Occupational exposures to new dry cleaning solvents: high-flashpoint hydrocarbons and butylal

Details

• Personal Author:
  Broadwater K ; Ceballos, Diana M. ; Gong W ; Lee EG ; Nourian F ; Roberts J ; Streicher R ; Whittaker SG
• Description:
  The drycleaning industry is moving away from using perchloroethylene. Occupational exposures to two alternative drycleaning solvents, butylal and high-flashpoint hydrocarbons, have not been well-characterized. We evaluated four drycleaning shops that used these alternative solvents. The shops were staffed by Korean- and Cantonese-speaking owners, and Korean-, Cantonese-, and Spanish-speaking employees. Because most workers had limited English proficiency we used language services in our evaluations. In two shops we collected personal and area air samples for butylal. We also collected air samples for formaldehyde and butanol, potential hydrolysis products of butylal. Because there are no occupational exposure limits for butylal, we assessed employee health risks using control banding tools. In the remaining two shops we collected personal and area air samples for high-flashpoint hydrocarbon solvents. In all shops the highest personal airborne exposures occurred when workers loaded and unloaded the drycleaning machines and pressed drycleaned fabrics. The air concentrations of formaldehyde and butanol in the butylal shops were well below occupational exposure limits. Likewise, the air concentrations of high-flashpoint hydrocarbons were also well below occupational exposure limits. However, we saw potential skin exposures to these chemicals. We provided recommendations on appropriate work practices and the selection and use of personal protective equipment. These recommendations were consistent with those derived using control banding tools for butylal. However, there is insufficient toxicological and health information to determine the safety of butylal in occupational settings. Independent evaluation of the toxicological properties of these alternative drycleaning solvents, especially butylal, is urgently needed. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution Chemistry Environmental Exposure Environmental Monitoring Formaldehyde Hazardous Substances Hydrocarbons Occupational Health Particulate Matter Personal Protective Equipment Race Factors Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Skin Solvents Tetrachloroethylene

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• Keywords:
  Airborne Particulates Air Quality Air Samples Author Keywords: Alternative Dry Cleaning Solvents Butanol Butanols Butylal Chemical Composition Chemical Hazards Chemical Properties Chemicals Dermal Exposures Dibutoxymethane Dry Cleaning Dry Cleaning Industry Dry Cleaning Solvents Exposure Levels Flash Point High-flashpoint Hydrocarbon Hydrolysis Perchloroethylene Personal Protection Personal Protective Equipment Racial Factors Risk Factors Sampling Skin Exposure Sociological Factors Solvent Vapors

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• ISSN:
  1545-9624
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Washington ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies ; HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division ; DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  13
• Issue:
  10
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20047915
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Hyg 2016 Oct; 13(10):759-769
• Email:
  ceballos@hsph.harvard.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Dibutoxymethane (CAS RN 2568-90-3) ; Formaldehyde (CAS RN 50-00-0) ; Tetrachloroethylene (CAS RN 127-18-4)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• NORA Priority Area:
  Manufacturing ; Services
• 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-512:40556928b33e5b98291f4a0e1f0ee37faaaf1cd4f9a84a8f44d345b766fca72a1b5ffee780b92c8c935f9343fe64ea9a06a53fb776da0c871f2e89b6a1ac5b33
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/202854/cdc_202854_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 863.78 KB ]