Document B8qBMnraR3MN7XG7GwmBXm22w

FILE NAME Brakes BRK DATE 1988 Jan DOC BRK148 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Journal Article - Asbestos Exposure Associated with Automotive Brake Repair in Pennsylvania Industrial Hygiene Forum Franklin D. Griffith Ph.D. Department Editor The IndustrialHygiene Forum is designed as a medium of exchange for members and readers who wish to share their know with others yet avoid the necessity ofpreparing a full and detailed manuscript on the subject This is your opportunity to share with others your know timely tips new ideas etc. on any aspect of industrial hygiene Exceptions are matters of opinion and comments on published manuscripts these will be published elsewhere in the Journal Submissions should be signed and marked for publication in the Forum Contributions to the Industrial Hygiene Forum will not be peer reviewed but the right is reserved to edit accepted contributions The success of the Forum of course will depend upon the contributions from you our readers For consideration send your contributions directly to Franklin D. Griffith Ph.D. Industrial Hygiene Forum AIHA Journal 475 Wolf Ledges Parkway Akron OH 44311-1087 216 762-7294 oo . estos Exposure Associated with Automotive Brake Repair in Pennsylvania L. LAMONT MOORE Safety Sciences Department Indiana University of Pennsylvania 205 Uhler Hall Indiana PA 15705 Introduction Automobile mechanics are potentially exposed to asbestos fibers released during brake repair work in service stations car dealerships and muffler shops nationwide Asbestos fibers are released when service mechan- ics clean dust residue from contaminated drum or wheel parts Personal samples were collected from the breathing zones of auto- mobile mechanics to estimate their asbestos exposure while performing actual brake re- moval and repair work Exposure measure- ments were made in thirty different facil- ities with widely diverse work practices The estimated average asbestos exposure during actual repair work was 0.03 fiber per cubic centimeter cc based on thirty sepa- rate samples If zero exposure were assumed the unsampled portions of these shifts I ean hour weighted average would have been 0.002 cc 12 Materials and Methods measurements were collected during repairs Personal samples were drawn from the breath- ing zones of employees performing brake service work Sampling encompassed the entire period required to complete the as- on representative of number vehicle makes and models in a broad spectrum of repair facilities employing a wide diversity of work practices signed tasks In most instances the assignment consisted of pulling all four wheels visually inspecting the front disc pads then removing and replacing both sets of rear brake shoes In 75 of the instances where exposure exceeded the mean 0.03 cc poor work practices were involved Where employees utilized good work practices - such as the use of a spray aerosol liquid cleaner - Each sample was collected on an ...mseventy percent of the exposure measurepore size mm diameter mixed cellulose ments fell below the mean ester filter mounted in an open cm diameter cassette Individual filters were at- tached to the employees outer garments in the breathing zone Air was drawn through these filters using MSA Model G sampling pumps The flow rate on each pump was set at 1.7 Lpm as established by prior calibration by a soapbubble meter The sampling rate was checked periodically and adjusted if necessary to maintain the desired setting At the conclusion of each survey the individual Our findings seem somewhat lower than those reported by Kauppinen and Korhonen but this may be due to less frequent use of compressed air for cleaning In most of the Pennsylvania facilities surveyed each employee performed an average of two or three brake repairs per week Based on our interviews it would be unusual for a mechanic to perform brake service work on more than one vehicle per day cassette was sealed labeled and submitted to The mean length of time required to com- an approved industrial hygiene laboratory plete these brake jobs was 29 min If one At the laboratory a small portion of each filter was cut and mounted on glass slide in expects exposure to average 0.03 cc during this high risk period with zero exposure a medium consisting of dimethylphthalate and diethyloxalate then covered with a glass cover slip Each sample was subsequently counted on a Zeiss microscope equipped with phase contrast and a porton reticle The assumed for the remainder of the shift the employee's hour weighted aver- age could be predicted to average 0.002 cc on days when brake repairs are under- taken reticle is calibrated at a magnification of 400 times with the stage micrometer from Bausch and Lomb Optical with scales of 0.10 mm and 0.01 mm Conclusions Appendix F to 29 CFR 1910.1001 summarizes mandatory work practices and engineer- Results and Discussion One major finding of this study was that automobile mechanics were very well edu- cated about the danger of using compressed air to clean dust from wheel or brake parts Compressed air was used on a limited basis in only one ofthe thirty facilities surveyed ing controls for automotive brake repair operations Our study supports OSHA's posi- tion that management in the automobile serv- ice industry can keep employee exposure below 0.1 cc and avoid costly compliance programs The most readily accepted costeffective approach seems to be the use of spray aerosol cans of brake cleaning The data summarized in Table I suggest solvents These containers deliver a mist with that employee exposure typically falls well considerably less force than shop air hoses below the OSHA permissible exposure limit fitted with a solvent delivery system The PEL of 0.2 cc We point out that these aerosol spray approach may be equally as TABLE 1 Summary of Asbestos Exposure Monitoring Number of Exposure Measurements Range for Duration of Sample Period minutes Concentration ^ Asbestos fiber Cocnccentration Median Mean Range 35 10 - 60 0.02 0.03 0.01-0.15 Exposure estimates above reflect actual weighted averages for the sampling period during which brake service work was carried out not the full eight shift Copyright 1988 American Industrial Hygiene Association Am Ind Hyg Assoc J. 49 January 1988 effective as vacuum systems