Exposure Evaluation and Control of Acetone in a Plastination Laboratory

Details

• Personal Author:
  Akbar-Khanzadeh F ; Ames A ; Milz S ; Rohrs S ; Valigosky M
• Description:
  Objective: Occupational exposure monitoring to acetone was conducted in a university laboratory that specializes in the process of plastination, a unique method of specimen preservation. Exposure to acetone occurs during the dehydration and transferring of specimens to and from large, open-top vats of acetone. This study evaluated four different ventilation systems to determine the most effective method for removing acetone vapors, decreasing LEL and reducing occupational exposures below acceptable occupational exposure limits. General ventilation, increase in negative pressure in general ventilation, and two local exhaust ventilation systems were evaluated. Methods: Exposure sampling was conducted during 2012-2013 using a handheld volatile organic compound (VOC) detector with a photoionization detector (PID) that ranges from 0 to 10,000 ppm (MiniRAE 2000, RAE Systems). The instrument was calibrated with isobutylene. The acetone correction factor was applied to accurately measure acetone vapor exposure. Exposure concentrations were logged during the entire specimen transfer process, typically 10 to 60 minutes. ProRAESuite was used to calculate the STEL and TWA of exposure to acetone. Comparisons of all four ventilation designs were used to determine which system provided the most effective means of control. Results: Ventilation Design 1 used general exhaust as the primary method of removing acetone vapors and resulted in a STEL of 1420 ppm. In comparison, Ventilation Design 4 was a slotted hood and make-up air system with dedicated fans. The resulting changes to the ventilation design proved successful as the STEL was reduced to 714 ppm. This is below the ACGIH STEL for acetone (750 ppm), and is nearly half of the original STEL with Ventilation Design 1. The highest calculated 8-hr TWA was 48 ppm, well below the OSHA PEL of 1000 ppm and ACGIH TLV of 500 ppm. Conclusions: The final ventilation design was determined to be the most effective at reducing acetone exposure and eliminating potentially explosive atmospheres. The results indicated a slotted hood with dedicated exhaust and supply fan was the most effective at reducing exposure and removing acetone vapors from the workplace. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Acetone Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety Solvents Ventilation
• Keywords:
  Exhaust Ventilation Laboratory Safety Occupational Exposure Vapors Ventilation Systems
• Publisher:
  American Industrial Hygiene Association
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  79-80
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054441
• Citation:
  AIHce 2015: American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition, May 30 - June 4, 2015, Salt Lake City, Utah. Falls Church, VA: American Industrial Hygiene Association, 2015 Jun; :79-80
• CAS Registry Number:
  Acetone (CAS RN 67-64-1)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• Performing Organization:
  University of Toledo Health Science Campus, Ohio
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  AIHce 2015: American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition, May 30 - June 4, 2015, Salt Lake City, Utah
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2128db42448d0b81fc23d1037c3e8a0f2d033c842809fc80ea33eda84eec120de58a6dc043ec7c703832ae3604fd54158ad7b3315a126bc5429d8985dfdc0091
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/217007/cdc_217007_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 660.75 KB ]