Respiratory and Ocular Symptoms Among Employees of a Hotel Indoor Waterpark Resort – Ohio, 2007

Details

• Journal Article:
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Personal Author:
  Almaguer, Daniel ; Chen, Lilia ; Dang, B. ; Dunn, Kevin H. ; Ernst, Jennifer L. ; Gong, F. ; Mueller, Charles A. ; Otto, Charles S. ; Stansbury, D. ; Yeager, C.
• Description:
  During January-March 2007, the Warren County Combined Health District (WCCHD) received 665 reports of respiratory and eye irritation from patrons and lifeguards at a hotel indoor waterpark resort in Ohio. Tests revealed normal water chemistry and air chlorine concentrations, and exposure to airborne trichloramine in the waterpark was suspected as the cause of the symptoms. Because of the number of symptom reports and WCCHD's limited ability to measure trichloramine, the district requested an investigation by CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). This report describes the results of that investigation, which revealed that trichloramine concentrations in the waterpark ranged from below the limit of detection to 1.06 mg/m3, and some concentrations were at levels that have been reported to cause irritation symptoms (>0.5 mg/m3) (1). Lifeguards reported significantly more work-related symptoms (e.g., cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and eye irritation) than unexposed hotel employees. Lifeguards also reported significantly more eye irritation and cough on days when hotel occupancy was high versus low. Insufficient air movement and distribution likely led to accumulation of trichloramine and exacerbation of symptoms. Based on recommendations to increase air movement and distribution at pool deck level, hotel management modified the ventilation system extensively, and subsequently no new cases were reported to WCCHD. The results of this investigation emphasize the importance of appropriate design and monitoring of ventilation and water systems in preventing illness in indoor waterparks. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Movements Chlorine Compounds Environmental Monitoring Eye Foreign Bodies Occupational Health Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Ventilation Water Purification
• Keywords:
  Air-flow Air-sampling Chlorine-compounds Eye-irritants Region-5 Respiratory-system-disorders Ventilation-systems Water-purification Water-sampling
• Series:
  Weekly Report: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• ISSN:
  0149-2195 (print) ; 1545-861X (digital)
• Publisher:
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (U.S.)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies ; DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  6 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Achutan, C. ; Burton, Nancy C. ; Burr, G. ; Dowell, Chad H. ; Durgam, Srinivas ; Ewers, L. ; Markey, A. ; Ramsey, Jessica G. ; Rodriguez, M. ; Sussell, Aaron L. ; Riggs, Margaret A. ; Luckhaupt, Sara E. ; Warren, A. ; Wise, T. ; Galloway, E.
• Volume:
  58
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20034982
• Citation:
  MMWR 2009 Feb; 58(4):81-85
• CAS Registry Number:
  Chlorine (CAS RN 7782-50-5) ; Nitrogen trichloride (CAS RN 10025-85-1)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2009
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0bb68bb1f05e1a711e3999bea1b4f885eeb3756c6ee735376ccc853fde961062841fe9466be828a0eb84ec0aa9299830be1a56b4540de968eb9aac191b0cc4bd
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/183279/cdc_183279_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 122.93 KB ]