Health-hazard evaluation report HETA 85-043-1760, American Crystal Sugar Company, Hillsboro, North Dakota

Technical Report · Mon Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:6481479

Boiano, J M; Almaguer, D

In response to a request from management of the American Crystal Sugar Company (ACSCO) and the American Federation of Grain Millers International Union, employee exposures to welding fumes during facility maintenance and to airborne contaminants during beet processing were determined at a sugar-beet mill owned by ACSCO. Exposures exceeding the most stringent environmental criteria were found for calcium carbonate and carbon monoxide in lime kiln workers and sugar dust in sugar bin workers. Beet pulp dust was considered a potential hazard based on its content of crystalline silica. Welding produced excessive exposures to total welding fumes, hexavalent chromium, nickel, iron-oxide, and calcium-oxide. Chromium and nickel posed potential cancer risks. The authors conclude that workers were overexposed to calcium carbonate, carbon monoxide, sugar dust, total welding fumes, hexavalent chromium, iron oxide, nickel, and calcium oxide fumes at this facility. The authors recommend dust containment, ventilation, respiratory protection, and correction of slipping hazards.

• Research Organization: National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6481479
• Report Number(s): PB-87-189478/XAB; HETA-85-043-1760
• 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
AEROSOLS
AIR POLLUTION
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
BEETS
CALCIUM CARBONATES
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CALCIUM OXIDES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON MONOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CARBONATES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHROMIUM
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
DUSTS
ELEMENTS
FOOD
FOOD INDUSTRY
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE
INDUSTRY
INSPECTION
IRON COMPOUNDS
IRON OXIDES
MATERIALS
MEDICINE
METALS
NICKEL
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANTS
POLLUTION
SAFETY
SOLS
SUGAR BEETS
TOXICITY
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
VEGETABLES
VENTILATION