Document DvDM0Q5XXKMn8vKrGnaLXzvEd

FILE NAME: Metropolitan Life (ML) DATE: 1946 DOC#: ML242 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Industrial Health Section - 1946 Report *u / > sorviff TOR 10A6 py ~OBX of industrial health sectio Surveys conducted by Industrial Hygiene Laboratory............. 40 /nulyses mode in Laboratory ........................ .........2,4% Ilo^e Office Inspections ...................... 62 Travel Credit ...... .... ...................... ......2,405.26 Special inquiries handled by mail or conference...... ......... 675 (An increase of approximately 125$ over 1945) Literature sent (Industrial Health Series) ........ ...... *3,684 Publications completely revised... ..... 2 Publications slightly revised ...... ........... ........... 1 Loc:lets revised ....................................... 2 Other publications written end published .... . 3 Conferences in Home Office 80 Field visits to Groups ....... ............ ........... . 14 Other field visits..... ......... .... ................ 36 'actings attended by staff ............... ..... . 61 Or. Lease has been made e member of the Board of trustees of the Trudeau Sanatorium and Foundation. I ventilation engineer is now available in the Laboratory of In dustrial Hygiene for consultation in planning new ventilation end exhaust systems and necessary revisions of those in use. to have secured the servloes of another chemist in the Laboratory. The following ore a few of the more outstanding research jobs con ducted by the Laboratory. - 2- /M The Rochester Ga3 end Electric Company wee visited by ,,;r. lYkacl to nut.1 inc end cupi'i'Viao a program for tlio study of atmospheric du.-.tn (.ml gen iiolliition. Tito eomtiony io planning to oroct a now ntrnm rlor.trVe criiorntiiv: ilii.l. illicit will toko about two years to build. Tho ttnbropolitun ,l_ to miikc studies each season of the year of the normal dust counts and supervise tho jtuov of tile dust fall and sulfur dioxide concentrations in tli City of forester before the erection of the plant. After, completion of the plant nd then it is in production, we are to supervise check studies to see if the plant, causes any pollution of the air which will be detrinentol to the health of people living in the vicinity of the plant. The Metropolitan was asked to uo this work by the Rochester Gas Company on the advice of the Republic dtecl Corporation for whoa similar work has been done. A study was mode of the possible exposure of employees to hydrogen fluoride generated by the addition of sodium fluoride to molten steel when (muring xlm boat. The study m s msda over a prolonged period to doLcrmlno the extent of the exposure of employees before this method of nnirfwfl steel vss nut into operation. Recently a strike was called at the Ford Motor Company due to complaints of employees ifeo had been exposed to the irritating fumes of hydrogen fluoride generated at a similar process. It is interesting to note that before any new process ie developed or any new materials are used in the plants of the Republic Steel Corporation, the company requests the metropolitan to make a study to determine the existence of any possible health hazards. Teats wore conducted on certain days of the week for three consecutive ..eks in the carding room of the Menville, Hew Jersey plant of the Johns - 3- //</[ "/.uville Corporation to determina the dual pollution tJirt could bn expected r::;s~. cordlg-: and spinning four difforcnt mixtures of r.bcstoa and cotton. Thii. in another example of tests being node by the Industrial Hygiene Labor atory of contoonlatcd processes in the plants of our Group policyholders be fore being put in production to eliminate any potential health hazards. Triethylene Glycol Study In certain areas in the new building (Gait 1) the air supplied to the sections is treated with triethylcne glycol so a method of air sterilisation. v;e have taken air samples in the sections with the iapingers and absorption tubes ond made quantitative triethylcne glycol determinations. Considerable orb ras done In cheeking and adapting the analytical method used. By adapting a special filter, we were able to use our Electrophotometor in the analytical work in these determinations* The results of our study to date indicate that the concentration of triethylene glycol vapors in the atmosphere is not at the optimum quantity and, therefore, no positive raaulta are indicated nor con they bo expected until the