HHE Report No. HETA-92-0360-2372, Ackerman and Sons, Littleton, Colorado.

McCammon-CS; Goldfield-J

NIOSH 1993 Nov:20 pages

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/1992-0360-2372.pdf

00218688

In response to a request from the owner, an investigation was begun into methylene-chloride (75092) (MeCl) exposures at Ackerman and Sons (SIC-7641), Littleton, Colorado. The facility was a furniture refinishing shop. Work at the shop included paint stripping, furniture repair, refinishing, and recovering. Five refinishers were employed at the site, and usually spent only a few hours stripping per week, but occasionally stripped 3 to 4 hours in one day. Personal exposures to MeCl ranged from 83 to 523 parts per million (ppm) with a time weighted average figure of 2.4 to 177ppm. Exposures to methanol (67561) ranged from 39 to 95ppm. A significant lowering of airborne concentrations of stripping compounds was noted after the stripping booth was enclosed and ventilated. Personal MeCl exposures ranged from 10 to 110ppm and 8 hour time weighted averages ranged from 0.7 to 31ppm. Exposures to MeCl and methanol resulted from leaving furniture to dry in unventilated areas, poor work practices, and limitations on design parameters for the ventilation system as well as poor housekeeping practices. The authors conclude that methylene-chloride exposures did not exceed the OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit of 500ppm; NIOSH recommends that exposures be maintained at the lowest feasible concentration. The authors recommend that worker exposures to methylene-chloride be lowered.

NIOSH-Author; NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation; NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report; HETA-92-0360-2372; Hazard-Unconfirmed; Region-8; Furniture-repair; Solvent-vapors; Chlorinated-hydrocarbons; Exhaust-ventilation;

75-09-2; 67-56-1;

19931101

Hazard Evaluation and Technical Assistance;

1994

PB94-165131

A03

HETA-92-0360-2372

DSHEFS;

7641;

Hazard Evaluations and Technical Assistance Branch, NIOSH, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Cincinnati, Ohio, Report No. HETA-92-0360-2372, 20 pages, 8 references

CO; OH;