Document O1enXx7pDjr8GaGKyZVQk272L

NO. 811/5 O e TrI--J* I > o r p && VS ^\>C' $ \ I t Report on medical examination of men from Lose Brothers, Inc* plant at Layton, Ohio exposed to lead, silica, silicates and volatile solvents* Lead exposure eighteen men exposed to lead dust at tne plant of Lowe Brothers, Inc., at Dayton, dhio were examined at the Kettering Laboratory in august, Iplpb. The examination was designed to assess the general health of the men, and to establish as far as possible tae presence or absence of any disaffection relateu to occupation, particularly lead intoxication. To this end occupational and medical histories were taken, symptomatology was studied, a complete physical examination, including neurological examination and chest fluoroscopy, was performed, certain laboratory tests to indicate the presence or absence of infection or* disease of the kidneys or olood forming organs were carried out, and exposure to lead as measured by the lead concentrations of the blood and urine, v/us appraised. Of the eighteen men, five were found who had physical disease that needed attention ana made them undue risks for work in an hazardous tr.ae. ^hore was no evidence that their lead, silica, silicate or solvent exposure had contributed to the conditions from vraicn they suffered. These men were kwhoso X-ray and laboratory findings could be interpreted as evidence of active pulEionary tuberculosis; kwho had severe and extensive varicose veins and a job in which he was liable to tramatiz them; HE 0013.2 2 8 2- " who was somewhat deaf, and aufferin-, from certain add!clonal defects that might possioi.; os best treated by a competent psychiatristj whose fatigability, evidence of malnutrition uhv-. chest X-ray tight be interpreted as evidence of active pulmonary tuberculosis, and whose symptoms we.,.0 suf.fieiencly suggestive of heart disease so contraindicate his lifting or climbing stairs, ana ca indicate cho advisac._i ty of fart .. i 1 if h. dvl. y by .ais family physician. i-onu of the id men had symptoms suggestive of ,,.oad intoxication. levels of lean eon.onere cion In one blood ana urine of she members of this group were uouble those of men caving no occupational load exposure (~iy. 1 ana 2j. there <?aa no clinically or statistically significant difference o a tween tne two .groups representing one years Iyu.6 anu iya.G (facie 1), and non of the inuiviuuals cotamon to coth croups snowed any significant difference in the load concentration In cither bloo-., or urine (Table 2} on the too occasions. These analytical findings suggest that cue intensity of tho recent lead exposure 'has not differed appreciaoly from chat of 1940 before the exhaust ventilation, was installed. The two sets of analytical data are consistent with the clinical findings on both occasions, and ^ith one previous and intervening experience of tno plant, with respect to the incidence O f .i. tf SX O. poisoning, for it is to be expected in a group of men with this degree of exposure that an occasional nan, cither because of fils working habits or the ...asure f }<ff A0 0A11 3O 2 2 3 3- * IX. S ) dj/ t - .. X 1.4. .*4 -4 d t dX . - , XQUiw. (ib UX' >.. UU GG~ Xi'J'J - ' i -- 0 UX 4 W 44 OX id d 4.4 y d. t time moat or l ho xan would be free ox any evidence of load .Intoxication. ilia "acts that all tac men are now free of symptoms suggestive of intoxication, that the air analyses nave shosn chat safe .working conditions can obtain, anti that the potential hazard has not changed in these six years. Indicates that the occurrence of an occasional case of lead intoxication La not a necessary concomitant to the pa ant operations. At the xnu of the report will be suggestions cesi.:nsd to crevont cue occur.; enco of occasional intoxication -iilca am silicate nx-oosuro free siiica is not an haaurd at toe plant, since _t ..a not con tamed to .<b apprccxuDl-j extent . xi any ox tne raw ;;.:ateriais. fonsiaerable quantities of camoinca silica are usaa, in the form of asbestine, have been informed by nr. l* A* -'hsig (9-17-46) that cne asbestine used at the plant is a form of talc; !,tra;;:olita is undoubtedly the pa rent .: inera 1.11 .Yllliam Siegel, A. a. raith and L. Greenberg have reported (Stuay of talc Iners ana millers. industrial bulletin 22, #'11 and -12, kov. and Deo., 1943) their observations on workers mining unu milling talc in St* Lawrence County, d.