Formaldehyde exposure characterization in garment manufacturing plants: a composite summary of three in-depth industrial hygiene surveys.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Blade, Leo M. ; Elliott LJ ; Halperin, William E. ; Keenlyside, Richard A. ; Stayner LT
• Description:
  The extent of exposure to formaldehyde (50000) was investigated at three garment manufacturing facilities (SIC-2321) using fabrics pretreated with a formaldehyde based resin system. Two of the facilities (in Georgia) operated on a two shift basis with approximately 1000 and 500 workers; one facility (in Pennsylvania) operated on a one shift basis and had approximately 600 workers. The facilities cut and sewed men's dress shirts from treated fabric. Measured exposures to formaldehyde, respirable dust, and organic cleaning solvent vapors were all below the applicable American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists Threshold Limit Values and Occupational Safety and Health Administration Permissible Exposure Limits. Formaldehyde exposures ranged from 0.51 parts per million (ppm) down to less than 0.02ppm (undetectable). The potential existed for continuous low level exposure to formaldehyde at these facilities. The authors recommend periodic personal monitoring for formaldehyde with a reliable method to determine time weighted average exposures and peak variations. Local exhaust ventilation hoods should be installed over fused lining machines. The heating, ventilation and air conditioning system should not be set up on a fully recirculated system. Local exhaust ventilation should be installed and utilized during the spot cleaning operation and when cleaning stamping devices with organic cleaning solvents. Noise exposure in these facilities should be lessened and a hearing conservation program initiated.
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Mortality Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Air-contamination Dust-exposure Exposure-limits Field-Study Garment-workers Industrial-ventilation IWS-125-26 NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Survey Noise-levels Region-3 Region-4 Textiles-industry

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• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Studies ; Industry Wide
• Place as Subject:
  Georgia ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Pennsylvania
• 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:
  1-51
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00169477
• 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, IWS 125-26, 1987 Jan; :1-51
• CAS Registry Number:
  Formaldehyde (CAS RN 50-00-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1987
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  2321 - Men's and boys' shirts - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d0bf7b9a2fedf8eee978559a6b74714b6f015be5fc54d4bf2722b79fc179317dd1b94e656548c52562a11f08356af1e752e66b326b3aef986fe0420b54f878b8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/179944/cdc_179944_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.12 MB ]