Health Hazard Evaluations (HHEs)

(2004) Transportation Security Administration-Palm Beach International Airport, West Palm Beach, Florida. (Click to open report)
On February 6, 2004, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received a health hazard evaluation (HHE) request from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at the Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida. The HHE request concerned health hazards from exposure to contaminants found in exhaust emissions of tug and jet engines and noise from tugs, jets, conveyor systems, and baggage carousels in the checked baggage screening area. The request a... (Click to show more) On February 6, 2004, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received a health hazard evaluation (HHE) request from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at the Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida. The HHE request concerned health hazards from exposure to contaminants found in exhaust emissions of tug and jet engines and noise from tugs, jets, conveyor systems, and baggage carousels in the checked baggage screening area. The request also described ergonomic hazards and heat stress as potential workplace hazards. These latter hazards will be addressed in a separate evaluation. Reported health problems included allergies, respiratory distress, repetitive stress injuries, back injuries, possible hearing loss, and dehydration due to heat. An initial site visit was made on March 24, 2004. On April 17-18, 2004, NIOSH investigators conducted area and personal breathing zone (PBZ) air samples for carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitric oxide (NO), diesel exhaust particulate (measured as elemental carbon [EC]), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Full-shift personal noise monitoring was also conducted. Concentrations of EC, a surrogate for diesel exhaust, ranged from below the minimum detectable concentration (MDC) to 11.2 micrograms per cubic meter (microg/m3). There is no NIOSH evaluation criteria for EC, although the California Department of Health Services recommends keeping levels below 20 microg/m3. PBZ concentrations of NO2 and NO were below the limit of detection of 2 microg/sample. Similar nondetectable NO2 results were obtained from real time personal exposure monitors (full-shift and 15-minute short-term exposures). All but one PBZ exposure for CO ranged from non-detected to 1 part per million (ppm) (full-shift Time-Weighted Average [TWA]) and from non-detected to 8 ppm (15-minute short-term exposures). One employee working at Explosive Detection System (EDS) machine 6 measured an instantaneous peak exposure of 1150 ppm on the first day of sampling. This employee's TWA and short-term exposures were 10 ppm and 284 ppm respectively. VOCs were identified via thermal desorption tubes and quantified via charcoal tubes. The dominant compounds identified were isopropyl alcohol, acetone, benzene, toluene, and xylenes. Charcoal tube analysis found trace levels of acetone and low levels of isopropyl alcohol. Airborne concentrations of benzene, toluene, xylenes, and total hydrocarbons were below their respective MDCs. The OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for noise of 90 A-weighted decibels [dB(A)] was not exceeded in any of the 15 dosimeter samples. There was, however, one instance in the Lane 1 area where the OSHA Action Level (AL) was greater than 50% and two instances (Lane 1 and Lane 7) where the NIOSH criterion exceeded 100%. Area spectral noise measurements indicated that at each of the nine EDS baggage screening machines there is a great deal of lower frequency (<250 Hz) sound energy in the area, and that the output side of the machine is a few decibels greater than the input side of the machine. However, none of the A-weighted values approach the NIOSH criterion of 85 dBA. The NIOSH investigators determined that a hazard does not exist from exposure to EC, CO, CO2, NO2, NO or VOCs. The sampling results indicate that none of the chemicals were detected at concentrations exceeding occupational exposure limits. Therefore, an inhalation hazard to those compounds did not exist at the time of the NIOSH visit. The measured noise levels provide little evidence of a serious noise problem. Recommendations for maintaining the air quality and further reducing noise exposures are provided in the Recommendations Section of this report. (Click to show less)
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(2004) U.S. Department of Interior, Denver, CO. (Click to open report)
In June 2003, the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) asked NIOSH to evaluate exposure to airborne crystalline silica among rock drilling workers at Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) in north-central Colorado. Although employees had not reported any symptoms related to rock drilling, DOI management wanted documentation of worker exposure along with recommendations on the use of respiratory protection during the use of two types of portable gas-powered rock drills. The park employs 45 trail worke... (Click to show more) In June 2003, the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) asked NIOSH to evaluate exposure to airborne crystalline silica among rock drilling workers at Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) in north-central Colorado. Although employees had not reported any symptoms related to rock drilling, DOI management wanted documentation of worker exposure along with recommendations on the use of respiratory protection during the use of two types of portable gas-powered rock drills. The park employs 45 trail