An outbreak of chromium ulcer in a manufacturing plant

Details

• Personal Author:
  Deng F ; Fleeger, Alan K. ; Sinks T
• Description:
  In response to a request from management at a manufacturing facility, an investigation was made of possible hazardous health conditions among workers who had been experiencing an outbreak of hand ulceration and skin discoloration. The facility manufactured kitchen ranges and employed about 633 hourly workers. The affected employees worked in the enamel department, where metallic range tops were coated with a ground coat or sprayed with an enamel coloring and then baked at 1200 degrees-F. Ten enamel department workers who developed chromium (7440473) ulcers between January and June of 1988 were identified. Ulcers were on the hands, forearms, periumbilical area and/or axillae. Workers who handled conveyer hooks used to suspend range tops as they passed through the oven were at greatest risk. Workers who wore gloves were protected from developing ulcers. The enamel used contained only trivalent chromium, but analysis of the hooks revealed the presence of hexavalent chromium likely formed during the baking process. A mechanical failure of the oven resulted in the formation of sharp edges on the parts and consequently caused abrasions of the exposed skin. The authors recommend specific measures to correct the situation and protect the workers from additional exposures. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Chromium Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Musculoskeletal System Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Protective Clothing Safety Skin
• Keywords:
  Assembly-line-workers Chromium-compounds Hand-injuries Hand-protection Hexavalent-chromium-compounds Industrial-factory-workers NIOSH-Author Occupational-exposure Skin-exposure
• ISSN:
  0145-6296
• 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
• Pages in Document:
  142-146
• Volume:
  32
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00196132
• Citation:
  Vet Hum Toxicol 1990 Apr; 32(2):142-146
• CAS Registry Number:
  Chromium (CAS RN 7440-47-3)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1990
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Veterinary and Human Toxicology
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e95b1640dbd80d0a99c3d4ff93d519ef8be48d0bc0e49727a44f305ecd76c7857625090cc6258e181200394fb6c478cdaa3ea28ab9ee6de91ce84ba665a64507
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/204153/cdc_204153_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 759.06 KB ]