Archives articles from the "Criterion"
The EPA will propose to withdraw the pending arsenic standard for drinking water that was issued on January 22.
The rule would have reduced the acceptable level of arsenic in water from 50 parts per billion (ppb) to 10 ppb.
EPA will seek independent reviews of both the science behind the standard and of the estimates of the costs
to communities of implementing the rule. A final decision on withdrawal is expected after the public has an
opportunity to comment. While scientists agree that the previous standard of 50 ppb should be lowered, there is
no consensus on a particular safe level. Independent review of the science behind the final standard will help
clear up uncertainties that have been raised about the health benefits of reducing arsenic to 10 ppb in
drinking water. Some cities and states that will have to comply with the arsenic rule have raised serious
questions about whether the costs of the rule were fully understood when the rule was signed in early January.
Pennsylvania estimates the cost to be about $200 million per year. Many small communities will be affected
by the drinking water standard for arsenic, making it especially important to ensure that the Safe Drinking
Water Act provision allowing balancing of costs is based on accurate information.
Criterion investigates many indoor air quality complaints. A large number of these complaints are caused
by acute water intrusion and subsequent microbial growth.
The two main categories of microbes responsible for poor air quality are fungi (mold) and bacteria. It is
important to note that fungi and bacteria exist everywhere in our environment, indoors and outdoors. It
is when concentrations become "excessive" that they can pollute our air. To make excessive concentrations,
"just add water".
To correct deficiencies and improve employee comfort, some general recommendations are offered.
* Deal promptly with any episodes of acute water incursions in buildings. Remove it from porous, water
damaged furnishings, carpets and construction materials, i.e., drywall. Use heat fans to dry carpets and other
surfaces as soon as possible.
* Disinfect local patches of mold.
* Replace or steam clean carpet if there are high levels of gram-negative bacteria measured in surface samples.
U.S. EPA proposed a new regulation, under CAA Sec. 610, that would implement the statutory ban on nonessential products that release Class 1 ozone-depleting substances (64 FR 31772, June 14, 1999). Class I substances include chlorofluorocarbons, halons, carbon tetrachloride and methyl chloroform, methy bromide, and hydrobromofluorocarbons. In explaining the proposal, the agency stated: "This proposed rulemaking was developed by EPA based on new and compelling information that has been gathered and indicates that some sectors continue to use class I substances in products where the use of those substances today should be considered a nonessential use of class I substances in a product. The products affected by this rulemaking are aerosol products, pressurized dispensers, plastic foam products, and air-conditioning and refrigeration product that contain or are manufactured with chlorofluorocarbons."
Maine Governor Signs Tough Ban on Smoking in Restaurants
Maine's governor signed into law one of the toughest restaurant smoking bans in the country after supporters of the measure switched the focus of their advocacy from the comfort of restaurant patrons to the occupational health benefits for restaurant workers.
The measure, signed by Gov. Angus King (I), is to take effect 90 days after the end of the legislative session, or around Labor Day.
Approved by wide margins in both the Maine House and Senate, the new law (P.L. 54) bans smoking in some 6,000 establishments employing 44,000 workers in the state. Maine lawmakers rejected a similar bill two years ago.
A close vote had been expected in the House, but representatives voted 100 to 48 in favor of the bill on March 23. Senate approval, which was not in doubt, followed on the next day in a vote of 26 to 6.
The effective date of the new law is fitting because of the efforts of organized labor to enact the ban, commented Dora Mills, state health director, who promoted the legislation on behalf of the governor. "The worker issue was the main one," she said. Proponents argued that "there is no other health risk we would subject workers to on an involuntary basis."
Evidence presented to lawmakers in support of the ban included studies from the Journal of the American Medical Association showing that nonsmoking restaurant workers a 50 percent greater risk of contracting lung cancer than other nonsmoking employees, and that bartenders in California showed immediate improvements in objective lung function only weeks after a smoking ban took effect there. Another study from the Journal of Circulation showed that nonsmoking employees in restaurants had a 25 percent greater chance of developing heart disease than other workers, she added.
PA Plant Hit with $273,000 Fine Following Deadly Fire
A Pennsylvania manufacturing company faces fines of $273,000 for alleged safety and health violations linked to a fire in December 1998 that resulted in the death of two workers, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced May 20.
Following an investigation, Koppers Industries, Inc.'s plant in Clairton, Pa., was issued a citation with five willful violations with fines of $260,000 and a citation for five serious
Violations carrying a penalty of $13,500 OSHA said.
