Identification of Potential Sources of Arsenic Exposure During Scrapyard Work at a Former Uranium Enrichment Facility

Details

• Personal Author:
  Methner, Mark M.
• Description:
  In 2002, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received a request for a Health Hazard Evaluation from union workers and management of a former uranium enrichment facility in Ohio, one of two in the United States operated by a nongovernment contractor and subcontractors.(1,2) Work had recently begun on dismantling the components of the gaseous diffusion process cascade, and during that process, employees and management detected a previously unknown inorganic arsenic (As) contamination.(3) Further investigation found that not only was the entire work area contaminated but that arsenic was present on the inner surfaces of the workers' respirators and in their urine. This case study describes how the NIOSH investigator and the contractor identified the source of that contamination and the recommendations that were made to reduce worker exposure. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Environmental Pollution Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Arsenic Compounds Chemical Industry Workers Environmental Contamination Exposure Methods Uranium Compounds
• ISSN:
  1545-9624
• 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
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  1
• Issue:
  9
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20025325
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Hyg 2004 Sep; 1(9):D96-D100
• Contact Point Address:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies, Mail Stop R-19, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226
• CAS Registry Number:
  Arsenic (CAS RN 7440-38-2) ; Arsenic acid (H3AsO4), copper salt (1:?) (CAS RN 10103-61-4) ; Arsenic trioxide (CAS RN 1327-53-3) ; Fluorine (CAS RN 7782-41-4) ; Hydrofluoric acid (CAS RN 7664-39-3) ; Uranium (CAS RN 7440-61-1) ; Uranium hexafluoride (CAS RN 7783-81-5)
• Editor(s):
  Mazzuckelli L
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2004
• 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:fcc028ac14593df61503f441d71158c2be6419e0ee7c08efbed2ac08a0d261d80891f5437226b5af927f8a4c30f974fd596f80e3301ca998590f066767fff39a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/196758/cdc_196758_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 260.49 KB ]