ; Formaldehyde (CAS RN 50-00-0) ; Ammonia (CAS RN 7664-41-7) ; Carbon monoxide (CAS RN 630-08-0) ; Cyclohexane (CAS RN 110-82-7) ; Toluene (CAS RN 108-88-3)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1973
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  3296 - Mineral wool - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:793c23f448ce704773081a2c1f5c4358ef3bf29bb3c336c4a60c3895cef2dbbac295bbd3316bb1b33974ede8782c3546ed46e4923048694fbd54b61ec269e91e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/179080/cdc_179080_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.07 MB ]