According to OSHA, employees were working in an aerial lift using a welding/cutting torch when flammable material, which seeped out of a pipe, ignited and resulted in the deadly fire.
OSHA cited Koppers for willful violations, including performing hot work on pipes containing flammable materials without cleaning, purging, or testing before welding.
Stark Proposal to Require Safer Devices to Reduce Injuries to Health Care Workers
Hospitals and other health care facilities would be required to use safer needles and other sharp medical devices to reduce the estimate 800,000 needlesticks that occur each year, under a bill introduced May 20.
The proposed Health Care Worker Needlestick Prevention Act of 1999, introduced by Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.), would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to amend its bloodborne pathogen standard to require health care employers to use "needle-less" systems and other safe instruments to protect workers. It would strengthen employer requirements for reporting needlestick incidents and create a national clearinghouse to collect data on the availability and experience with safer, alternative needles and "sharps."
Asbestos and Mental Anguish
The Texas Supreme Court ruled that two electrical workers could not recover damages for their "mental anguish" for being exposed to asbestos fibers. The two men filed suit for drilling holes in countertops that, unbeknown to them, contained asbestos. Subsequent physical examination revealed no damage. However, the physician told them their odds of contracting an asbestos related disease had increased. A court of Appeals awarded them damages and the Texas Supreme Court overturned the award.
President Requests $35 Million Increase for OSHA in Fiscal Year 1999
President Clinton proposed a fiscal year 2000 budget that would increase funding for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration by approximately 10 percent and add 119 staff positions in the agency's compliance assistance, enforcement, and alternative dispute resolution programs. OSHA Administrator Charles N. Jeffress says the agency has been promoting strong enforcement and partnerships, and "the president's budget enables us to put our money where our mouth is."
EPA Review Shows Risk From Exposure to Insecticides
Virtually all preliminary assessments performed on a widely used class of insecticides indicate health concerns for workers and applicators. Environmental Protection Agency officials said April 27.
Several approaches should be considered to protect workers from the risks of exposure to organophoshate insecticides, according to Jack Housenger, associate director of the EPA Office of Pesticide Programs Special Review and Reregistration Division. Either voluntary label amendments to increase worker protection measures are needed, or the agency can take regulatory action in the form of notice of intent to cancel pesticide registrations, Housenger said.
Gore Praises Labor Management Group For Efforts to Reduce Workplace Exposures
Vice President Al Gore honored the Laborers' Health & Safety Fund of North America with a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health partnership award for the group's efforts to decrease worker exposure to asphalt fumes.
NIOSH's first National Occupational Research Agenda partnering Award was presented to the group during NORA's 1999 "Partnering for Research" Symposium held at the National Academy of Sciences May 14. The award honors the fund for participating in a research partnership to achieve the goal of advancing worker safety and health. The fund is a joint labor-management trust created by the Laborers' International Union of North America and its partner employers to create a safe workplace for LIUNA members.
The laborers formed the partnership in 1996 with business; labor and government organizations involved in the highway road construction and asphalt pavement equipment industries.
Under the partnership, participants agree to reduce fumes from asphalt pavers by 80 percent through the incorporation of new ventilation systems in all highway-class pavers manufactured after July 1997.
"This award is proof that when labor, management and government put aside their differences, come together, and cooperate to achieve a common goal, everyone wins," Arthur A. Cola, general president of LIUNA said.
EPA to Propose Radon in Drinking Water Standard
According to the National Academy of Sciences, radon in drinking water increases risk to public health, both from inhalation of radon discharged through normal household water use, such as showering, and from ingestion of water. In 1991, EPA estimated that radon in public drinking water supplies causes about 192 avoidable cancer cases each year. EPA does not currently regulate radon in drinking water. On July 18, 1991, EPA proposed a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for radon in drinking water at 300 pCi/L, to address radon in public water supplies (systems serving over 25 individuals or with greater than 15 service connections). EPA withdrew the proposed radon regulation on August 6, 1997.
The 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act add new radon requirements. Congress directed EPA to: (1) Withdraw the 1991 proposed rule; (2) Work with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to conduct a risk assessment for radon in drinking water, and an assessment of the health risk reduction benefits associated with various mitigation methods of reducing radon in indoor air; (3) Publish a radon health risk reduction and cost analysis for possible radon MCLs for public comment, by February 1999; (4) Propose MCLG and National Primary Drinking Water Standard for radon by August, 1999; and (5) Publish MCLG and Final MCL for radon, by August, 2000.
