Document NenYZpaD6ndOpm319z7dR4NDQ

inter.OFFICE MEMO TENNECO CHEMICALS, INC. To P.R. Scarito At Burlington From W.C. Champion AT Burlington Subject Compound Plant - OSHA Status date March 18, 1975 Copy to l P, Gawasotl F.W. Kanzler G.I. Rozand File At your request, we have reviewed the Compound Plant personal and Bendix monitoring data for the last three months, with the objective of determining whether or not this plant should be designated as a "reg ulated area" under the OSHA Standard. The standard requires establishment of a regulated area where "----polyvinyl chloride is ----- stored, handled or used", and where "vinyl chloride concentrations are in excess of the permissible exposure limit" (emphasis mine). The permissable exposure limit required: 1. Eight-hour averaged exposure no greater than 1 ppm. 2. Fifteen-minute averaged excursions to no greater than 5 ppm. The Bendix system has been operating in the Compound Plant since February 17th. Between that date and March 14th, no excursions greater than 2.8 ppm have been measured, and the eight-hour averages have been no higher than 0.4 ppm. Both these are well under the levels which would require establishment of a regulated area. For the most recent three complete months of personal monitoring data (December, January, February), no exposures greater than 3,5 ppm were measured on fifteen-minute samples. The overall average for all data (159 samples) was 0.4 ppm. Only four samples, or 2.5%, exceeded 1 ppm. This is well within the 5 ppm maximum excursion limit, and eight-hour averages of less than 1 ppm can be inferred. Based upon these data, it is recommended that the Compound Plant be a non-regulated area. Since exposures over the permissable limit have been occasionally measured by both techniques, monitoring must continue. The Bendix system should suffice as the primary measurement, but limited per sonnel monitoring is recommended to support these data. WCC/j st COLORITE 010435