Work Tasks as Determinants of Respirable and Inhalable Indium Exposure Among Workers at an Indium-Tin Oxide Production and Reclamation Facility

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cummings, Kristin J. ; Gibbs JL ; Harvey, R. Reid ; Hawley Blackley B ; Park JY ; Stanton M ; Stefaniak, Aleksandr B. ; Virji, M. Abbas
• Description:
  Increased global demand for touch screens, photovoltaics, and optoelectronics has resulted in an increase in the production of indium-tin oxide (ITO). Occupational exposure to indium compounds is associated with the development of indium lung disease. Although many previous epidemiologic investigations highlight an excess of lung abnormalities in workplaces where ITO is produced, few assessments of occupational exposure to respirable and inhalable indium are reported to date. The objective of this study was to identify the determinants of respirable and inhalable indium at an ITO production facility to target exposure interventions. In 2012 and 2014, we conducted exposure assessments at an ITO production facility and collected full-shift personal respirable (n = 159) and inhalable (n = 57) indium samples. We also observed workers and recorded information on task duration and location, materials used, and use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Tasks (n = 121) recorded in task diaries were categorized into 40 similar task groups using the Advanced REACH Tool and process-related information. Mixed-effects models were fit separately for log-transformed respirable and inhalable indium, with random effect of subject and fixed effects of task groups. Overall, respirable and inhalable indium measurements ranged from 0.1 to 796.6 microg m-3 and 1.6 to 10 585.7 microg m-3, respectively, and were highly correlated with Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.90. The final model for respirable indium explained 36.3% of total variance and identified sanding, powder transfer tasks in reclaim, powder transfer tasks in refinery, handling indium materials, and liquid transfer tasks in ITO production as tasks associated with increased respirable indium exposure. The final model for inhalable indium explained 24.6% of total variance and included powder transfer tasks in ITO production, cleaning cylinder or tile, and handling indium material tasks. Tasks identified as strong predictors of full-shift exposure to respirable and inhalable indium can guide the use of engineering, administrative, and PPE controls designed to mitigate occupational exposure to indium. Moreover, since the tasks were aligned with REACH activities, results from this study can also be used to inform REACH activity scenarios. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Dust Hazardous Substances Indium Lung Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Determinants Of Exposure Exposure Assessment Hazard Controls Indium-tin Oxide Inhalable Inhalation Lung Disease Metals Occupational Exposure Respirable Dust Respirable Work Task Task Performance Tin Oxides Work Practices

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• ISSN:
  2398-7308
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Iowa ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 7 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  RHD - Respiratory Health Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  175-184
• Volume:
  64
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20057994
• Citation:
  Ann Work Expo Health 2020 Mar; 64(2):175-184
• Contact Point Address:
  Brie Hawley Blackley, Respiratory Health Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC, 1095 Willowdale Rd, MS 2800, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
• Email:
  ygd2@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Indium (CAS RN 7440-74-6) ; Indium tin oxide (In1.69Sn0.15O2.85) (CAS RN 71243-84-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• NORA Priority Area:
  Manufacturing
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Annals of Work Exposures and Health
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0a437ce4f1998992729340f47584d6c61c7c8745ad4bd7fdc0065bb840e518a046a17954c1ff2d85e0c9b3f5eada42f98eecd00293f4657a58520ca98fe90b5a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/215188/cdc_215188_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 359.51 KB ]