Indoor Ice Rinks Pose Air Quality Problems
Indoor ice skating rinks can cause health problems for skaters, spectators, and maintenance personnel from high levels of carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide.
Most ice skating rinks use a gasoline or propane powered resurfacing machine to periodically smooth or groom the ice. If ventilation is inadequate, toxic contaminants from the resurfacing equipment exhaust may reach dangerous concentrations. Numerous incidents involving the illness of drivers, hockey players, spectators and children have been linked to exposure to resurfacing equipment exhaust. As a consequence, a number of state and federal regulatory agencies are in the process of either studying, developing or implementing standards that will require rink operators to monitor for the two most common toxic contaminants in resurfacing equipment exhaust, carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2).
Nitrogen dioxide has a pungent, acrid odor. Since NO2 reacts with moisture to form nitric acid, it tends to cause a stinging sensation or produce tearing in the eyes of exposed workers. Exposure to nitrogen dioxide can be particularly harmful to individuals skating or engaging in other strenuous activities. Chronic exposure to NO2 at levels as low as 0.4-2.7 parts per million (ppm) have been associated with the development of bronchitis and other cardiovascular problems. Other symptoms of NO2 exposure include eye irritation, coughing, chest pain, pulmonary edema, respiratory arrest and death.
High carbon monoxide levels can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, and impaired performance. At the levels of carbon monoxide typically found in indoor rinks, fast breathing from skating or hockey can produce less dramatic, but possibly more frequent, adverse health effects. Infrequent epidemic poisonings from very high levels of nitrogen or carbon monoxide have occurred in indoor ice rinks with combustion-powered ice resurfacers.
Lead Dust and Firing Ranges
Gun maker Beretta USA Corp. will pay more than $90,000 in penalties to limit lead pollution from two test firing ranges.
To comply with the Clean Air Act, Beretta must pay $18,136 in penalties and install a $72,800 system to trap lead dust at the firing ranges.
Expanding OSHA Coverage
Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.) introduced a package of job safety reform bills that would strengthen federal protection of workers who file complaints with OSHA.
The "Safety and Health Whistle-blower Protection Act" would give OSHA more authority to force the rehiring of workers who are fired for filing OSHA complaints.
A Labor Department’s finding that an employee has been discriminated against could result in an order to reinstate the employee to their former position and order compensation, including back pay, compensatory damages and legal costs!
Other bills include ones for expanding OSHA coverage to public employees and enhancing criminal penalties for certain violations.
Dozen Settle Asbestos Suits
Dozens of asbestos cases involving more than 20 defendants were settled for more than $200 million under an agreement that is being called the largest single personal injury accord in Illinois history. Most of the cases covered by the agreement announced February 8 involve individuals with mesothelioma, a lung lining cancer that is associated with asbestos exposure. The vast majority of the plaintiffs were insulators, pipe fitters, plumbers and other laborers who faced regular occupational exposure to the material.
Study Finds No Link Between PCBs And Cancer
The rate of cancer deaths among workers exposed to PCBs at General Electric Co. factories was no higher than the rate expected to be found among the general population, according to a major study funded by the company.
The study was conducted by the non-profit Institute for Evaluating Health Risks. Among the findings were:
Mortality from all cancers was below expected for hourly male workers and slightly higher than expected for hourly female workers.
There was no significant elevation in mortality rates among the most highly exposed workers nor among those with longer periods of employment.
Officials with Scenic Hudson, a Poughkeepsie, NY based environmental group said the study was flawed for a number of reasons and said it was part of a G.E. campaign to cease cleaning the Hudson River of PCBs it dumped over a number of years.
Court Affirms $5 Million to Pipefitter
On February 3, a Florida appellate court upheld a $5 million jury award to a construction worker who was suffering from asbestos.
The man was exposed to asbestos while working as a pipefitter apprentice foreman and superintendent between 1955 and 1972. He was diagnosed with asbestosis in 1993.
The man sued Owens-Corning for Strict liability and for negligent failure to warn of danger in its products. The jury awarded $1 million for past pain and suffering and $4 million for future pain and suffering.
OSHA Finalizes "Plain Language"
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration publishes revised regulations that are written in a "plain language" format designed to help employers comply with rules governing dipping and coating operations.