triethylene glyool concentration is increased until it reaches the bactericidal or killing range* _________ 4 ^ -7Anofchor paper by Dr. McConnell entitled "Summary of Twenty-Two Tri nitrotoluene Fatalities in World Car II* appeared in the May 1946 number of the "Journal of Induotrial Hygiene end Toxicology". Coni"* fences Durini; tho year, Sr. Ltrnua hold aixty-two conferences t-nd Dr. MeConno.ll held oighteen, in tho offico with representatives of our Group policy holders and others from health organisations. Flrltl Trios Dr. Lanza visited the plants of twelve of our Group policyholders end conferred with management regarding nursing service, poor claim experience or other matters of interest. Among policyholders visited were the Coming Glass Company, the General Electric Company, the General Motors Corporation, ^Johns-Mcnville Company and the American LoFmnce Fonmite Company. Dr. Lanza also ->ndo thirty-six other field trips during the year for the purpose of conferring with the executive staffs of health organizations, Government durecus, universities, other insurance companies, etc. regarding methods of improving the health of industrial employees. Soma of the more important of these trips were for the following purposes He had & conference with Sr. Dudley Irwin in Pittsburgh concern ing the future activities with respect to the aluminum treatment of silicas!#. He visited a number of Group policyholders on the Pacific Coast during the first port of July when he attended the annual meet ing of the American Modical Association at San Francisco. ANNUAL REPORT INDUSTRIAL HEALTH SECTION 1946 The Laboratory of Induntrial Hygiene conducted forty surveys of health .muttons in the plants of our Group policyholders. Although this is & re duction in the number of plants surveyed last year, the individual plants surveyed ere larger and employed a greater number of employees. Also, the initiation of a very large project - the surveying of approximately one hun dred and twenty plants of the General Electric Coapany - as wall sa surveys of several other companies could not bo included in this year's schedule due to the transportation strikes which held up for weeks trunks containing equip ment and samples collected in the previous surrey. A typical plant survey report includes a description of the proeosaos, * plant construction end layout, plant housekeeping and personal facilities; discussion of methods of sampling and analyses; chemical analyses and other findings of the camples collected; and recommendations for control of any health and .safety hazards found. Attention is also called to safety hazards. A, A section of the report discusses the health hazards found - symptoms, toxic concentrations, treatment, etc. The eomplee collected in the plants and sent to the Home Offioe Laboratory necessitated making^494.separata analyses. Exclusive of such environmental factors as defective inadequate local end general ventilation, and sanitary defects, a total of 42 different substances known - 2- r- to effect adversely the health of expoood worfcers wan detected. These con- latod of dents, ouch aa silica (which in by far the most prominent), nsbonboa,] lend, mnncnncuo; solvent, cuoh aa carbon dinulnhldo,totmchloraUv.no, trlclilor wtiKuio, trlciCLorcthylene, benzol, toluol, ethyl, methyl and butyl acetate, nwyl tnd ethyl acetato, naphtha, an well aa hydrofluorlo, liydroculorlc, and sulfuric acids. A number of new Instruments were purchased lor the Laboratory during the year in order to facilitate and expedite the survey work and to attain the best possible accuracy in determining hazardous exposures. These ore a Mercury vapor detector, a sound meter used to determine noise levels, and a Geiger-Jiullar meter for measuring radiant energy. // A ventilation engineer is now available for consultation in planning new ^/entilation end exhaust systems or necessary revisions of those in use The Industrial Health Section and the Laboratory of Industrial Hygieno has continued to males periodic sanitary and industrial hygiene inspections of the Commissary Division. Theso inspections include methods of preservation of food, refrigeration, food handling and disposal, dish washing, vermin con trol end cleanliness generally. Sis office has also continued to bo of assistance in such work opera tions os point spraying, lead soldering, elding and other operations where solvents and toado materials ora employed throughout the building. *