Breathe Easier, Work Safer: Many Companies Ignore Respiratory Protection. Here’s What You Must Know Now

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bang KM ; Doney B ; Greskevich, Mark F. ; Groce D ; Syamlal G
• Description:
  Every day, painting and wallcovering contractors are exposed to chemical substances and working environments that have potentially harmful, even fatal, health consequences. Just the risk of cancer is high. "Occupational exposure as a painter is carcinogenic [cancer-causing]," scientists with the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer reported in December. Studies have found higher levels of genetic damage in painters, as well as a "small but significant" increased risk of lung cancer and bladder cancer. Increased leukemia rates have also been found in the children of women who worked as painters before or during pregnancy. Not every exposure risk can be pinpointed or eliminated, so protective measures are critical. These may include engineering controls, such as better ventilation; administrative controls, such as shortened work periods; respiratory protection, or a combination of all three. Unfortunately, the evidence shows, employers and employees often ignore these measures, risking health and legal liability in the process. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Construction Industry Construction Materials Environmental Monitoring Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Paint Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Respiratory System Safety Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Air-purifying-respirators Construction-materials Construction-workers Environmental-control Exposure-limits Occupational-exposure Painters Personal-protective-equipment Respirators Respiratory-equipment Respiratory-protective-equipment Surveillance Work-environment Worker-health

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• ISSN:
  0735-9713
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DRDS - Division of Respiratory Disease Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  62-66
• Volume:
  70
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20033428
• Citation:
  PWC 2008 Jan/Feb; 70(1):62-66
• Contact Point Address:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Respiratory Disease Studies, 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, WV 26505
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2008
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Painting & Wallcovering Contractor
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:59c42ddf6d9974981d6bd03c4fabb2171905630fc1ce39f11c6583cb17e860f5c7969bba41482957c14d445e89b54aca8130a2caff35d0998136a49b7b3e198c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/189012/cdc_189012_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 4.78 MB ]