Health-hazard evaluation report HETA 84-477-1824, Bunge Corporation, Decatur, Alabama

Technical Report · Sat Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987

OSTI ID:5274090

Arnold, S; Crandall, M S; Smith, A B

In response to a request from the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers Union Local 3-906, an evaluation was made of symptoms of respiratory irritation and skin rashes in employees at the Bunge Corporation located in Decatur, Alabama. These employees were exposed to soybean dusts as raw dust, cleaner dust, extracted dust, or mixed dust. For 34 workers, the range of total raw dust exposure was 0.16 to 22.6mg/m3. One employee performing a cleanup operation in the head house was exposed to nuisance dust at 14.7mg/m3, near the Occupational Safety and Health Administration permissible exposure limit of 15mg/m3. Another worker was exposed to 22.6mg/m3 during a similar operation. At the time of study, use of personal respiratory protective equipment was by worker discretion. For workers exposed to raw dust, respirable dust ranged from 0.02 to 1.02mg/m3, with employees in the bean-barge cleanup area and head house utility workers having the highest exposures. Exposures to cleaner soybean dust ranged from 0.18 to 0.72mg/m3. A high prevalence of lower respiratory symptoms was found, correlating with dust exposure, particularly raw soybean dust. Occupational asthma could not be confirmed or ruled out.

• Research Organization: National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5274090
• Report Number(s): PB-88-162649/XAB; HETA-84-477-1824
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
552000 -- Public Health
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
AIR POLLUTION
DERMATITIS
DISEASES
DUSTS
FOOD
FOOD INDUSTRY
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
INDUSTRY
INSPECTION
MATERIALS
MEDICINE
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
PLANTS
POLLUTION
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM DISEASES
SAFETY
SKIN DISEASES
SOYBEANS
TOXICITY
VEGETABLES