Occupational Toxic Inhalation of Carbon Monoxide Among Washington Workers, 2017 – 2022

Details

• Personal Author:
  Reeb-Whitaker C ; Todroov D
• Description:
  Carbon monoxide (CO) is a well-known and common workplace hazard, particularly in the agriculture and construction industries. Two previous analyses of occupational CO exposure in Washington showed that propane-powered forklifts in agricultural cold storage warehouses were a predominant source of CO poisoning for the period 1994-2005. The adoption of electric-powered lifts and the manufacture of cleaner burning propane forklift engines in accordance with EPA regulations (EPA 40 CFR part 1048) may have contributed to a reduction in CO cases caused by propane forklifts noted for the period 2017-2020. Washington's toxic inhalation surveillance system characterizes inhalation exposures from vapor, gas, dust or fume that may result in either acute injury or chronic disease. Using workers' compensation data, the surveillance system captures eight priority exposures (carbon monoxide, ammonia, beryllium, chlorine, chromium, metal fume, methylene chloride, and wildland smoke) as well as an open-ended case capture for other chemical, metal, organic, or inorganic substances. The goal of the surveillance system is to identify emerging patterns in hazardous workplace exposures and guide prevention activities. We have previously published a complete description of the surveillance methods and analysis of toxic inhalation claims from 2017-2020. In this report, we will summarize the carbon monoxide surveillance methods and describe trends in exposures for 2017-2022 by industry, occupation, and source. This report includes data from 2021- 2022 not previously published. The impetus for this report was a data request from the WA State Interagency Carbon Monoxide Workgroup (HB 1779 2023-24), which aims to document incidents and causes to carbon monoxide exposure across the state. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Air Pollutants, Occupational Carbon Monoxide Construction Industry Occupational Health Safety Solvents
• Keywords:
  Carbon Monoxide Construction Industry Forklifts Fumes Gases Surveillance Vapors
• Publisher:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20068619
• Citation:
  Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 64-55-2023, 2023 Sep; :1-6
• CAS Registry Number:
  Carbon monoxide (CAS RN 630-08-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Occupational toxic inhalation of carbon monoxide among Washington workers, 2017 - 2022
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:23ca0df7beb8554d254f641275c033522fd0030ce0e9afedf3203ba7dd41e1abc16a6ef89c2559b39f58a067e080effbbf701e3909f6611b4879dfe563fc30c9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207221/cdc_207221_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 455.85 KB ]