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Tool of the industrial hygienitti The midget impinger, an irwtrumant which draw* a maawrad volume of oir Itiroogh a trap containing a ItquRf coilacting madium. Haro, tha midgaf Impingar is baing usad to sample atmospharic concantration of toxic dust. INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE in the Petroleum Industry A. C. Pabst, industrial hygienist, Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, Inc., is cailad in at tha bluaprint stage whara basic hygiana maasuras con ba Incorporatad into plants, processing units and other installations, helping to tav* time, money and problems for management. 002328 EXCLUSIVE A. C. Pabst petroleum industry has made re markable and enviable progress not only in developing new and better products, but equally in anticipating market demands in terms of both qual ity and quantity. It has an extraordinary record for providing the customer with what he wants, where and when he wants it. New processing methods have beep necessary, of course, to achieve these results. Many of these processing methods represent highly complex chemical op erations that present problems and situ ations new to the industry. With fore sight and planning, the petroleum in dustry is solving these problems, and. in fact, anticipating situations so that they do not become problems. To ac complish this, comparatively new sci ences like health engineering are studied with the same zeal as other types of research. Practically unknown 20 years ago, today's occupational health includes the fields of industrial hygiene and industrial medicine. Bocanse industrial hygiene is one of the newest phases, many people do not know the meaning of the term, or the functions of the industrial hygienist. Nevertheless, the safeguarding of in dustrial health already is on a business basis, with labor and management recognizing its importance. Govern ment, too, takes an active interest, and 19 states have health department rules on industrial hygiene. Today, there are only about 800 industrial hygienists in the United States, and a large number of this group are not in industry, but are working for the federal govern ment or state departments. People bearing the word "hygiene'' usually recall they had a hygiene course in high school which dealt with per sonal habits such as bathing, cleaning the fingernails, teeth, etc., and im mediately lump to the conclusion that an industrial hygienist in industry must be interested in keeping employees clean. In my first visit to many of our refineries, it seemed that I was always taken first to the locker rooms and toilets to inspect shower and lavatory faciLiues. Of course, industrial hygien ists are interested io the employee's cleanliness as it is necessary to protect bis health but their primary interest is not in tanttary facilities. They are more interested us keeping an employee's lungs, skin, and other organs free from exposure to hazardous gases, liquids, dusts, and other barmful substances. The petroleum industry is becoming increaunglv involved in the handling of all kinds of chemicals having vinous degrees of physiological effects on man. These cnemicats might be described by quoting from a publication issued by duPoot's Haskell Laboratory of Toxi cology " '*tt Taka* All Sort* ' '(. henucsis. Like people, can be mild, fractious and often exas perating Lit people, chem>ciia ir of mint rvpe-i and dispositions Host are ancixnpuimag. ' itvoing citixene *ao present >> >peti4i pf.V'irmi niane i.t uasaatH* md unpredictable vent are xji no- cut orurtmev -rawr-ng wi*r* ind VKrnam irac c-une -bers hamuem 'brnue-vee ~-a > oduewced >v >ed . v.u othen ire Tcmoarmaaen *<- tart, `bit accrue ial serarw a tandem Some are >u puna "a* scans* ` C1 C C f3 Many of the compounds with which the petroleum industry is concerned are new or are being studied more fully. The indvatry's concept of in dustrial hygiene compares favorably, however, with similar activities in chemical and other industries, which have worked many years on these prob lems. The advent of catalytic cracking re sulted in the production and handling of aromadc hydrocarbons with health ' problems similar to those long asso ciated with the coal-tar industry. The use of new chemical catalysts, inhibi tors, and other chemical compounds creates health problems that the chem ical industries have faced for years. To illustrate this trend we need only look at the modern gasolines, fuel oils and motor oils. Years ago motor oils were practically 100 per cent petroleum in nature with little, if any, additives; today they contain up to 15 to 20 per cent of chemicals, additives and in hibitors. This trend doubtless will con tinue because there is no question that additives contribute much to improve performance characteristics. With every change in formulation, any busi ness makes careful studies regarding the health and safety of personnel and customers. Problems that may arise are solved, many of them by industrial hygiene. Hygiene is defined as that branch of medical science that relates to preser vation of health, and therefore, indus trial hygiene may be defined as the science of prevention and control of oc cupational illness. It resolves itself into the problem of looking for any factors or conditions in work places that could cause or contribute to illness or serious discomfort of employees, and of de vising the methods and means of elimi nating or controlling such conditions. The typical industrial hygienist usually started out as a chemist or chemical engineer who became in terested in and studied toxicological effects of chemicals on man. Conse quently, he has a good background of chemistry and engineering combined with some medical knowledae--i sort of one-third doctor, one-third engineer, and one-third chemist. His objectives ue the protection and improvement of the health and safety of workers in the industrial environment from all manner of harmful exposures related to occu pation. In the petroleum industry, in- OOlvSrvS dustrial hygienists usually function as an important part of the medical de partment and . in close collaboration with the safety department for the pro tection of employees. /If lr>Basically, the practice of industrial ll U r ` - hygiene in the petroleum industry is the same as in any other industry, and it can be boiled down to (our general principtea: 1. A knowledge of the toxicology of chemicals and materials. 2. A review of all chemicals or ma terials used or produced, how handled and the tabulation of toxic or potentially hazardous substances. 3. The measurement of worker ex posure to toxic substances. 