Field Survey of Rohm and Haas Company at the Bridesburg Facilities, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Johnson-WM; Donaldson-HM; Spiegel-RM

NIOSH 1972 May:9 pages

00111147

Worker exposures to chloromethylether (542881) (CME) and bis(chloromethyl)ether (542881) (BCME) during CME production were evaluated at the Bridesburg facilities of the Rohm and Haas Company (SIC-2869) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 1, 1972. The Bridesburg facilities employed approximately 2,100 workers. A gas chromatographic monitoring system was used for workplace air monitoring of BCME. Preemployment examinations were provided, annual check ups were encouraged, a sputum cytology program was instituted to detect lung cancer, and a retrospective mortality study was conducted. An 8.17 percent lung cancer death rate in past and present company personnel was in excess of the expected 4 to 5 percent. Three cases of lung cancer in employees under 40 years of age were reported. These employees had worked in the same building where chloromethylation processes were in operation.

NIOSH-Author; NIOSH-Survey; Field-Study; Region-3; Health-surveys; Workplace-studies; Air-contamination; Health-services; Industrial-processes; Control-methods; Occupational-health-programs; Chemical-manufacturing-industry; IWS-33-13;

542-88-1; 542-88-1;

19720501

1972

PB82-162561

A02

IWS-33-13

DFSCI;

2869;

NIOSH, Division of Field Studies and Clinical Investigations, Cincinnati, Ohio, 9 pages

PA; OH;