Hexavalent Chromium Exposures and Exposure-Control Technologies in American Enterprise: Results of a NIOSH Field Research Study

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bennett JS ; Blade, Leo M. ; Catalano JD ; Crouch, Keith G. ; Khan A ; Martinez A ; Shulman, Stanley A. ; Topmiller, Jennifer L. ; Wallace, Marjorie E. ; Yencken MS ; Bennett JS ; Blade, Leo M. ; Catalano JD ; Crouch, Keith G. ; Khan A ; Martinez A ; Shulman, Stanley A. ; Topmiller, Jennifer L. ; Wallace, Marjorie E. ; Yencken MS
• Description:
  The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted 21 field surveys it selected industries to characterize workers' exposures to hexavalent chromium-containing airborne particulate and to evaluate existing technologies for controlling these exposures. Hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) is a respiratory irritant and chronic inhalation may cause lung cancer. Primary evaluation methods included collection of full work shift, personal breathing-zone (PBZ) air samples for Cr(VI), measurement of ventilation system parameters, and documentation of processes and work practices. This study emphasized evaluation of engineering exposure control measures, so PBZ exposures were measured on the outside of personal protective equipment, for example, respirators. Field surveys were conducted in two chromium electroplating facilities, including one where full-shift PBZ exposures to Cr(VI) ranged from 3.0 to 16 times the 1 mu g/m(3) NIOSH recommended exposure limit (REL) despite several engineering controls on the plating tanks. At a painting and coating facility that used Cr(VI)-containing products, full-shift exposures of painters and helpers (2.4 to 55 mu g/m(3)) exceeded the REL, but LEV effectiveness was limited. Other operations evaluated included welding in construction; metal cutting operations on chromium-containing materials in ship breaking; chromate-paint removal with abrasive blasting; atomized alloy-spray coating; foundry operations; printing; and the manufacture of refractory brick, colored glass, prefabricated concrete products, and treated wood products. NIOSH researchers concluded that, in many of the evaluated processes, Cr(VI) exposures at or below the current NIOSH REL are achievable. However, for some processes, it is nuclear whether controlling exposures to this range is consistently achievable without respirator use. Some operations involving the application of coatings and finishes may be among those most difficult to control to this range. Most operations judged to be moderately difficult to control to this range involve joining and cutting metals with relatively high chromium content. Nonetheless, exposures in a wide variety of other processes were judged more easily controllable to the current REL or below, or were found to be minimal, including some operations meeting the general descriptions named above but with different specific operating parameters producing lower Cr(VI) exposures. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Construction Industry Environmental Monitoring Metals Metal Workers Occupational Health Paint Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Respiratory System Safety Ventilation Welding Workplace

  More +
• Keywords:
  Air-monitoring Air-purifying-respirators Air-quality-control Air-quality-measurement Air-quality-monitoring Analytical-Method Analytical-methods Analytical-models Analytical-processes Breathing Breathing-atmospheres Breathing-zone Construction Construction-workers Metal-fumes Metal-industry Metallic-fumes Paint-shops Personal-protection Personal-protective-equipment Protective-equipment Protective-measures Respirators Respiratory-equipment Respiratory-protection Respiratory-protective-equipment Ventilation-systems Welders Work-areas Work-environment Work-performance Workplace-studies

  More +
• ISSN:
  1545-9624
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article ; Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology ; DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health ; Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America ; North America
• Volume:
  4
• Issue:
  8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20032590
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Hyg 2007 Aug; 4(8):596-618
• Contact Point Address:
  Leo Blade, CDC-NIOSH, DART, EPHB, Robert A. Taft Laboratories, NIOSH MS-R5, 4676 Columbia Pkwy., Cincinnati, OH 45226
• Email:
  lmbl@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Chromium(6+) (CAS RN 18540-29-9) ; Chromium(6+) (CAS RN 18540-29-9)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2007
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8d29a38414a1ef0c9e98e82fa352f261f85531efa14289c00e453c184ba3288935578c8ed7ab2b7462c44ecbdc38a5d77a1c655e0c682e41d02d5718adbe446f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/186508/cdc_186508_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 771.62 KB ]