The final rule, part of a Clinton administration initiative to make regulations easier to understand, does not change the regulatory obligations placed on employers. However, the final rule contains performance-based provisions offering employers compliance flexibility.
Mother’s Lead Exposure May Put Breast-fed Newborns at Risk
Results from an international study (Australian and American) indicate that lead that has accumulated in a woman’s bones from previous exposures can be released during pregnancy and transferred to breast milk during lactation. This can translate into increased exposures for breast-fed infants whose mothers have a long-term history of lead exposures.
Breast-fed infants are only at risk if the mother has been previously exposed to high concentrations of lead from external sources, such as leaded paint, pottery, industrial sources, or in many other countries, leaded gasoline.
Scientists, using the differing atomic weights of lead found in Australia versus Eastern Europe, studied women who immigrated to Australia from Eastern Europe. Scientists were able to differentiate lead stored in bone due to previous exposures from lead in blood from more recent exposures.
Earlier data from the same study showed that 40 to 70% of the blood lead in pregnant women came from lead that has accumulated in the bones. Additional analyses had revealed a significant increase in the mobilization of maternal skeletal lead during lactation.
The researchers found a strong correlation between the amount of lead in a mother’s milk sample and the corresponding blood level of the infants. In fact, calculations based on the first 60 to 90 days postpartum indicated that 36% to 80% of the infants blood lead was coming from breast milk.
OSHA Lead in Construction Training Seminar
On March 3, 1998, Criterion will hold Lead in Construction Training. This training will satisfy the training requirements of OSHA 1926.62.
The cost of the training is $25 and includes a copy of the OSHA lead standard and a certificate of completion. The course will run from 9 AM to approximately 11 AM. For more information and/or to enroll, call Karen at (215) 244-1300, ext. 22.
AIDS Cases Among Health Care Workers
The number of documented cases of health care workers with occupationally acquired HIV, increased slightly during the first half of 1998, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of June 30th, there were 20,769 health care workers documented with AIDS in the U.S. compared with 19,638 as of June 30, 1997. Seventy-five percent of health care workers with AIDS were reported to have died according to the CDC.
New OSHA Training Requirements for Forklift Operators
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on December 1, 1998 issued new training requirements for operators of powered industrial trucks. Revisions have been made to the existing general industry standard (1910.178-1), and new standards have been written for shipyards (1915.120-1) and construction (1926.602-d).
Training of operators hired before December 1, 1999 must be completed by this date. Training of operators hired after December 1, 1999 must be done before the employee is assigned to operate a powered industrial truck.
The training program must contain three components: formal instruction, which may consist of lectures, discussions (formal or informal) interactive computer learning, videos or written material; practical hands-on training; and an evaluation of the operator’s ability to handle the forklift.
A person with the appropriate knowledge, skills or experience in forklift operation (either in-house personnel or outside trainer) must conduct training.
Operators must be re-evaluated every three years. Refresher training is required if the operator was involved in an accident or near-miss, the operator was observed operating the forklift in an unsafe manner, an evaluation determined that the operator needed additional training, changes in the workplace were made that may have an impact on safe operation, or the operator was assigned to a different type of forklift.
Additional details about the new training standard for operators of Powered Industrial Trucks .
Environmental Health & Safety Training Priorities for 1999
A recent survey of Industrial Safety & Hygiene News readers has shown that a greater emphasis is being placed on employee training than on other safety strategies (e.g., engineering controls, regulatory compliance, written health and safety programs, etc.) in 1999.
High priority training topics, and the percentage of readers voting for them, are the following:
U.S. EPA Cites Asbestos Firms
The U.S. EPA has cited 8 asbestos abatement firms in the Illinois/Indiana region. The firms (allegedly) hired workers who fraudulently purchased asbestos training certificates.
In 1996, Robert Coolery, the owner/operator of IPC Chicago, was indicted for selling certificates to individuals who had not taken the training courses that are required by State and Federal law. He is in jail and cooperating with authorities.
Legionnaire Disease in Injection Molding
Workers in the plastic injection molding industry may be at increased risk for Legionnaires Disease – a serious form of pneumonia – a recent Occupational Health and Safety Administration Hazard Information Bulletin warned.
According to OSHA, Legionella pneumophila has been found in the water used to cool the metal molds and process equipment used in the plastic parts manufacturing process.
