Work-Related Asthma Cluster at a Syntactic Foam Manufacturing Facility – Massachusetts 2008–2013

Details

• Journal Article:
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Personal Author:
  Casey, Megan L. ; Cummings, Kristin J. ; Fitzsimmons, Kathleen M. ; Kreiss, Kathleen ; LeBouf, Ryan F. ; Pechter, Elise ; Schuler, Christine R. ; Stanton, Marcia L.
• Description:
  Work-related asthma is asthma that is caused or exacerbated by exposure to specific substances in the workplace. Approximately 10%-16% of adult-onset asthma cases are attributable to occupational factors, and estimates of asthma exacerbated by work range from 13% to 58%. During 2008-2012, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health received nine reports of work-related asthma among workers at a facility that manufactured syntactic foam used for flotation in the offshore oil and gas industry. These reports and a request from facility employees led to a CDC health hazard evaluation during 2012-2013 in which CDC reviewed records, toured the facility, and administered a questionnaire to current employees. Investigators found that workers' risk for asthma increased substantially after hire, possibly because of known asthma triggers (i.e., asthmagens) used in production. The company has since initiated efforts to reduce employee exposures to these substances. This cluster of work-related asthma was identified through CDC-funded, state-based surveillance and demonstrates complementary state and federal investigations. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Amines Anhydrides Asthma Asthma, Occupational Case Reports Engineering Epoxy Resins Hypersensitivity Irritants Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Surveys And Questionnaires Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Administration Allergic-reactions Breathing Bronchial-asthma Case-studies Chemical-factory-workers Chemical-hypersensitivity Chemical-manufacturing-industry Curing-agents Employee-exposure Engineering-controls Epoxy-resins Health-surveys Personal-protective-equipment Questionnaires Respirators Respiratory-irritants Respiratory-system-disorders Risk-factors Surveillance-programs Warning-signs Work-operations Work-practices Worker-health Workplace-studies

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• 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
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DRDS - Division of Respiratory Disease Studies ; DSR - Division of Safety Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  4 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Bailey, Rachel L. ; Fedan, Kathleen B.
• Volume:
  64
• Issue:
  15
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20046117
• Citation:
  MMWR 2015 Apr; 64(15):411-414
• Email:
  mcasey@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• Performing Organization:
  Massachusetts State Department of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:de156fdb8d59999cf9d72d5fb2b2f960a1cd199b3d12e65eee8d7201b13d6056357ac16a55530416ea750f993af686379ef6cb99052ac5636516b0e3cecd20a1
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/183350/cdc_183350_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 318.73 KB ]