Health Hazard Evaluation Report No. 2023-0033-3427: Evaluation of Peracetic Acid Exposure and Symptoms Among Employees at a Beverage Manufacturing Facility

Details

• Journal Article:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Personal Author:
  Charles, Melissa ; Rinsky, Jessica L. ; Grant, Michael P. ; Dunn, Kevin H.
• Description:
  A union representing employees at a beverage processing plant requested a health hazard evaluation because they were concerned with employee exposures to peracetic acid (PAA), which is used to sanitize containers prior to filling them with beverages. During our visits to the facility, we spoke with employees about their work and health and safety concerns, reviewed workplace policies and procedures, observed work processes and work practices, collected air samples for PAA, acetic acid, and hydrogen peroxide, measured PAA, temperature, and relative humidity with direct-reading instruments, and administered confidential questionnaires to employees. We found that levels of PAA in air were mostly below the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH®), threshold limit value (TLV®) short-term exposure limit (STEL) of 0.4 parts per million (ppm), the only available occupational exposure limit. However, area air samples ranged from non-detectable to 0.53 ppm and varied by work location. Employees would have negligible exposures to hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid when working near sterilizers, based on personal and area sample results. Despite this, chronic and acute work-related symptoms, specifically mucous membrane irritation symptoms (i.e., eye and nose irritation), were common among employees. Work-related lower respiratory symptoms were also reported by employees but were less common. Although we did not consistently observe statistically significant associations between work characteristics or measured PAA exposure and the prevalence of symptoms, previous literature supports associations between these factors and symptoms. Taken together with existing information, our results indicate a need to (1) use a combination of preventative maintenance, and engineering and administrative controls to reduce employee exposures, and (2) monitor respiratory and eye symptoms among employees working with or around PAA.
• Subjects:
  Eye Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Peracetic Acid Respiratory System Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Fruit And Vegetable Canning; Peracetic Acid; Acetic Acid; Hydrogen Peroxide Region 4; Canning Industry; Peracetic Acid; Acetic Acid; Hydrogen Peroxide; Cleaning Compounds; Occupational Exposure; Foodstuff; Eye Irritants; Mucous Membranes; Respiratory Irritants;
• Source:
  Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HHE 2023-0033-3427, 2026 Feb; :1-43
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• DOI:
  10.26616/NIOSHHHE202300333427
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Florida ; Ohio ; Birmingham Region [OSHA] ; Atlanta Region [OSHA] ; Chicago Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  44 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071258
• CAS Registry Number:
  Peracetic acid (CAS RN 79-21-0) ; Acetic acid (CAS RN 64-19-7) ; Hydrogen peroxide (CAS RN 7722-84-1)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2026
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  311421 - Fruit and Vegetable Canning - (NAICS 2022)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:68b918793e646b2bc311f867869a1d2904ba9e7f35bc37457b4b1d1608b6149af895f30dcc781e85fec13c4221ab21011407007e5f0de3917defab2e04a8381a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/258736/cdc_258736_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 865.81 KB ]