Occupational Risk from Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGl) Lamps

Details

• Personal Author:
  Jensen P ; Moffat HJ ; Talbot EA ; Wells CD
• Description:
  The recommended role of ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) is to reduce the risk of tuberculosis (TB) transmission in health care facilities. However, excess exposure may result in dermatosis and photokeratitis. In one hospital setting in Botswana, two nurses and one housekeeper complained of eye discomfort, 'like sand in the eyes', after working in an administrative office. The following day, one employee noted facial skin peeling. All symptoms resolved over 2-4 days without sequelae. Six weeks later, the syndrome recurred for all three employees. A workplace investigation revealed that the office had been converted from a hospital sputum induction room, and that an unshielded 36-W UVGI lamp was still installed and operational. The on/off switch for the UVGI lamp was immediately adjacent to the fluorescent bulb on/off switch, and did not have a locking mechanism. The US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recommends that exposure to UVGI (254 nm) be less than 6000 microJ/cm2 (6000 microW approximately = sec/cm2) over a daily 8-hour period on unprotected skin or eyes. In the office, UVGI measurements at eye level and looking directly at the UVGI lamp ranged from a low of 20.0 microW approximately = sec/cm2 when seated to a high of 49.9 microW approximately = sec/cm2 when standing. These irradiance levels result in allowable exposure times of 300 and 120 seconds, respectively, and are the most likely cause of the clinical syndrome described. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Dermatitis Eye Foreign Bodies Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Occupational Health Safety Skin Skin Diseases Workplace
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Tuberculosis Dermatosis Exposure-levels Eye-irritants Health-care-facilities Skin-disorders Skin-irritants Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation UVGI Workplace-monitoring Workplace-studies

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• ISSN:
  1027-3719
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; 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
• Volume:
  6
• Issue:
  8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20022905
• Citation:
  Int J Tuberc Lung Dis 2002 Aug; 6(8):738-741
• Contact Point Address:
  Elizabeth A Talbot MD, Associate Director TB-HIV Research, The BOTUSA Project, 2170 Gaborone Place, Dulles, VA 20189-2170, USA
• Email:
  edt7@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2002
• NORA Priority Area:
  Research Tools and Approaches: Control Technology and Personal Protective Equipment
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6dd6b24c0179b6ca27d2d177eeefbc1748008c32f2f3f38bef0b3c951809c2c0ca08daaec88f849e98335f7c1fc14f6b28c51d923fbe9b3470352657ea2f2beb
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/199522/cdc_199522_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 888.90 KB ]