workers to build new hiking trails and to maintain 360 miles of existing trails. Holes are drilled into large rocks so they can be split and used as steps for steep sections of trail. Crews of five or six workers per project use either a 75-pound drill or a 30-pound drill for splitting rocks. The larger drill forces compressed air through the drill shank as a means of keeping the drill hole free of dust. Water can not be used as a dust suppression method because it causes the drill bit to bind in the rock. The smaller drill does not have an air-flushing mechanism and water may be applied to the drill holes. The large drill can drill holes about four times faster than the small drill. Workers wear powered air-purifying respirators when using the large rock drill, since few other control options are available in remote areas. Exposure to airborne total dust, respirable dust, respirable crystalline silica (quartz and crystobalite), and carbon monoxide (CO) was evaluated for five workers during three days of sampling with maximum wind conditions of three miles per hour. Two bulk samples of rock dust contained 15% and 23% quartz. No crystobalite was found in any of the air or bulk samples. When workers used the large drill, maximum 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA) air concentrations were as follows: airborne total dust, 4.8 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3 ); respirable dust, 0.63 mg/m3 ; and respirable quartz, 130 micrograms per cubic meter (microg/m3 ). These results indicate that overexposure to quartz occurs if workers use the large drill without respiratory protection. All other measured contaminants were below recommended evaluation criteria. Using the small drill, 8-hour TWA exposure to total dust ranged up to 0.18 mg/m3 , respirable dust ranged up to 0.12 mg/m3 , and exposure to respirable quartz was non-detectable (< 30 microg/m3 ) during both wet and dry drilling. Low exposure to CO (up to 9 parts per million, 8-hour TWA) was found during the use of both drills. Overexposure to crystalline silica occurs when the large air-flushing, gas-powered rock drill is used on quartz-containing rock. Recommendations are provided to minimize exposure through personal hygiene, training, respiratory protection, and medical monitoring. (Click to show less)
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(2003) Bemis, West Hazelton, Pennsylvania. (Click to open report)
On December 9, 2002, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received a request from the Graphics Communications International Union to conduct a health hazard evaluation (HHE) at Bemis, in West Hazelton, Pennsylvania. Employees were concerned that work conditions in the bag, press, and extrusion departments were contributing to sinus infections, coughing, sneezing, sore throat, and eye irritation. On March 24-25, 2003, NIOSH investigators conducted a site visit at Bemi... (Click to show more) On December 9, 2002, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received a request from the Graphics Communications International Union to conduct a health hazard evaluation (HHE) at Bemis, in West Hazelton, Pennsylvania. Employees were concerned that work conditions in the bag, press, and extrusion departments were contributing to sinus infections, coughing, sneezing, sore throat, and eye irritation. On March 24-25, 2003, NIOSH investigators conducted a site visit at Bemis. Following an opening conference with management and union representatives, NIOSH investigators toured the facility. On March 25, personal and area air sampling was conducted for ozone and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the extrusion department, VOCs in the press department, and VOCs, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acrolein, and particulates in the bag department. Twenty one employees were interviewed from all areas of the plant. Every tenth employee was selected from a list of 290 employees who worked the day shift. Interviews covered employees' work history, past medical history, smoking history, and current symptoms, complaints, and concerns. The concentration of formaldehyde ranged from 0.04 to 0.09 parts per million (ppm). This exceeds the NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limit (REL) of 0.016 ppm, but is below the Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA) and American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists' (ACGIH) criteria. Concentrations of acrolein, acetaldehyde, ethanol, isopropanol, 1-propanol, ethyl acetate, propyl acetate, butyl acetate, and toluene were below all recommended and regulatory criteria. Particle size characterization indicated that 99.9% of the particles were in the respirable range, with a concentration of 0.32 milligram/cubic meter (mg/m3). This is below the OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 5 mg/m3 and the ACGIH's recommended value of 3 mg/m3 for respirable particulates. A majority (57%) of interviewed employees reported upper respiratory or mucous membrane irritation, which they associated with smoke in the bag department. The haze is a result of emissions during the bag manufacturing process. Chemicals used in the manufacturing process of the bags, such as formaldehyde, acrolein, acetaldehyde and VOCs, are likely to be found in the haze. It is possible that low levels of exposure to these chemicals can result in irritative effects. Air sampling results indicate the presence of a variety of chemical substances in the press, bag, and extrusion departments. However, quantitative measurements of most of these substances indicate that airborne concentrations are below those believed to result in chronic health effects, though some irritative symptoms might occur with minimal exposure. The airborne concentration of formaldehyde exceeded the NIOSH REL. Recommendations are included in this report to further improve the air quality in the bag department by introducing dilution ventilation in addition to the local exhaust ventilation currently in place. Following the ventilation changes, the concentrations of formaldehyde and particulates should be monitored again. (Click to show less)