4. The recommendation and instal lation of adequate control meas ures and the evaluation of the effectiveness of such corrective steps where indicated. Toxicology of Chemicals In regard to Item 1. the toxicology of chemicals, it is difficult to give an adequate definition of a toxic material because practically anything can be safe or harmful depending upon how it is used or where it is used. For example, air and water are not regarded as harmful, but both are quite deadly under certain conditions--air if in jected into the blood stream and water if introduced into the lungs. In the same manner, the use of carbon tetra chloride in a process having proper ventilation would not be hazardous, while the use of carbon tetrachloride for mopping floors would be quite dan gerous. In other words, a toxic ma terial may be hazardous or nonhazardous, depending on the conditions of its use. In regard to toxicology, there are three ways in which- a harmful sub stance can cause adverse effects upon man; 1. It can be ingested or swallowed. 2. It can come into direct contact with the skin or parts of the body. 3. It can be inhaled as a gas. vapor, mist, or dust. Ingestion Fortunately, petroleum materials are Dot commonly or intentionally taken in ternally and therefore, trouble from this is rather rare in a refinery, although it occasionally does occur unknowingly. I recall watching a worker who had been complaining of stomach trouble. whose duties involved the compound ing of litharge or lead oxide in a doc tor solution--this man proceeded to empty the bags of litharge into an out door mixing tank and, because of the dust and mists generated, he correctly wore a respirator. Of course, his hands were covered with lead oxide, and to nay amazement, the first thing he did when he came down from the carwaik was to take from his lunch box an orange which be started to peei and eat. probably one of the most effective ways to get lead poisoning. When petroleum products get to the consumers, ingestion is more frequent, but nearly always its occurence is a result of carelessness or mishandling. Small children whose parents care lessly leave products within easy reach may have unhappy experiences. We have had hurry calls from doctors in volving children drinking kerosine or such products as penetranng otl and fly sprays. Sometimes adults are even worse. There are cases of ann-freeze poisoning, drinking of brake fluid and one, I recall, of a radiator flush that contains muriatic acid and chlorinated hydrocarbons. This occurred desoue the fact that the product was fuil> labeled, including poison warning wih skull and cross bones. It should be emphasized that bardlv a substance exists that is not capanle o< producing adverse effects on the human body if taken in sufficient quannnr or TABLE 1. Aver*** effect at *eofcot level ta Mood.* Oqibm ai vftutrr tioaaBMffd iff l bif ^ kUofcoi Of MM a blood H 0 01 1 0 03 w 0 Ot v-* 0 1 i 0 IS wert 10 0140 30 00 .)0 00 HJ0?1 HbI 3toom P Pfl . JAMA. IT *** Problem for Hi* industrial hygienist! Instructing employees in the proper handling of toxic materials. This posed shot represents an actual instance where a worker, handling lead oxide, neglected to wash his hands before eating. If his careless habit had not been corrected, he would hare had a real health problem. It should be a part of any occupational health program to educate employees in the correct handling of materials and to warn of the hazards of excessive exposure. Here, a kettle is being charged with a chemical which generates toxic dust. Note us* of respirator, gloves, ventilating equipment, and coverall. under wrong circumstances. Even com mon cable salt is toxic if taken in suffi cient amounts. It is reported that many years ago, the Chinese used table salt as a means of committing suicide. Every chemical, therefore, has & nontoxic dose and at toxic dose. This can be well illustrated by Table l on a widely used commodity. Skin and Body Contact In the petroleum industry, skin con tact is not generally experienced to the extent that it is, for example, in the metalworking industries where a daily eight-hour contact with cutting oils often takes place. Cases of oil derma titis are uncommon among our em ployees but they are reported not in frequently among industrial users of petroleum products. It is definitely established that skin is not an impermeable barrier to cheat<5 ical substances. In fact, it is increaa*2 ingly important as a route of absorpdon for many materials. Regarding exaj ternal or local skin effects, chemicals may be classified either as primary irritants or xenon-ring agents. w' A primary irritant is a chemical that may cause dermatitis in individuals, frequently after only one contact. It may have a strong chemical action, like add, alkalis, amines, ete. or it may have a weak chemical action and re quire prolonged contact to cause der ate.primary irritants but are usually weak irritants since prolonged or ex tensive contact is generally required to cause skin irritation. The petroleum industry now is handling large quan tities of chemical additives and inhib itors, many of which are strong pri mary irritants and are active chemical compounds. It should be a part of any occupa tional health program to educate em ployees in the correct handling of such materials and to warn of the hazards of exposure. Recommendations and in structions also are given for protective equipment like respirators, goggles, gloves, and aprons. This applies to concentrated or un diluted inhibitors. Finished petroleum products should and usually do con tain such a small quantity of additives and in such dilution that there is scarcely more harm in the finished product than there would be from straight mineral oil itself. Bizarre and erroneous conclusions sometimes are drawn in industrial der matitis cases as to their cause, even by those wbo should know better. I recall a case of a young man who worked in a gasoline station and developed a severe dermatitis. He went to a physi cian wbo made patch tests on him and found he had a sensitivity to special gasoline but practically no reaction to regular gasoline. Apparently, the physi- heerd soeeixj gasoline con tains a lot of 'ead because the case was diagnosed as resulting from an excess of lead tetraethyl in the special gaso line. We thought this strange because lead tetraethyl is not a primary skin irritant and never has been known to cause dermatitis, although it is known to be a poison and can be absorbed through the skin. A review of records of gasoline ship ments into the particular area showed the regular gasoline actually contained the same or sometimes more lead than the special gasoline, clearly indicating that lead tetraethyl was not to blame, but that some other material was re sponsible, possibiy the coloring agent. Inhalation Of the three avenues by which chem icals can be taken into the body, inhalation probably has received the most study and investigation because it is the avenue of greatest importance in industrial operations. From a vast amount of research has come publica tion of very useful data on safe human exposure levels known as Threshold Limit Values or Maximum Allowable Concentrations. This is a list of several hundred commonly encountered chem icals. solvents, dusts, etc., the toxi cology of which has been carefully studied by medical research and in dustrial experience. The list is compiled annually by the American Conference of Governmental