Airborne emissions produced by the interaction of a carbon dioxide laser with glass, metals, and plastics.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Fleeger, Alan K. ; Moss, C. Eugene
• Description:
  An on site study was conducted at a laser facility that processes scientific glassware in response to a request from the management at that site to evaluate and identify airborne emissions generated during laser cutting. Materials were cut by a carbon-dioxide laser and included glassware, metal bands, and plastic sheets. The findings indicated an overexposure to respirable fused silica (7631869) dust on an 8 hour basis. The 8 hour personal breathing zone sample recorded for the operator was ten times the NIOSH recommended exposure limit of 0.05mg/m3. During the cutting operations with fused quartz a detectable odor was generated, having come from a binder in the graphite pad used as a laser beam stop. Sampling results collected for organic vapors during the cutting of various plastic samples revealed significant exposures to ethyl- acrylate (140885). The authors recommend that improvements be made to the ventilation system in place at the site; the use of respiratory protection may be necessary. Eye protectors were suggested to reduce the glare and brightness, and it was also suggested that general good housekeeping procedures be followed. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Air Pollutants, Occupational
  • Dust
  • Environmental Monitoring
  • Occupational Health
  • Particulate Matter
  • Personal Protective Equipment
  • Safety
  • Smoke
  • Ventilation
• Keywords:
  • Smoke-control; Smoke-inhalation; Lasers; Ventilation-systems; Personal-protective-equipment; Air-quality-monitoring; Mineral-dusts; Airborne-dusts
• Document Type:
  Text
• Editor:
  Charscan SS
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Florida ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00211856
• Citation:
  Proceedings of the International Laser Safety Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio, November 27-30, 1990. Charscan SS, ed., Orlando, FL: Laser Institute of America, 1991 Jan; :3-3
• CAS Registry Number:
  • Ethyl acrylate (CAS RN 140-88-5)
  • Silica (CAS RN 7631-86-9)
• Editor(s):
  Charscan SS
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1991
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of the International Laser Safety Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio, November 27-30, 1990
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/243210/cdc_243210_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 168.02 KB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7dc847c09aedf140bc731323e8446b4703641ae07d6ad9e7b7238120dab30b8f7dcaa9b938d34d035f87873a0fe7fec262d5d13dcaf290925445e82b6de3b57d