- Y. They conclude from evidence which we consider adequate, that "this tudy identified tremoilie talc as a silicate dust capable, like asbestos, of caus .LXX \ <.1 -;i sab ling pneumono conio sis. It reveals distinctive patnological findings associated with K ^ G 01.3 3 3 0 .1? * ex .o- ;ro so tremolite dust talc which postulate a special el... is j for the resulting disease. Tnere is also evidence thav -remoli-e talc fibrosis is associated with increased s-a'o--;:.-oioility to tuberculosis* In the light of these findings, a. . r.y.re to trenolite talc oust must be considered to constitute a definite industrial hazard requiring control of aust by suitable engineering methods.51 Twenty-three men were examined with respect to this :azard. among thesef eighteen were tne mixers and recei /srs referred to above in connection with lead exposure; men, and sere exposed to volatile solvents; .on, ana HHHP wr ih the receiving department. Ihe same type of clinical and laboratory observations. utlined above in relation to lead exposure, were carried out h'i ail these men except the three last named, in whose on;.. :;ae lead analysts a no examination of blooa smears for ::t.L ; .line: were omitted, ana other means of study were limited to stereoscopic .-ray examinations of the chest, nil the :* 0 v* ith the exception oreoscopic chest X-r ay exam i n a t i o ns . i\i: nd of this last group. rtad fl oroscopic cxvii. t examinations* Ho symptoms or Xtray evidence of pneumonoconiosia were bound in any of those men. This same conclusion resulted from in study of a group of 15 similarly exposed employees of .'.owe Brothers go. in 194-0. It Is concluded that the hazard of pneurtonoconlosis slant is satisfactorily controlled by measures now 1 -'08 . KE 0013331 Vo la r, 11 e solvents All of the jaixers and some V one workmen In otha occupations, arc exposed to various volatile solvents arid Irritating fumes, "i'he exposure of are co:.alderou toe ost t . nil i can t because of sne nature of tneir jobs ana the extant of their exposure to benaola na etnylene aichloride. fhese three men, also and and the eighteen nixers and receivers were examined as outlined ...reviouaiy, .vibh special emphasis upon too detection of possible signs ox* symptoms of oiseasa of the Iridneys, .liver or olood-forming organs. Certain special studies tore carried out a jon ti;.c formed elements of tie oicou o: the first named three men, together with tests of tneir liver function, exception of ~na it -s const acred that none of Vue .on gave evidence isat their exposure to solvents was more bnan a nuisance. If that, a thin., aging man, seemed to nave nud. tar greatest potential exposure to benzol and etnylene lie xioride. through an operating error on one occasion, me nau boon exposed to solvents i-o such a degree as to develop symptoms of intoxication. At the time of nis examination, he v/as found to hive a number of mild abnormalities, some of which might be interpreted as related to hazardous solvent exposure, ~ut none of .filch seemed to have caused any disability. nevertheless it Is felt, because of the nature of the operations ne Is handling, us well as his physical condition, that uto operation shoula be redesigned to give 0013232 a reater factor o f safety ana that le la an undue risk at i:ic operation has the single, possibly trivial, abnormality of a ail.jht elevation In sex'um bilirubin, u q is- otherwise in excellent condition* `his flnuin, snoulj. not be communicated to him because rt is probably of no clinical significance, and riijht give rise to unjustified and unnecessary anxiety on '.is oart* r h suggested that ne ana certain other men flight be re checked periodically* has certain symptoms that night more properly be r:.ferrod to tho aging process than bo exposure to solvents. It tould seen that ,-j is an undue risk for ouch exposure. :3 Pioula be followed by :.ls iatrhiy physician after a stereoscopic examination of the chest Is obtained. r.as -nad o: nptons wnich ns attributed to solvent exoosui'O In coo past. It ip felt because of his emotional susceptibilities that he should be kept from solvent exposure in the future. Acrolein fhis haward. has r.ofc cfeen evaluated as yet, hugnnary and recommendations a. The lead liaoard i3 essentially as it was at trie time of too previous survey. liis potential hazard is appreciable, but the actual Jiasard is small under the present and previous conditions in too plant. PK 0013,233 because occasional cases of leaintoxication .'cur ur-a uavo occurred under those conditions, olio;-.1 in- operat_ng changes are rcor-omended; xl) iliac one frequency of':.ouso-cleaning be increased, a vacuum system being employed to remove ousts which. accumulate on trie floor, rafters, unci equipment % (*-) That uen -vno load mixers or ball mills with. 1-jaded zinc and pigments containing asoestine is required to wear oust asms while emptying wags of these uteriais; {>) fhat ino -en wno work -,.n tna baling machine also 03 equipped with must ..asks; {.