The bulletin noted that an investigation by the Cincinnati OSHA area office, found high concentrations of Legionella pneumophila in the water at a local plastics company in which five workers developed Legionnaires Disease. One of the workers died.
To read or download OSHA Hazard Information BulletinLove Canal Update
The Federal government will demolish the last 63 uninhabitable homes around the Love Canal toxic waste dump. Since the forced evacuation of the homes 20 years ago, about 200 homes have been re-inhabited. The remaining 63 had contamination levels that preclude cleanup and will be razed.
Respirators Need Fit-Testing
Negative air-purifying respirators used by health care workers to protect against diseases, such as tuberculosis, must be fit-tested to ensure that exposures are minimized, according to a study by NIOSH. The study suggests that when respirators are fit-tested, exposures to diseases would be reduced to 10% of what it would be otherwise.
Criterion Speaker’s Bureau
Need a speaker for your next event? Our staff of professionals offers expertise in a wide variety of disciplines including occupational health, indoor air quality, asbestos and lead based paint issues.
For more information call Jim Weltz at (215) 244-1300 x25.
Revised Confined Spaces Standard
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued an amended Permit-Required Confined Spaces standard (CFR 1910.146). Notice of the final rule was published in the Federal Register, dated December 1, 1998.
The revised standard clarifies employers’ responsibilities in rescue situations, and provides more flexibility in determining which spaces require entry permits and where to secure retrieval lines.
The standard was amended in response to challenges by several organizations, including the United Steel Workers of America (USWA).
To read or download Confined Spaces
Brownfields sites - abandoned or underused industrial or commercial property - have been shunned by most commercial and industrial developers. Both legal liability and environmental contamination significantly complicate developing Brownfields properties. The trend with industrial property has been to avoid potential economic loss associated with the environmental remediation of urban industrial sites.
Before the establishment of the Brownfields Initiative, environmental cleanup policies required that contaminated sites be restored to "pristine" conditions, a standard which was either prohibitively expensive or technically unattainable. State and Federal laws held current owners responsible for cleanup, even though previous owners may have caused contamination. As a result, it became more economical to abandon a site than restore it, forcing the development of uncontaminated farmland and open space.
The EPA's Brownfields Initiative attempts to reverse this trend by encouraging redevelopment of abandoned industrial and commercial property in urban areas by reducing the fear of future cleanup liability. With the Brownfields Initiative, EPA has recognized that this obstacle to urban redevelopment must be removed to promote the reuse of overlooked industrial properties.
The initiative provides incentives and economic rewards to owners and developers of Brownfields properties. By encouraging such redevelopment, the Brownfields Initiative strengthens urban communities by increasing jobs and enhancing the tax base.
Brownfields sites are complex projects with multiple risks that must be carefully evaluated. For many industrial companies, one of the most important elements of the Brownfields Initiative is its emphasis on state control of voluntary cleanup programs. Cleanups will still occur under federal guidelines or state equivalents, underground storage tank programs, and state voluntary cleanup programs. The Brownfields Initiative encourages:
Traditionally, the costs of site remediation have been largely dictated through EPA's regulation of industry. Stringent cleanup standards and objectives set by the regulatory community can often be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve. As cleanup costs rise the benefits of such cleanup levels decline.
Industry and regulators debate whether the costs to achieve the regulators' standards are too high. The Brownfields Initiative is EPA's attempt to bridge the gap between industry and EPA that stalls or impedes cleanups and redevelopment. Through the Brownfields Initiative, the EPA is moving away from the concept of pristine cleanup to more risk-protective/cost-effective approaches.
This new push for redevelopment is helping create a more positive atmosphere for site cleanup, providing improved communications in the community, and resulting in strong economic benefit for all involved in the program.
OSHA is moving towards promulgating health standards addressing Indoor Air Quality, according to Claudia H. Thurber, the agency’s' council for health standards.
OSHA has been working on the Standard for more than seven years and has accumulated a great deal of scientific data on indoor air quality. Areas considered for regulation are, environmental tobacco smoke, bioaerosols, and a variety of indoor pollutants that have been linked to asthma and other diseases.
At present, OSHA actively addresses indoor air quality complaints even without a specific standard on the rulebooks. Most of such enforcement actions are filed under OSHA’s general duty clause, which guarantees a safe work environment.
The EPA, Department of Energy and the Department of Defense are among other Federal agencies developing programs to address indoor air pollution. The EPA is working with industry groups and others to develop its program.
