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Walk through survey report at Merck, Sharp and Dohme, West Point, Pennsylvania.

Bloom TF

Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, IWS 105-10, 1980 Mar; :1-3

00111089

Worker exposures to dexamethasone (50022) were studied at Merck, Sharp and Dohme in West Point, Pennsylvania, on March 21, 1979. The company was under consideration for inclusion in a NIOSH study of the health effects of occupational exposure to adrenocortical steroids. Approximately 161 of the employees at the facility were exposed to dexamethasone during receiving, granulation, compressing, fluid manufacture, and packaging operations. The company had a formal safety and industrial hygiene program. Medical services were furnished by two full time and one part time physician, as well as eight full time nurses. The author concludes that of the operations surveyed, the granulation process entails the greatest potential for exposure to dexamethasone, although the infrequency of the dexamethasone granulation process and the short exposure period would make any quantitative assessment of exposure difficult. Detection of biological effects would also be doubtful for similar reason. He recommends that this work force should be included in the dexamethasone hazard study.

NIOSH-Author; NIOSH-Survey; Field-Study; Region-3; Adrenocortical-hormones; Industrial-hygiene

50-02-2

19800303

Field Studies; Industry Wide

1980

PB82-216193

A01

IWS-105-10

DSHEFS

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

PA; OH