In-depth survey report: control technology for ethylene oxide sterilization in hospitals at Bethesda Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Kercher SL ; Mortimer, Vincent D. Jr.
• Description:
  An indepth survey of control technology for ethylene-oxide (75218) sterilization was conducted at Bethesda Hospital (SIC-8062), Cincinnati, Ohio in June, 1984. Industrial hygiene sampling for ethylene-oxide was performed. Engineering controls consisted of local exhaust and general ventilation, isolation, drain control by means of a ventilated air gap, and two vacuum purges and a 20 minute air flush on the sterilizer cycle. Full shift ethylene-oxide concentrations averaged less than 0.1 part per million (ppm). Short term exposures while transferring loads from the sterilizers to the aerator did not exceed 5ppm. The OSHA time weighted standard for ethylene-oxide is 1ppm. Preventive maintenance on the sterilization equipment was performed by an outside contractor. Some personal monitoring for ethylene-oxide, averaging once a year, was conducted. It was noted that the operators manually transferred items from the sterilizer cart into the aerator. The authors conclude that full shift and short period exposures to ethylene-oxide are well controlled. The exposures to the sterilizer operators can be controlled further by their not manually lifting the items from the sterilizer cart into the aerator. Sensors and alarm devices should be installed on the ventilation systems.
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Lung Occupational Health Radiography Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety
• Keywords:
  Analytical-models Control-technology Exposure-methods Field-Study Gas-mixtures Health-standards Medical-facilities NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Survey Quantitative-analysis Region-5 Work-analysis Work-areas

  More +
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHECTB14611b
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Studies ; Control Technology
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DPSE - Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-34
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00150856
• 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, ECTB 146-11b, 1985 Jun; :1-34
• CAS Registry Number:
  Ethylene oxide (CAS RN 75-21-8)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1985
• NORA Priority Area:
  Control-technology
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  8062 - General medical & surgical hospitals - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0496f6fe218709b6b6df452bb032623bedd54599a3eebfae647b6c8f00958072a5a7304dd7128bd904259fb6242227818f2d41b18acdbeb6b43330968951c7e3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/179744/cdc_179744_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 760.17 KB ]