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(2003) ChemDesign Corporation, Fitchburg, Massachusetts. (Click to open report)
On December 13, 1999, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received a request for Technical Assistance (TA) from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Occupational Health Surveillance Program (OHSP). OHSP asked NIOSH to conduct a health hazard evaluation (HHE) at ChemDesign Corporation in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, to investigate a cluster of eight occupational asthma cases which had been reported to OHSP. The chemicals associated with the cases were identifi... (Click to show more) On December 13, 1999, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received a request for Technical Assistance (TA) from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Occupational Health Surveillance Program (OHSP). OHSP asked NIOSH to conduct a health hazard evaluation (HHE) at ChemDesign Corporation in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, to investigate a cluster of eight occupational asthma cases which had been reported to OHSP. The chemicals associated with the cases were identified as AMT (3-amino-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole) and DE-498 (Flumetsulam). AMT was raw material used in the production of DE-498 and AMT-based product two (AMTBP2). In response to the request, NIOSH investigators, accompanied by an OHSP industrial hygienist, conducted an initial site visit to ChemDesign on February 1-3, 2000. The NIOSH industrial hygienist returned on June 5-9 to conduct air sampling at four routine operations where employees could be exposed to AMT or DE-498: (1) charging AMT powder into a reactor vessel, (2) discharging DE-498 "wet cake" from a centrifuge, (3) charging DE-498 into the dryer, and (4) discharging DE-498 from the dryer. On July 6-7, the NIOSH Project Officer and medical team visited ChemDesign to recruit workers for participation in a medical survey. On June 12-16, the team conducted a medical evaluation of volunteer production workers. The onsite medical evaluation consisted of a questionnaire interview, lung function testing, and a blood sample collection. A methacholine challenge test was administered at Burbank Hospital in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. In August 2000, NIOSH obtained copies of company medical records for the workers who signed a medical records release form. Environmental monitoring found quantifiable concentrations of AMT or DE-498 in personal breathing zone (PBZ) air samples during tasks where these materials were manually added to, or discharged from the closed system in Building 16. The greatest potential for exposure to these materials existed during these specific tasks. Although use of respiratory protection and other personal protective equipment (PPE) appeared to provide substantial protection, reports of upper respiratory symptoms by several employees with occupational asthma (OA) indicate that PPE may not provide adequate protection for these individuals. Visible airborne dust during AMT and dryer charges, indicates a need for improved engineering controls (local exhaust ventilation) to reduce the potential for worker exposures. AMT and DE-498 in area air samples collected at the boundaries of restricted areas established during reactor and dryer charging, ranged from below the limit of detection to barely quantifiable levels. Changes in work practices, PPE, and engineering controls during the various production campaigns preclude assessment of the nature and extent of previous exposures to AMT and DE-498. A total of 41 employees and four former employees participated in the medical survey; the participation rate was 41% in production workers with a potential for AMT exposure. The medical survey identified 12 cases of physician-diagnosed asthma that were diagnosed after the cases started working at ChemDesign. In 11 of these, the onset corresponded with periods when AMT was used in the company. The physician's diagnosis of OA was mostly made on the basis of the presence of nonspecific bronchial hyperreactivity (NSBH), work-related respiratory symptoms, and in some cases work-related serial peak flow changes. The NSBH occurred after a latency period; allergy to common allergens was not a risk factor for the development of OA in these cases. Laboratory studies were undertaken to assess whether the respiratory symptoms observed in ChemDesign workers could be due to an allergic response to AMT and DE-498. Studies done on human blood of employees exposed to AMT were not able to clearly demonstrate that AMT or DE-498 exposures were associated with an allergic response to those agents. However, animal studies clearly show that AMT, but not DE-498, is capable of causing an allergic response. The results from the animal studies support the original complaints that AMT caused occupational asthma. However, the possible role of DE-498 cannot be excluded from negative animal studies. A large percentage of employees reported respiratory symptoms that started during 1998, when two new campaigns using AMT were started in ChemDesign. However, apart