Health hazard evaluation report: HHE-80-046-914, Consolidated Printing Ink Company, Inc., West St. Paul, Minnesota.
Source
Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HHE 80-046-914, 1981 Aug; :1-14
Abstract
Worker exposures to various chemicals were surveyed on January 24 and 25 and May 7 and 8, 1980 at Consolidated Printing Ink Company (SIC-2893) in West St. Paul, Minnesota. The evaluation was requested by a representative of the Oil, Chemical, and Atomic Workers Union on behalf of 59 production workers who reported various nonspecific health problems. Breathing zone and area air samples were analyzed for a wide variety of compounds. Concentrations of ethyl-acetate (141786), ethyl-alcohol (64175), isopropyl-alcohol (67630), methyl-alcohol (67561), methyl-ethyl- ketone (78933), methyl-isobutyl-ketone (108101), methyl-ethyl-ketone (78933), toluene (108883), xylene (1330207), nuisance particulates, and sodium-hydroxide (1310732) were within respective permissible exposure limits of 1400, 1900, 984, 262, 590, 200, 840, 375, 434, 10, and 2 milligrams per cubic meter. Of the 52 workers questioned, symptoms of headache, nausea, and eye irritation occurred during operation of the ultraviolet ink manufacturing process. The authors conclude that many of the compounds could have caused the workers' symptoms, even though no excessive exposures exist. Recommendations for reducing the chemical exposures are included.
Keywords
NIOSH-Author; HHE-80-046-914; NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation; Hazards-Unconfirmed; Region-5; Industrial-factory-workers; Physiology; Health-surveys; Air-sampling; Air-quality-measurement; Tolerance-threshold; Clinical-symptoms;
Author Keywords: Printing Inks; ethyl acetate; ethyl alcohol; methyl alcohol; methyl ethyl ketone; n-propyl acetate; toluene; xylene
