Health-hazard evaluation report HETA 84-033-1576, Airco Carbon, St. Marys, Pennsylvania

Technical Report · Sun Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1985

OSTI ID:5692699

Hartle, R W; Morawetz, J S

Environmental and breathing-zone samples were analyzed for polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), total particulates, and respirable free silica at the Airco Company (SIC-3624), Saint Marys, Pennsylvania in January, 1984. The evaluation was requested confidentially because of concern over exposures to soot, coal tar pitch volatiles, and sand in the car bottom and sagger bake operations. Forty-three employees were interviewed. Two of 19 total particulate samples exceeded the OSHA standard of 15 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3), 17.3 and 32.7 mg/m3. Benzene soluble fractions ranged from 0.5 to 5.0 mg/m3. The OSHA standard for benzene soluble fractions is 0.2 mg/m3. Two of seven samples of silica were above the limit of detection, 0.09 and 0.06 mg/m3. In bulk samples, the benzene soluble fractions ranged from 0.44 to 860 mg/gram and the PAH content from 0 to 26,124 micrograms per gram. Employees working in the bake areas reported a significant excess incidence of symptoms such as skin, nose and eye irritation, cough, sore or dry throat, chest tightness, and breathing difficulty. The authors conclude that a health hazard exists at the facility. Recommendations include enclosing vehicles used in moving electrodes, cleaning up spilled dust, and controlling fumes emitted from the sagger kilns.

• Research Organization: National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5692699
• Report Number(s): PB-86-192721/XAB; HETA-84-033-1576
• 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
AROMATICS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL INDUSTRY
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
HYDROCARBONS
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE
INDUSTRY
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MATERIALS
MEDICINE
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLES
PARTICULATES
POLLUTION
POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
SAFETY
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SILICON OXIDES
TOXICITY
VENTILATION