Industrial-hygiene survey report of Plateau, Incorporated, Bloomfield Refinery, Bloomfield, New Mexico

Technical Report · Wed Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1986

OSTI ID:6436869

Cox, C

Turnaround operations at a fluid catalytic-cracking unit at the Bloomfield Refinery, in Bloomfield, New Mexico, were investigated for possible exposure of workers to various chemical agents, including hexavalent chromium, coal tar pitch volatiles, nitrogen-dioxide, sulfur dioxide, respirable dusts, and welding fumes. The average level of nitrogen dioxide in the air was 1.5 parts per million (ppm); the value for sulfur dioxide was 2.5ppm. NIOSH standards for hexavalent chromium (0.025mg/cu m for water soluble and 0.001mg/cu m for water insoluble) were exceeded. Respirable dust levels above 5 mg/cu m were noted during cleaning operations. In many welding steps the concentration of welding fumes was in excess of 5 mg/cu m as well. At the plasma arc cutting operation, concentrations of carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide (airborne) were 11.1, 1.5, and 2.5 ppm, respectively. During removal of coke from the reactor, CTPV levels exceeded the standard of 0.1 mg/cu m. The author recommended that monitoring of the air be undertaken on a regular basis and that protective clothing and equipment be used by the workers. Ventilation rates and the direction of the ventilation should be checked.

• Research Organization: National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH (USA). Industrial Hygiene Section
• OSTI ID: 6436869
• Report Number(s): PB-87-164331/XAB; IWS-124.10
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020900* -- Petroleum-- Environmental Aspects
500200 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
552000 -- Public Health
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
AIR POLLUTION
CHALCOGENIDES
CHROMIUM
CLOTHING
COAL TAR OILS
DUSTS
ELEMENTS
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
INSPECTION
MATERIALS
MATTER
MEDICINE
METALS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN DIOXIDE
NITROGEN OXIDES
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM REFINERIES
POLLUTION
PROTECTIVE CLOTHING
SAFETY
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR DIOXIDE
SULFUR OXIDES
TOXICITY
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
VENTILATION
VOLATILE MATTER