Document DdZX7bazNyvn0bxm8kkV6Rd9O
FILE NAME Pennsylvania PA
DATE 1934 Oct 1 DOC PA001 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION PA Government Bulletin - Asbestosis Part 1
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRY
CHARLOTTE E. CARR Secretary
Special Bulletin
ASBESTOSIS
THE Collection and Counting of Dust Encountered in
Asbestos Fabricating Plants
JOHN CAMPBELL Director
Bureau of Industrial Standards
Harrisburg Pennsylvania
October 1 1934
Sn
Sn
ASBESTO-SPIARST I The Collection and
Counting of Dust Encountered in Asbestos Fabricating Plants
By WILLIAM B. FULTON M. D. Chief of Industrial Hygiene ROBERT L. HOUTZ Advanced Chemist ALLAN DOOLEY Chemist JULIA L. MATTHEWS Ph D. Chemist
BUREAU OF INDUSTRIAL STANDARDS
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRY COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
ASBESTOS
Encou
The Pennslvania in several surveys
health of the work able and the man
presented in asb portant
The 1930 Genev pation and Healt data in medical
branches includin
View of the self es
cause of pulmona increasing develo
to the urgency amelioration
In a survey no
mately one hund data presented in the samples wer samples were coll
manufacture and in the same zone
The purpose
nique already in
The modified 1 the collection of
in height and 5
centimeters A flask for use in made according 10 rubber stopp
impinger appara
surface When used so as to ins
All samples wer
For this purpos
impinging flask
was made entir
is-
ene
RY
ASBESTOSIS ASBESTOSIS ASBESTOSIS ASBESTOSIS ASBESTOSIS Part I The Collection and Counting of Dust
Encountered in Asbestos Fabricating Plants
INTRODUCTION
The Pennslvania Department of Labor and Industry now is engaged
in several surveys on the effect of dusts and their relation to the health of the worker In view of the limited information now available and the many new uses of asbestos a survey of the conditions
presented in asbestos fabricating plants becomes increasingly important
The 1930 Geneva report of the International Labor Office in Occupation and Health cites The lack of more accurate and detailed data in medical literature regarding this industry in its various
branches including the utilization of products is to be deplored in view of the evident importance of asbestos dust as a predisposing cause of pulmonary tuberculosis more especially since the rapidlyincreasing development of industries utilizing asbestos adds greatly to the urgency of studying the conditions with a view to their
amelioration In a survey now being conducted in the asbestos industries approxi-
mately one hundred and fifty samples have been collected and the data presented in this paper were obtained from these samples All the samples were collected in the worker's breathing zone Dust samples were collected at the site of each operation in the process of manufacture and in some instances two samples at the same time and
in the same zone but in different collection mediums
The purpose of this report is to discuss our modification of the technique already in use in its application for this type of work
METHOD
The modified form of the Greenburg impinger was used for the collection of dust particles A cylindrical flask 210 millimeters in height and 50 millimeters in diameter is graduated to 325 cubic centimeters A line is marked 5 millimeters from the base of the flask for use in gauging the impinging distance The impinger tube made according to specified measurements is inserted through a No. 10 rubber stopper which fits the flask In the modified form of the impinger apparatus the bottom of the flask is used as the impinging surface When sampling dust in the field a calibrated flowmeter was
used so as to insure collection at the rate of one cubic foot per minute
All samples were taken as close to the face of the worker as possible For this purpose a specially designed holster Fig 1 to support the impinging flask was strapped to the chest of the worker The holster was made entirely of leather straps half inch in width It was
3
oo reer nme vow team an s oe ea agG ar oa
LEATHER HOLSTER WITH IMPINGER IN PLACE 4
constructed so th out removing th
In making th States Public H be applicable fo diluted it was transferred to a
previously filtere
than 40 microns
investigators ha
100 microns in DSC was use and a 15X eyel for counting sampling
Reports of oth
water as a colle
first used but co dust particles I erated Even wi
ing was but an
medium 95 per e water The use
caused by the
the dust in this was distinet and
the optical efficie cent for distilled
tion to the use o
It was decided
particles in two
impinger outfits
that the flask o distilled water
rated by a fixed were collected a in the photomier
Figure 2 show in distilled wate particles
Figure 3 is
at the same time case both the la
position on the e tion of the parti
Figures 4 and
the one described
_ACE
constructed so that the fluid in the flask could be seen at all times with-
out removing the flask from the holster
In making the dust counts the method suggested in the United States Public Health Report was followed where it was found to be applicable for this type of dust After the sample was properly diluted it was shaken for one minute and a cubic centimeter was transferred to a Sedgwick Counting Cell The sample was not previously filtered through a 325 mesh screen so that particles smaller than 40 microns in diameter are permitted to pass through Other investigators have found asbestos bodies in the lungs from 20 to 100 microns in length A Zeiss monobjective binocular microscope DSC was used It was fitted with an achromatic objective 8 na and a 15X eyepiece A Whipple ocular micrometer disk was used for counting All dust counts were made within 24 hours after sampling
RESULTS
Reports of other investigators have shown the efficiency of distilled
water as a collection medium for silica dust Distilled water
first
used
but
considerable
difficulty was
experienced
in
was
counting the
dust particles It was noted that the particles of dust become agglom-
erated Even when the time interval between the collection and count-
ing was but an hour this agglomeration was observed A second medium 95 per cent U. S. P. ethyl alcohol was substituted for distilled water The use of ethyl alcohol completely eliminated the difficulties
caused by the clumping of the dust particles The distribution of
the dust in this medium was excellent The outline of the particles was distinct and the counting much simplified G. W. Smith reports
the optical efficiency of alcohol 93.0 per cent as compared to 92.5 per cent for distilled water so from this standpoint there can be no objec-
tion to the use of alcohol
It was decided to sample the same dust zone and collect the dust
particles in two different mediums With this in mind two complete
impinger outfits were employed The only difference in these
that the flask of one contained alcohol while the other
was
distilled water
contained The impinger openings of the two outfits were sepa-
rated by a fixed distance of one and fourth inches The samples
were collected at the same time and the results are shown clearly
in the photomicrographs
Figure 2 in distilled particles
shows the appearance of the
water with clear indication
dust particles when of the clumping of
collected
the dust
Figure 3 is a photomicrograph of dust from the same zone taken
at the same time but collected in an ethyl alcohol medium In this case both the large and the small particles maintained a dispersed
position on the cell surface There is no tendency towards agglomera-
tion of the particles
Figures 4 and 5 likewise illustrate another dust zone separate from
the one described above The former reports the water medium and
5
the
latter
the
ethyl
alcohol
medium
medium medium
In
side of the square formed by small cross
measures 20 microns
photomicrograph
the photomicrograph
lines of the Whipple
each disc
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 4
PHOTOMICROGRAPH WATER MEDIUM
FIGURE 3
an rd
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PH
FIGUR
PHOTOMICROGRAPH ALCOHOL MEDIUM
omicrograph each the Whipple disc
FIGURE 4
A
a
anes
JM
PHOTOMICROGRAPH WATER MEDIUM FIGURE 5
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PHOTOMICROGRAPH ALCOHOL MEDIUM \ 7
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The United States }
DUST PARTICLES- MILLIONS CUBIC FOOT OF AIR
wick Rafter cells shou
f. ...
