Health-hazard evaluation report HETA 89-278-2035, Twin City Fruit, F. L. Thorpe Co. , Deadwood, South Dakota

Technical Report · Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1990

OSTI ID:6145480

Hales, T R; Gunter, B

In response to a request from the South Dakota Health Department, an evaluation was made of possible exposure to methylene-bisphenyl-diisocyanate (MDI) among employees of Thorpe's, a jewelry facility located in a warehouse owned by Twin City Fruit in Deadwood, South Dakota. At this facility gold was casted, soldered, buffed, finished, packaged, and shipped. The facility employed 85 women and two men in two rooms of the warehouse basement. Insulation was applied by spraying MDI and polyol in a 1:1 mixture onto the warehouse ceiling, walls, and basement rooms adjacent to the jewelry facility. Five days after insulation spraying ceased, seven of 16 area samples had detectable quantities of MDI, but all were below NIOSH's recommended exposure limit of 50 micrograms/cubic meter. It was not possible to estimate the concentration of MDI in the jewelry facility during the spraying application. Thirteen employees had probable MDI induced respiratory diseases. Of these 13, one had respiratory symptoms persisting at least 6 days after the exposure and four had symptoms 2 months later. All blood tests for allergy to MDI were negative. Inadequate isolation procedures during the spraying operation were cited as the cause of these difficulties. The authors conclude that MDI exposure probably occurred during the application of the insulation material.

• Research Organization: National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6145480
• Report Number(s): PB-91-118927/XAB; HETA-89-278-2035
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ISOCYANATES
HEALTH HAZARDS
NORTH DAKOTA
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
SENSITIVITY
AIR POLLUTION MONITORING
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE EXPOSURE
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
PERSONNEL
AIR POLLUTION
FEDERAL REGION VIII
HAZARDS
NORTH AMERICA
POLLUTION
SAFETY STANDARDS
STANDARDS
USA
540120* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology