HHE Report No. HHE-80-129-812, Ford Motor Company, Ohio Truck Plant, Avon Lake, Ohio.

Ahrenholz-SH

NIOSH 1981 Feb:13 pages

00114037

Personal breathing zone and area samples were analyzed and workers were given dermatological examinations to determine toxic exposures to hydraulic fluid at Ford Motor Company's Ohio Truck facility (SIC- 3713) in Avon Lake, Ohio on August 19 and 20, 1980. The evaluation was requested by local 2000, United Auto Workers to determine if nail disorders among maintenance workers were caused by hydraulic fluid exposure. Of the 1,405 employees, 40 to 80 were maintenance workers. Personal breathing zone and area sampling indicated no overexposure to oil mist, copper (7440508) fume, iron-oxide (1332372) fume, manganese (7439965) fume, zinc-oxide (1314132) fume, or total welding fume; values were well below the OSHA standards of 5, 0.1, 28.6, 5, 5, and 5 milligrams per cubic meter, respectively. Culture of samples of hydraulic fluid did not show the presence of fungi associated with nail disorders. Hand eczema in some of the workers was associated with fungal infections of the feet or fingernails. The medical data was insufficient to determine if the hydraulic fluid contributed to the dermatological problems. The authors conclude that a hazard from overexposure to welding fume metals does not exist. They recommend that worker contact with spilled hydraulic fluid be reduced during equipment repairs.

NIOSH-Author; HHE-80-129-812; NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation; Hazards-Unconfirmed; Region-5; Air-sampling; Hydraulic-fluids; Skin-disorders; Metal-fumes; Health-surveys; Worker-health;

7440-50-8; 1332-37-2; 7439-96-5; 1314-13-2;

19810201

Hazard Evaluation and Technical Assistance; Field Studies

1981

PB82-184607

A03

HHE-80-129-812

DSHEFS;

3713;

Hazard Evaluations and Technical Assistance Branch, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies, NIOSH, Cincinnati, Ohio, 13 pages, 5 references

OH;