Styrene-associated health outcomes at a windblade manufacturing plant

Details

• Personal Author:
  Alwis KU ; Blount BC ; Cox-Ganser, Jean M. ; Cummings, Kristin J. ; Edwards, Nicole T. ; Harney, Joshua M. ; Kreiss, Kathleen ; McCague A-B
• Description:
  Background: Health risks of using styrene to manufacture windblades for the green energy sector are unknown. Methods: Using data collected from 355 (73%) current windblade workers and regression analysis, we investigated associations between health outcomes and styrene exposure estimates derived from urinary styrene metabolites. Results: The median current styrene exposure was 53.6 mg/g creatinine (interquartile range: 19.5-94.4). Color blindness in men and women (standardized morbidity ratios 2.3 and 16.6, respectively) was not associated with exposure estimates, but was the type previously reported with styrene. Visual contrast sensitivity decreased and chest tightness increased (odds ratio 2.9) with increasing current exposure. Decreases in spirometric parameters and FeNO, and increases in the odds of wheeze and asthma-like symptoms (odds ratios 1.3 and 1.2, respectively) occurred with increasing cumulative exposure. Conclusions: Despite styrene exposures below the recommended 400 mg/g creatinine, visual and respiratory effects indicate the need for additional preventative measures in this industry. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Asthma Asthma, Occupational Energy Metabolism Eye Occupational Health Preventive Medicine Respiratory Function Tests Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Sense Organs Styrene Urine Vision Disorders Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Styrene Bronchial-asthma Color Vision Defects Contrast Sensitivity Exposure-levels Metabolites Occupational Exposure Preventive-medicine Risk-factors Spirometry Styrenes Urinalysis Vision-disorders Work-environment Workers

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• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Georgia ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  RHD - Respiratory Health Division ; DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  58
• Issue:
  11
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20046663
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2015 Nov; 58(11):1150-1159
• Contact Point Address:
  Kristin J. Cummings, MD, MPH, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1095 Willowdale Road, MS 2800, Morgantown, WV 26505
• Email:
  cvx5@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Styrene (CAS RN 100-42-5)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2016
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e2397d9fafaa34c7f26e0139be79a2ee4765a2471a94e0e82952dba9d0ab9a88fd45227345bdf595b688dbf1c7479d5140703c056c04b5aa66ad4266ebfc842e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/202021/cdc_202021_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 131.29 KB ]