Health-hazard evaluation report HETA 82-341-1682, Great Lakes Carbon, Wilmington, California

Technical Report · Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:7248535

Lee, S A; Lipscomb, J A; Neumeister, C E

An evaluation of environmental conditions and possible health effects among workers exposed to coke dust was conducted. Personal breathing-zone (PBZ) concentrations of total airborne dust ranged from 0.1 to 12 milligrams/cubic meter (mg/m3) with a median of 1.6 mg/m3; mass median particle diameter was about 8 micrometers. Very high PBZ concentrations of coke dust occurred during a semimonthly cleanup of underground coke pits; levels ranged from 98 to 190mg/m3 with a mean of 140mg/m3. Oil mists were not detected. Exposures to polynuclear aromatic compounds were below the analytical limit of detection among workers for routine jobs. Abnormal pulmonary function tests were found in 12% of those tested. Five cases of chronic bronchitis and seven of chronic cough, 10 and 13% respectively, were identified among those interviewed. The authors conclude that there were potentially hazardous exposures to high dust levels during semimonthly coke-pit cleaning jobs.

• Research Organization: National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH (USA)
• OSTI ID: 7248535
• Report Number(s): PB-86-237229/XAB; HETA-82-341-1682
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS//MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
COKING PLANTS
AIR POLLUTION
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
COKE
DUSTS
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE
INHALATION
INSPECTION
TOXICITY
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
INTAKE
MATERIALS
MEDICINE
POLLUTION
SAFETY
500200* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
552000 - Public Health