Characterizing Community and Recovery Worker Exposures from Fugitive Chemicals Following Superstorm Sandy

Details

• Personal Author:
  Chari, Ramya
• Description:
  Industrial urban waterfronts are vulnerable to hurricane events like Superstorm Sandy. In NYC, industrial waterfronts are toxic hotspots. Industrial waterfront communities may be susceptible to "fugitive" chemicals. Fugitive chemicals are an emerging issue characterized by fear and uncertainty. The Sunset Park community in NYC had questions about fugitive chemical risks. Current exposure and risk assessment approaches are inadequate to address fugitive chemicals. Community-based exposure assessment may be a promising way to address fugitive chemical risks. Community-based research has many benefits. We piloted a CBEA approach. First, we determined the chemical hazards that could be present in Sunset Park. Chemical hazards are interspersed throughout the community. We prioritized four chemical groups for further exposure assessments. We then estimated where fugitive chemicals might end up and in what amounts. Second, we characterized the recovery workers and how they might be exposed. Photos, videos, narratives provide different types of exposure data. Recovery workers engaged in many activities. Third, we estimated recovery worker exposures for the four chemical groupings. Simple protection measures during recovery activities could result in large exposure reductions. The pilot CBEA has many implications for preparedness planning. Fourth, we developed lessons learned for CBEA. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Community Health Services Cyclonic Storms Disaster Planning Emergencies Hazardous Substances Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Safety
• Keywords:
  Chemical Hazards Community Health Disaster Clean-up Emergency Preparedness Exposure Assessment Hurricanes Natural Disasters PPE
• Publisher:
  Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute (MERI)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  California ; New York ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-24
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20053205
• Citation:
  Super Storm Sandy: Five Years Later, Meadowlands Conference, October 26-27, 2017, Lyndhurst, New Jersey. Lyndhurst, NJ: Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute (MERI), 2017 Oct; :1-24
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• Performing Organization:
  RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20130930
• Source Full Name:
  Super Storm Sandy: Five Years Later, Meadowlands Conference, October 26-27, 2017, Lyndhurst, New Jersey
• End Date:
  20150929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:78cd7740dabcb23c829aea72561d2fcb46e79f95692c7c9432dee490dc1d336b5b24e7f96f08868bef43cf441ada8aa9664a6511d564c71490c8ff6b972d970f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/216012/cdc_216012_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 4.77 MB ]