from AMT, other agents were reported as causing or making the respiratory symptoms worse. Chronic lung function effects were also found. A high percentage of the participants (18%) had mild airflow obstruction according to the American Thoracic Society (ATS) criteria. The cross-sectional analysis of the lung function measurements done by NIOSH showed significant decrease in Forced Expiratory Volume in one second (FEV1) and in the ratio of FEV1 and Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), FEV1/FVC: this pattern is suggestive of airway obstruction. The data analysis of company yearly lung function data confirmed that the study participants had a higher mean decline in FEV1 and FEV1/FVC with age, than would be expected from the reference equations. In summary, the results of the medical and laboratory investigation provide evidence that the incidence of OA was associated with exposure to AMT. There was an association between AMT exposure and asthma onset, NSBH associated with AMT exposure improved after withdrawal from AMT exposure, and AMT was found to be a sensitizer in animal studies. The findings show that ChemDesign employees are exposed to agents that can lead to occupational asthma and steeper decline in lung function with age than would be expected. Respiratory symptoms and lung function monitoring currently done at ChemDesign provide an opportunity to utilize the data for the protection of employees' respiratory health. Active workers' participation in the respiratory health protection program should be encouraged. Investigators examined changes in yearly thyroid hormone (T4) measurements in relation to working on the AMT campaigns. The possibility that AMT was associated with the decrease in thyroid hormone production could not be ruled out because of insufficient data. The investigation provides strong evidence that AMT (3-Amino-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole) was the causal agent responsible for the cluster of occupational asthma that occurred in ChemDesign. AMT has a potential for causing allergic response in experimental animals. Environmental monitoring found quantifiable concentrations of AMT in personal breathing zone air samples collected during routine production. Study participants had a high frequency of work-related respiratory symptoms whose onset corresponded with the use of AMT. The group of study participants had decreased mean pulmonary function values suggestive of airflow obstruction, identified from cross-sectional and longitudinal data. The findings of this study show that ChemDesign employees are exposed to chemical agents that can lead to occupational asthma and to COPD. Therefore effective exposure controls and a pulmonary function monitoring program need to be implemented and maintained to prevent further occurrence of respiratory disease in the employees. (Click to show less)
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(2003) Fayette County Courthouse, Uniontown, Pennsylvania. (Click to open report)
In July 2002, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received a request for a health hazard evaluation (HHE) from employees at the Fayette County Courthouse in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Employees had reported a variety of health concerns: headaches, nausea, tiredness, nasal and sinus symptoms, vomiting, burning eyes, sore throats, breathing problems, coughing, ear infections, and dizziness. The employees reported strong and unpleasant odors from the carpeting, old pa... (Click to show more) In July 2002, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received a request for a health hazard evaluation (HHE) from employees at the Fayette County Courthouse in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Employees had reported a variety of health concerns: headaches, nausea, tiredness, nasal and sinus symptoms, vomiting, burning eyes, sore throats, breathing problems, coughing, ear infections, and dizziness. The employees reported strong and unpleasant odors from the carpeting, old papers, and dirty ceiling tiles; poor air quality; lack of airflow; stale water; mold, fungus, and mildew; asbestos; excessive dust; and dampness. All of the concerns involved the basement and first floors of both the original courthouse and annex buildings. On August 28, 2002, NIOSH investigators completed a preliminary site walkthrough evaluation. Medical interviews and an environmental investigation were conducted in October of 2002. The environmental investigation revealed a number of locations in the courthouse that may have had mold growth due to water incursion or leakage. The ventilation systems in most of the basement and first floors were inadequate (i.e., air changes and the amount of fresh air entering the offices did not meet the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers [ASHRAE] minimum requirements). Temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide levels were largely within recommendations in all monitored areas. The levels for volatile organic compounds were generally below established exposure limits. The ventilation systems should be upgraded to meet ASHRAE recommendations. Water leaks should be repaired and damaged ceiling tiles and walls should be replaced with care to ensure that any generated dust does not enter occupied sections of the building. Interviewed office workers reported respiratory symptoms consistent with asthma with onset after the date of hire. Environmental assessment demonstrated insufficient ventilation, mold growth, and water incursion in the building. (Click to show less)
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