Field Survey of Diamond Shamrock Chemical Company Nopco Chemical Division, Redwood City, California

Details

• Personal Author:
  Donaldson, Harry M. ; Johnson WM
• Description:
  Exposure to bis(chloromethyl)ether (542881) was surveyed at Diamond Shamrock Chemical Company (SIC-2821) in Redwood City, California on February 16, 1972. The company employed about 100 workers directly involved in resin manufacturing. The only medical personnel at the facility was a local general surgeon. Preemployment physicals were given and annual chest X-rays were voluntary. Management reports informed employees about the possibility of lung cancer risk following bis(chloromethyl)ether exposure. The company provided safety glasses, shields, and shoes, paid half the cost of work clothes and paid for laundering. Four employees exposed to bis(chloromethyl)ether had died of lung cancer since 1964 and two employees were currently alive with lung cancer. Five of the six were smokers. The authors suggest that an excessive lung cancer risk exists. They recommend obtaining and examining death certificates and pathology reports for the six cases and a retrospective cohort study of the association between exposure and the risk of site specific cancer. They also recommend annual sputum cytology, chest X-rays, and discouragement of smoking for all exposed employees. Respirators should be worn by at risk employees and contaminated clothing should not be taken home. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution, Indoor Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Hydrocarbons Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Occupational Health Preceptorship Safety Solvents Staff Development Surveys And Questionnaires

  More +
• Keywords:
  NIOSH-Author; NIOSH-Survey; Field-Study; Region-9; Health-surveys; Air-contamination; Health-services; Industrial-processes; Control-methods; Occupational-health-programs; Organic-solvents; Chlorinated-hydrocarbons; IWS-33-10
• Series:
  Industry Wide Field Studies
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSCI - Division of Field Studies and Clinical Investigations
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-7
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00111629
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB82-151614
• Citation:
  NIOSH; :1-7
• CAS Registry Number:
  Chloromethyl ether (CAS RN 542-88-1)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1972
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  2821 - Plastics materials and resins - (SIC)
• Source Full Name:
  NIOSH, Division of Field Studies and Clinical Investigations, Cincinnati, Ohio, 7 pages
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:77e76b2d7a8b03d46b61587553ef4fb4af301a2d95dae474bbe9f6518f5783f9bf7941d4cc7587a87a3d1128a7436580ec97d7c71ddcfed696bf7e87fad88f93
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/233732/cdc_233732_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 825.77 KB ]