The centerpiece of OSHA’s 1999 regulatory plan is a rule that would require employers to develop a comprehensive safety and health program for their work sites. The standard, which covers general industry and maritime workers, is among 10 priority regulations under various stages of development at the agency. The list contains an ergonomics rule and an updated PEL for silica dust.
Other health and safety regulations considered priorities by OSHA include injury and illness recordkeeping requirements, a proposal to clarify employer responsibility for paying for personal protective equipment; a "plain language" revision of several existing rules and revision of the Permissible Exposure Limits governing air contaminants.
Other job safety and health regulations considered priorities by the department are:
The owner of a steel erection company in Indiana was sentenced to four months in jail for willfully violating Occupational Safety and Health Act standards that led to a worker’s death.
In this case, a worker fell to his death while working on a warehouse construction job in Jonestown, PA. The worker should have been using fall protection because he was working more than 25 feet above the ground.
A willful violation is one where the employer is aware of certain or specific safety and health standards, but fails to implement them. OSHA agents are trained to find evidence that the employer's representative(s) knew of applicable standards whenever they investigate a fatality.
OSHA Administrator, Charles N. Jeffers, advised "Let this be a warning. . .OSHA will seek criminal penalties for willful violations".
The federal underground storage tank regulations become effective December 22, 1998. By that date, all underground storage must be upgraded, replaced or closed. If compliance cannot be met by December 22nd, you must, at least, stop operation of the tanks.
A Louisiana jury awarded $855,000 to a former insulator who developed asbestosis and pleural plaques after working in various petro-chemical plants in the Baton Rouge area.
The jury found seven companies liable for the illness. The jury assigned 50% of the award to Pittsburgh Corning Corp, which manufactured some of the asbestos products; 25% of the award to Exxon, which owned one refinery and 25% to five other manufacturers.
The judgment against Exxon was the first jury verdict against the company in an asbestos case.
A recent survey has found that 42% of all public and commercial buildings contain vinyl asbestos tile (VAT) and floor tile adhesives containing asbestos. OSHA requires that VAT and asbestos-containing adhesives be removed using wet methods. One of the preferred methods used by asbestos abatement contractors to remove adhesive, commonly known as mastic, is liquid chemical mastic remover. Mastic is typically composed of petroleum based asphaltic binders with asbestos added to impart strength and fire resistant qualities. Mastic remover attacks the binders in the adhesive, loosening their grip to the floor, hence facilitating the removal process. The mastic remover also keeps airborne asbestos levels low by wetting the asbestos fibers, and causing them to stick together.
Commercial mastic removers are mixtures containing hydrocarbon blended organic solvents.
The most common hydrocarbons used in mastic remover formulations are the following:
Aliphatic hydrocarbons have high flash points (greater than 140ş F), minimal health risks, low odor, slow evaporation and low cost. The only drawback is weak to moderate activity.
Aromatic hydrocarbons provide excellent activity, high flash points, low to moderate health risks, and slow evaporation. Their drawback is a strong and distinct chemical odor.
Terpenes provide excellent activity, moderate flash points (greater than 120ş F) minimal health risks, slow evaporation, and are environmentally friendly. Their possible drawback is a strong and distinct odor, variously described as an orange or pine type odor, which may be considered offensive to building occupants.
A review of the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for a particular mastic remover should provide a wealth of information about the product.
Components of the product (including hazardous ingredients) are listed along with any permissible exposure limits (PEL) or threshold limit values (TLV). Physical data such as rate of evaporation, identifying odor and appearance, and flash point are provided.
Most mastic removers will dry and de-fat the skin, necessitating the use of gloves. They also are eye irritants and inhalation hazards. Mechanical ventilation is recommended to keep exposure limits below the PEL or TLV. Respiratory protection is recommended if exposure levels are exceeded. Low odor mastic removers should be used in occupied buildings.
Dustborne Infectious Diseases
Copyright©, 1998, Richard A. Sullivan, PE, "Airborne Infectious Diseases", published in Environmental Protection, September 1998, all rights reserved by Stevens Publishing Corp, reprinted with permission.
Airborne particles carry pathogens that can cause infectious diseases when inhaled. The world is facing the possibility of incurable tuberculosis again, according to a study by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control. The emerging epidemic is from multi-drug resistant strains of Mycobacterium species.
Influenza is a viral infection known for its changing immune characteristics and requires continued development of new vaccines.
