Field Evaluation of Sequential Hand Wipes for Flame Retardant Exposure in an Electronics Recycling Facility

Details

• Personal Author:
  Beaucham, Catherine C. ; Ceballos D ; La Guardia MJ ; Mueller, Charles A. ; Page, Elena H.
• Description:
  Flame retardants have been associated with endocrine disorders, thyroid disruption, reproductive toxicity, and immunological interference. Through dismantling and recycling electronics and electric products, flame retardants can be released into the air and settle on work surfaces which may lead to dermal exposure. Hand wipe sampling is commonly used to evaluate dermal exposure. This study assesses the removal efficiency of wipes on the hands of recycling employees, and to compare the efficacy of two common surface wipe sampling materials. We used three sequential hand wipes and quantified the percentage of flame retardants that was removed by each hand wipe in the sequence. Two common wipe materials (gauze and twill) were used to compare the ability to remove flame retardants. The wipes were collected from 12 employees at a U.S. electronics recycling facility immediately at the end of their shift, prior to washing their hands. Results show that although the first wipe removed the highest median percent of the sum of the three wipes for most flame retardants, there was a wide range of the percentages of total individual flame retardants removed by both gauze (4%-98%) or twill hand wipe (1%-89%). Approximately half of the flame retardants a high percentage (>50%) removed by the second and third wipes. This suggests that a single wipe is not sufficient to characterize the extent of dermal contamination. The average of the total amount of flame retardants removed by twill wipes was greater than the average using gauze, but the difference was not statistically significant. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Electrical Equipment And Supplies Electricity Environmental Exposure Immune System Occupational Health Recycling Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Skin Urogenital Diseases Urogenital System Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Flame Retardants Dermal Exposures Dermal Wipes Electrical Properties Electronic Components Endocrine System Disorders Exposure Levels Flame Retardants Immunologic Disorders Materials Testing Reproductive System Disorders Risk Factors Sampling Thyroid Gland Disorders Work Environment Workers

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• ISSN:
  0045-6535
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Virginia
• 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:
  472-481
• Volume:
  219
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054224
• Citation:
  Chemosphere 2019 Mar; 219:472-481
• Contact Point Address:
  Catherine C. Beaucham, NIOSH, 1090 Tusculum Ave, Mailstop R-11, Cincinnati, OH, 45226
• Email:
  cbeaucham@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Chemosphere
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7ec64349af26846e097fed84bdc640ba4be46e69290c794045a96c516a26b3fcfc672bc79600a1ed7d3a09d95600bcd47d1b57a356aa4a8c2d6de69d7dba4ab5
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/216835/cdc_216835_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.27 MB ]