Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HHE 81-028-1059, 1981 Nov; :1-9
A health hazard evaluation and walk through survey of the Reading Car Shops, Consolidated Rail Corporation (SIC-4011), Reading, Pennsylvania was conducted in November, 1980 to evaluate deteriorated insulation on the hot water heating system and ceiling material, and to review three reported cases of malignant pleural mesothelioma in retired workers. The request was made by the International Association of Machinists. Bulk samples of the insulation and ceiling materials were analyzed. Clinical records, chest X-rays, and tissue specimens of the reported mesothelioma cases were examined. Asbestos (1332214) was found in the insulation of the power house boilers, headers, and benders, and in the heating mains of the freight car, passenger car, and wheel shops. The NIOSH standard for asbestos exposure is 0.1 fibers per cubic centimeter. Analysis of ceiling samples from the freight car shop showed the presence of hydrated calcium-sulfate (10124364). Review of the clinical records, chest X-rays, and tissue specimens confirmed all three cases of malignant pleural mesothelioma. These workers had a history of 36 years of employment at the facility. Recommendations include removal of insulation from the heating system. Employees with work experience prior to 1953 should be identified and screened by NIOSH for asbestos related pulmonary diseases.
Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal website.
Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website.
You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link.
CDC is not responsible for Section 508 compliance (accessibility) on other federal or private website.
For more information on CDC's web notification policies, see Website Disclaimers.
CDC.gov Privacy Settings
We take your privacy seriously. You can review and change the way we collect information below.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.
Cookies used to make website functionality more relevant to you. These cookies perform functions like remembering presentation options or choices and, in some cases, delivery of web content that based on self-identified area of interests.
Cookies used to track the effectiveness of CDC public health campaigns through clickthrough data.
Cookies used to enable you to share pages and content that you find interesting on CDC.gov through third party social networking and other websites. These cookies may also be used for advertising purposes by these third parties.
Thank you for taking the time to confirm your preferences. If you need to go back and make any changes, you can always do so by going to our Privacy Policy page.