The respiratory tract and lungs are continuously exposed to airborne particles during breathing. Inhaled air passes from the nose and mouth through various respiratory passages to millions of balloon-like sacs, the alveoli, in the lungs where oxygen diffuses into the blood and carbon dioxide is removed.
Most respiratory infectious illnesses are caused by viruses or bacteria that are carried by airborne dust particles or small water droplets. Upper respiratory tract infections include the common cold, influenza, sinusitis, tonsillitis, whooping cough, diphtheria and strep throat. Infections of the lower respiratory tract include pneumonia, tracheitis, bronchitis, bronchiolitis, tuberculosis, Legionnaire’s disease and Q fever. Bacteria and viruses infecting the upper respiratory tract also can enter the bloodstream, causing diseases such as chickenpox, measles, meningitis, mumps and poliomyelitis.
Airborne pollens, fungal spores and dusts containing fragments of dead house mites or animal dander (flakes of dead skin) are common allergens causing hypersensitivity reactions in some people. Hay fever (allergic rhinitis) is inflammation of the nose, and bronchial asthma and allergic alveolitis are lung disorders that cause breathing difficulties.
The ear is another body organ that is exposed to airborne infections through a ventilation passage connecting the back of the nose to the cavity between the eardrum and the inner ear. Inflammation of the middle and inner ears from bacterial or viral infection can cause earache, vertigo and temporary or permanent deafness. Ear disorders from infection are more common in young children probably because of the shortness of their ventilation tubes into the middle ear.
Indoor Air Quality
Indoor airborne particulate matter can vary from mineral dusts, to liquid droplets, to particles derived from biological sources. "Airborne Particulate Cleanliness Classes in Cleanrooms and Clean Zones," prepared by the Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (IEST) and referred to as Federal Standard 209E, is used in the control of airborne contamination in healthcare facilities as well as in manufacturing facilities of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, food processing, microelectronics and aerospace. Standard 209E defines airborne particles as objects of solid or liquid composition ranging between 0.001 µm and 1000 µm in size.
Indoor air pollution is deceiving because particles finer than about 60 µm, the diameter of a human hair, cannot be seen by the naked human eye unless viewed in a ray of bright light, where airborne particles larger than 10 µm may be seen. Inhaled airborne dust particles carrying viruses or bacteria are too small to be seen by the human eye.
Transmission of Dustborne Infections
Airborne infectious diseases are spread by small droplets of saliva or mucus expelled into the air from an infected person coughing or sneezing. The largest of such pathogen-containing droplets settle under gravity onto surfaces, while droplets less than 100 µm evaporate and form stable airborne droplet nuclei 1 to 4 µm in diameter. Droplets resting on surfaces also evaporate and contaminate dust particles that can later become resuspended in air.
Transmission of airborne infections depends primarily on the concentration of pathogen-carrying particles in the air and on the duration of exposure. Droplet nuclei are the principal carrier of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Because of the parasitic dependence, airborne viruses must travel attached to dust particles or droplet nuclei in spreading infectious disease. Thus, dustborne viruses become effectively larger airborne particles than the size of a virus. Naked viruses, as well as bacterial spores, can survive for several months on airborne dust particles.
The human respiratory system has an elaborate clearance mechanism to remove particles from inhaled air. Most inhaled particles larger than 10 µm in diameter are trapped by hairs in the nose and by mucous membranes in the nasal cavity, and the trapped particles are expelled by sneezing. Oral breathing bypasses the nasal passages, resulting in greater particle deposition in the lower respiratory tract. Most particles larger than 5 µm are caught in the trachea, bronchi and bronchioles, and are expelled by coughing and sneezing.
Particles smaller than 5 µm are more likely to be deposited in the alveoli, where insoluble particles may be ingested by macrophages and expelled by coughing or sneezing. Deepest infectious penetration into the respiratory system results from inhaling fine pathogen-carrying particles.
Control of Indoor Dust Particles
Air conditioning of a building or room controls the purity, humidity and temperature of indoor air. Both filtration and ventilation improve the particulate cleanliness of indoor air. Ventilation with clean fresh air dilutes the concentration of airborne pathogen-carrying particles in a room, whereas filtration removes dust particles not only from air drawn in from outside to replace stale air but also from the indoor circulating air. If air must be sterilized, then the air is irradiated with ultraviolet rays that kill microorganisms by denaturing their deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
Many air conditioning systems use fiber filters composed of closely packed fiberglass wool that can trap coarse dust particles and pollens. The cleaned air may then pass through a carbon filter of granulated activated carbon to absorb odors. A high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter rated for 99.97 percent filtration efficiency at 0.3 µm is needed to remove fine dusts, pathogens and spores from indoor air. HEPA filters composed of folded fiberglass paper were developed by the U.S. Department of Energy to trap fine radioactive dusts in atomic plants. With the development of more robust material media, HEPA filters are now used to remove other types of fine airborne particulate matter.