equipped with HEPA filters provided that the contaminated liquid drippings are caught in a drip pan and disposed of in accordance with appropriate waste disposal regulations Other work practices which deserve management consideration include limiting the height of the car or service rack so that wheel parts are not disassembled at or above the level of the employee's breathing zone and prohibiting employees from dumping dust residue from brake drums directly on the shop floor Contaminated dust can be vacuumed or carefully dumped into waste liquid containers which subsequently will be used to catch aerosol drippings References 1. Kauppinen T. and K. Korhenon Exposure to Asbestos During Brake Maintenance of Automotive Vehicles by Different Methods Am Ind Hyg Assoc J. 499-504 1987 2. Asbestos Tremolite Anthophyllite and Antinolite Code of Federal Regulations Title 29 Subtitle B Part 1910 SubparZt. June 20 1986 Ribavirin - Exposure to Health Care Workers SUSAN B. LEE Safety Director The Children's Hospital 300 Longwood Ave. Boston MA 02115 Introduction Ribavirin ribofuranosyl tricarboxamide an antiviral drug has the Food and Drug Administration FDA approval for administration as an aerosol to selected infants and young children with severe respiratory tract infections due to respiratory syncytial virus RSV Ribavirin Virazole has been sold in Mexico for almost twenty years under the brand name Vilona as an orally administered remedy for viral infections It is noteworthy as one of several drugs being tested for treatment of AIDS and AIDS related com- plex ARC Warnings contraindications precautions and a description of adverse reactions are given in the product monograph as they might affect the patient and the treatment of the disease Some ofthe potential adverse health effects for health care workers administering ribavirin may be carcinogenesis fertility impairment and fetotoxicity Use of the drug is contraindicated in women or girls who are pregnant or may become pregnant during exposure to ribavirin Ribavirin has been found to be teratolethal and embryolethal in nearly all animal species in which it has been tested It has shown structural and meta- bolic similarity to other cytotoxic agents is mutagenic in mammalian cell culture and has caused cell transformation in an in vitro mammalian system The purpose of this paper is as follows to describe the method of administration of aerosolized ribavirin as the source of occupational exposure to the drug describe policies and procedures developed by one hospital in the absence of any data on the level of exposure given Am Ind Hyg Assoc J. 49 January 1988 employee complaints of irritation and concerns about reproductive toxicity to report results of environmental monitoring for airborne ribavirin exposed health care workers are women in their childbearing years the potential for fetal death or damage was of even higher concern than the mentioned acute symptoms Administration of Ribavirin Method and Results A sterile dilution of lyophilized ribavirin is prepared such that the concentration of the solution is 20 mL The particle aerosol generator SPAG delivers the solution as a small uniform size aerosol 95 of particles < ...diam which is contained inside a hood or tent around the patient's breathing zone The average aerosol concentration for 12 hr period would be 190 g0.19 mg of air The aerosol is administered for 20 of 24 hr for five consecutive days Occupational Exposure In the absence of any data on the level of exposure and to most prudently address the potential hazard to unborn children ofstaff members it was recommended that preg- nant workers or those attemptintgo become pregnant be excluded from any exposure by not caring for patients on ribavirin In response to the acute symptoms described above an industrial hygiene survey was conducted using a calibrated Bendix pump open 37 mm cassettes and 0.8 ...MCEFPreliminary results showed ambient exposure levels of 2.35 to 2.80 mg airborne dust Based on these results and Direct exposure occurs when nurses respiratory therapists doctors or others actually enter the tent to care for the patient Because these patients are usually very young and quite ill the tasks involved in caring for them may be quite frequent and of relatively long duratio1n5 min 1 hr at time It should be noted that the care is to a babe in arms and this exposure is in the employee's breath- ing zone assuming the dust was ribavirin the Safety Office required the following protection for staff who enter the room while ribavirin aerosol was being administered to prevent eye irritation - fitting goggles to prevent inhalation approved dust mist respirators 3M Company 8710 or equivalent properly worn and fitted Indirect exposure may occur because the to prevent inadvertent ingestion - use tent or hood is not an airtight filtered system of sleeved gowns and latex gloves The pressure inside the tent is positive with scrupulous personal hygiene hand and respect to the room and therefore the air- any exposed skin surface washing borne ribavirin particles may leak into the room creating potential for inhalation to anyone entering the room Direct caregivers who may enter and leave the room to check on the patient's status without entering the assure employees understand potential hazards routes of entry and limitations of protective measures - dissemination of product literature and training sessions tent may be exposed in this way The greater Using an identical method and collecting concern of indirect exposure is to the par- five additional samples we at the Children's ents who may visit anytime day or night and Hospital were unable to confirm the airborne who may spend the entire night in the patient's room Employees complaints of headaches burn- ing and dryness of the eyes coughing and dryness of the upper respiratory tract resulted in the Safety Office's becoming involved in investigating the matter of occupational expo- dust concentration seen in the first two samples All other samples were below the limit of detection in exposed and exposed areas Based on these results the requirement for strict use of personal protective equipment was limited to the occasions when employees sure to ribavirin Since the majority of the enter the tent _ Copyright 1988 American Industrial Hygiene Association 13