Pollution Prevention and Worker Toxic Exposures: A Method

Details

• Personal Author:
  Silbergeld EK ; Sivin DD
• Description:
  Environmental health policy in the United Sates is shifting from the paradigm of control to that of prevention. Under the control paradigm, harmful substances are dealt with only after their production or acquisition. In contrast, the prevention paradigm seeks to change the processes by which goods or services are produced in order to achieve the same product, while reducing the generation and use of environmentally harmful substances. Intuitively, it would seem that programs that are designed to reduce occupational exposure to toxic chemicals as well. However, pollution prevention (P2) is not always beneficial to workers. Worker exposure to trichloroethylene, a probable human carcinogen, has resulted from the elimination of trichloroethane, due to its ozone depleting properties. Unfortunately, there is a scarcity of scientific knowledge as to the conditions under which pollution prevention increases or reduces the severity of occupational exposures. The research presented here is an attempt to contribute to scientific knowledge in this area. This study examined the impact on occupational exposures of a P2 program at an air conditioner and dehumidifier manufacturing facility (the study facility). The overall goal is: To demonstrate the value of considering occupational exposures in the design, implementation, and evaluation of pollution prevention programs. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollution, Indoor Environmental Health Occupational Health Safety Software Solvents
• Keywords:
  Computer-models Control-methods Control-technology Exposure-levels Indoor-air-pollution Indoor-environmental-quality Mathematical-models Solvent-vapor-degreasing Solvent-vapors
• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-203
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20022102
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2002-108320
• Citation:
  NIOSH 2002 Apr; :1-203
• CAS Registry Number:
  Trichloroethylene (CAS RN 79-01-6)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2002
• NORA Priority Area:
  Research Tools and Approaches: Exposure Assessment Methods
• Performing Organization:
  Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Department of Health Policy and Management, Baltimore, Maryland
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  19990401
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20020331
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ac43c001ff5a10436993901e875a0be8cfc27c4c47292742e1f78ce181059639c52ddda7e3056492823b9ee297b19e0755ff3a64f75c09fa2894d218c08dc969
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/217981/cdc_217981_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 5.90 MB ]