HEPA filters certified for 99.97 percent filtration efficiency at 0.3 µm are expensive as they actually trap most penetrating particles in the range of 0.07 to 0.3 µm. So to extend the effective life of a HEPA filter beyond a couple of years, contaminated air is commonly drawn initially through a fiber filter, which is much cheaper to replace, in order to remove the coarse particles larger than 10 µm. Recent development of cleanable HEPA filters made from more durable filter media has further increased effective filter life to more than 20 years. Cleanable HEPA filters are usually cleaned in place whenever the need arises using a mobile vacuum system to remove and contain particle matter.
Various simple approaches are helpful to reduce the concentration of pathogen-carrying particles in rooms with no air conditioning, and some of the techniques are also applicable to air conditioned buildings. Dilution ventilation of a room can be accomplished by opening a window and turning on a fan, recognizing the outdoor air may not be free of pathogens and allergens. When outdoor air is too cold or too hot to comfortably open windows, a portable air cleaner can be used to move stagnant air around in a room and to remove airborne dust particles through a HEPA filter. House cleaning causes resuspension of dust particles that can be minimized by using a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter, in addition to the collection bag or dust bin, to control particle emissions. Also, dusting cloths and floor mops can be sprayed with a dust-holding aerosol to enhance their dust collection.
Scented Candles and Indoor Air Pollution
Indoor air quality, building and construction professionals have been increasingly encountering a phenomenon known as "ghosting" or "black soot", described as dirty outlines on walls caused by soot. Contractors have received an increased number of complaints concerning ghosting on ceilings, furniture and HVAC filters.
This residue may come from a variety of sources including carbon soot from furnaces, water heaters, fireplaces, standing pilot lights, cooking by-products, automobile exhaust, cigarette smoke and candles. Possible sources also include substances such as paraffin, benzene, toluene, silicates and iron oxide. Increased attention is being focused on candles due to the popularity of scented candles, and those marketed for "aroma therapy". These candles contain essential and fragrance oils, many of which are not suitable for combustion; these oils generate a great deal of incomplete combustion products or soot.
In addition to the damage caused by this soot to home furnishings and the ventilation system, there may also be a health hazard associated with breathing the sub-micron particulate soot, especially among the elderly, children, and those with compromised respiratory systems. These small particulates bypass the body’s defense mechanisms, and can be breathed deep into the lungs, and become embedded in the lining of the lungs.
Asbestos Found in Soft Concrete Roofing Material
According to a recent Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Hazard Information Bulletin, a soft concrete, used as a roofing material, has been found to contain asbestos.
An inspection of a roof repair project on a government building led to the creation of this bulletin. When the building was constructed in 1934, asbestos was mixed with concrete to make a mixture that was lighter and easier to work with. This mixture was used to create slopes on the roof.
Analysis of the soft concrete revealed an asbestos content of two (2) to ten (10) percent. Since the asbestos cement exceeded one (1) percent by weight, the removed soft concrete roofing had to be handled as an asbestos-containing material, subject to all applicable regulations as described in 29 CFR Sections 1926.1101, 1926.1101(g) and 1926.1101(h).
New OSHA Respirator Regulation
OSHA’s new regulation on respirators, 29CFR 1910.134, went into effect October 1998.
Changes from the previous regulations include new fit-test procedures and simplified requirements for non-mandatory use of respirators.
You can view, print or download 29CFR 1910.134
Plain Language OSHA Documents
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has developed an action plan to incorporate plain language in all documents available to the public; this was done in response to a directive by President Clinton.
All new documents and communications must be written in plain language by October 1, 1998. Proposed and final rule makings published in the Federal Register must be in plain language by January 1, 1999.
Actions taken to enforce the directive include: reinforcing the goals and objectives of the directive in staff meetings and conferences, scheduling plain language training for staff, providing plain language guidelines and examples, establishing a library (in major OSHA agency offices) containing plain language OSHA documents, and providing refresher courses to staff on a regular basis.