ing to allow the dust 1
> ... i
"
...
...
...
...
in plants making asbes
time is necessary Th
4
SET LINGSETTLING
8
SETTLING
ee
NQ
ee rs
OF
SETTLING
OF Or SETLING CURVES
SETTLING CURVES
SETTLING CURVES
DUST
CURVES
CURSET LINGValE ee S CURVES
FIGURE
6
ns
minutes before any e tional 10 minutes is re
particles Experiment for settling of this pa
a series of curves show will be noted that it wa
before counting
SET LINGSETTLING
12
TIME
12
TIME
TIME TIME
-IN
16
16
MINUTES-
MINUTES-
MINUTES-
MINUTES- 20
MINUTES- 20
COUNTING COUNTING
COUNTING 24
COUNTING
COUNTING
CELL
CELL 28
CELL 28
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IN'}.
So
PARTICLES | PARTICLES
PARTICLES PARTICLES
PARTICLES
PARTICLES
SHOWING SHOWING SHOWING
SHOWING
SHOWING
TIME
*
TIME
r
4
;
{ '
i
:
. ~---
4 4 4
YT
Samples of dust ta were collected by a i
95.0 per cent U.S.P.
particles were well d
water was utilized as
immediately and mac
in alcohol is good
quired before counti
mained constant afte It is constructed of 1
impinger flask is visi
4
1. Occupation an
-|
P
1930
32
i
2. T. Hatch H.
36 36
a
oo
:
} ee
Greenburg Operating C No. 8 Oct.
40 40
fi
44 ao
ut]
44
IT
;
Loe
_
IV
4
IV
3. Leonard Green
Sampling A
Health Servi
March 18 19
4. W. E. Cooke
Pulmonary
vol 2P 578
5. W. M. Myers Water Ker Investigation
125
105
|
SETLING CURVES
SHOWING
TIME
SETTLING OF PARTICLES
FIGURE The United States Public Health
wick Rafter cells should
Service Service found that the Sedg-
ing to allow the dust
stand from 10 to 20 minutes before count-
in plants
particles to settle However for dust collected
time is making asbestos products our findings indicate that
necessary This dust was allowed to settle in
a longer
minutes before any counting was done We
the cell for 30
tional 10 minutes is required to permit
found that this addi-
particles Experiments
a complete settling out of the
6
for settling of this
were conducted to determine the time factor
a series of
particular kind of dust in the cell Figure 6 is
curves
will be noted that
showing
the
settling
time
of
the
dust
particles
It
it was necessary to allow the cell to
before counting
stand 30 minutes
SUMMARY
Samples of dust taken in plants for
were collected by a modified form of fabricating asbestos products
95.0 per cent U.S.P.
the standard method using a
ethyl alcohol as a medium In this medium the
particles were well distributed and
water was utilized the
readily counted When
collecting medium agglomeration
distilled
immediately and made counting impossible
in
occurred
Dispersion of
alcohol is good A settling time of at least 30
the dust
quired before counting The particle count in
minutes was re-
mained constant after this period A
any given field re-
It is constructed of leather
modified holster is described
impinger flask is visible at saltlratpismeisn such a way that the fluid in the
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Occupation and Health International Labour
1930
Office Geneva
2. T. Hatch H. Warren and P. Drinker " Modified Form of the
Greenburg Impinger for Field Use with
Operating Characteristics
a Study of Its
No. 8 Oct. 1932
Journ Ind Hygiene vol XIV
3. Leonard Greenburg and J. J. Bloomfield : The
Sampling Apparatus as Used by the
Health Service U. S. Public HealthHealth
Impinger Dust
United States Public
March 18 1932
Reports vol 47 No. 12
4. W. Cooke Asbestos Dust and the Curious Bodies Found in
vPoullm2oPnar57y8-A8s0bestosis British Medical Journ S'28 1929
5. W. M. Myers Solubility of Finely Divided Rock
Water Kerosene and Alcohol Bur of
Dusts in
Investigations Serial No. 2548 Nov. 1923 Mines Reports of