Industrial-hygiene report, perchloroethylene, Carman's Classic Cleaners, Richmond, California, July 28, 1978

Technical Report · Wed Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1978

OSTI ID:6183193

Ludwig, H R

The survey was part of an industrywide mortality and industrial hygiene study of dry cleaning workers exposure to perchlorethylene. To gather data for this larger study, an on site visit was made to the Carman's Classic Cleaners located in Richmond, California. Carman's Classic Cleaners has been using PCE since the present owner had the building constructed in 1954. About 621 kilograms of clothing were dry cleaned each week, with about 129 liters of PCE consumed monthly. The workforce of six includes two pressers, a full time employee who works at the counter and also sews, a part time maintenance man, the owner, and his wife. The owner did all the dry cleaning and spotting while his wife marked clothing and worked the counter. Air samples were collected using battery operated pumps and charcoal tubes. The time weighted average exposure to PCE during the 5 hours of operation was 25 parts per million (ppm) for the dry cleaner and 2ppm for the presser. Samples collected in the vicinity of the front counter, washer, and spotting table indicated PCE levels of 3, 29, and 21ppm, respectively. Five minute peak samples during clothing transfer indicated PCE levels of 22, 38, and 17ppm. These exposures were well within the current standards. However, as PCE is a suspected carcinogen, it is necessary that levels be lowered as much as possible. The author recommends measures to help bring this about.

• Research Organization: National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH (USA). Div. of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluation and Field Studies
• OSTI ID: 6183193
• Report Number(s): PB-91-131417/XAB; IWS--071.16
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
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