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Industrial Hygiene Report Perchloroethylene at Upper Mack Cleaners 18500 Mack Avenue, Detroit, Michigan.

Roberts-DR

NIOSH 1980 Jul:9 pages

00105092

Worker exposures to perchloroethylene (127184) (PCE) were surveyed in May 17, 1979, at Upper Mack Cleaners (SIC-7216) in Detroit, Michigan. The company employed eight workers. Time weighted average (TWA) personal PCE exposures ranged from 0.4 to 27 parts per million, and 5 minute peak exposures ranged from 25 to 86ppm. One 15 minute peak exposure was 40ppm. All exposures were below OSHA Standards for TWA, 5 minute and 15 minute exposures of 100, 300 and 200ppm, respectively. The author recommends that PCE exposures be kept as low as possible since the carcinogenicity of the compound has not been established. Workers should be provided with preplacement physical examinations, respirators and protective clothing, improved ventilation should be installed around dry cleaning machines and recovery units, and workers should be informed about PCE hazards. Other recommendations include periodic inspection of equipment and PCE storage containers, direct piping of recovered PCE solvent to the base tank of the dry cleaning machine, and proper disposal of PCE solvent residues.

NIOSH-Author; NIOSH-Survey; Field-Study; IWS-71-35; Region-5; Dry-cleaning-industry; Carcinogens; Cancer; Protective-equipment; Training; Industrial-equipment; Industrial-hygiene;

127-18-4;

19800717

1980

PB81-245185

A02

IWS-71-35

DSHEFS;

7216;

Industrial Hygiene Section, Industry-wide Studies Branch, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies NIOSH, Cincinnati, Ohio, 9 pages, 7 references

MI; OH;