+} The ;-xatsica are to be inaividual, .coot in individual cabinets separate from Cue work clothes, and cleaned, properly 'maintained ana inspected weekly in tnese cabinets oy one .an properly supervised ana Indoctrinated in the caro of oust masks* (5) that tne severity of tae potential exposure to lead-bearing and other dusts on tho nixing floor be determined a..;ain in tuc winter time in order to gauge seasonal V1JL1 j. OiiiS (a) fho minimum amount o- mod leal control required to protect the sn against the actual hazard -ootid be initiated. It is believed HE 0013234 that tae collection -*nu analyses or suitable sasip-les ablood and .trine Tor their i.;ad content, together with a brief Interview of each ran by a qualified Internist, will ruffle for this purpose if both ar carried out ut Intervals of six months* . fhe iiazard of pneuraenoconicsi3 at cue plant la adequately controlled under the present operating conditions* foe present control measures suoulu re continued, the nazarci of exposure to voiacll; solvents Is adequately controlled, except for cert - .In conditions indicated oelow, for mien corrective measures are suggested. (i) The operations in connection with the manufacture of paint recovers should be .louified to give greater safety to tne operator, anu tno operator should be experienced, cacenui;/' supervised, ana :.n -.,ood nealth; (1) fills operator and tar solvent la ex* (now hapnor) should be examined by suitable clinical and laboratory /. etnous every six .onths to insure thy absence of damage to the bloou, kidneys and liver, (3) All standpipes delivering thinner should be isolated wit.ain a properly assigned laterally exhausted hood. (.r) all containers unu port., ole tanka should be covered* K 0013235 *n. coaside rude Kuinoer or too .on mu physical defects :'/r.led, in relation to the ir presen's occupations, ,.,ight be expected to give rise to undue tatard to themselves f seir felloe ooxiters, or the company. fhose men a number of sue remaining Men mad vea jor an,: minor abnorraa 1 ities for which they should receive medical advice. Ahis indicates that ::ho company is not protectinitself adequately against suen risks. It is suggested that (1) pre-employment and.periobic examinations o all tne men exposea to oust or solvents CO a i d .nstituced. ^re-emslo rnont examinations saouio. be comprehensive, ferio-'ic examinations snou.id include a brief physical examination, ~.c vhlch time a few pertinent questions can oe asked. a miniature stereoscopic5 ""*iju.y 1 j . I-',: 0 i. t g no st to.ix, 'Gi.10 UPil'Ild C3xa.'i-j n&u , xiit, tile specific ora vlty of the bloou determined ii. xho acrolein .lazaiti will be reported on later. ..sported ay: Henry H. ayder, f.D. d'm. k. Ashe, H.D. Date: Impcemcer yQ, 1946 Approved iiooert a Director odd , Table 1 Ore up and bate -J .niters and e cel vers, 1540 naljtic al findings on Lo^e Bros. :.en Loxarlthra of B lood fb, au.> Blood ?b. sax. ,1 Mean* Standard Deviation* Geometric Mean*- 3.70 - 10 (+0.022) 0.094 + 0.016 0.050 + p.l/J .4 nixers and sceivers, I94G 3.70 - 10 (_+0.Q26) ; varnish and lacquer orkars, 19-4-0 and 1946 3.99 - 10 lettering controls (men without occupational sad exposure) 3.936 - 10 (+0.011) 0.099 + 0.019 o.o38 _+ 0.008 J 'S . ;X +1 O 010. 0 0.039 0.02q-3 ,+ 29/- Logarithm of Urine Pb, :ak ./L J /sixers ana ece Ivors, 1940 3.76 - 10 (,+0.053) 0.22 _+ 0.0p3 4 mixers and seel vers, 1940 3.8k - 10 (+0.053) 0.20 + 0.039 varnish and lacquer orkers, 1940 and 1946 3.64 - 10 .at taring controls (men ifcliout occupational ead exposure) 3.395 -10 (+0.022) 0.220 j+ 0.015 > and standard error Urine ?b, .nr./L 0.058 + 7.0/i 0.0 09 + o*3>; 0.044 0.0247 5.84 KE 0013 ible Analytical findings in nan cludioa In lOaO and 19g.b TJ7-rV* .*!_ vi. i1, cs *.0 jJ"v. . ' &/U... . 0looa Pb >0...... J-9itP....... 1946___ io4o.._ j l-.Utc) O O wmam 0.0? 0.04. 0.06 0.05a 0.065 1 O..O55 ; 0 0 o^5 j 1 j oan . . -.. 1 0.0I4. 0.10 0.06 0.05 U 00 0.05 0.045 0.047 0.049 0 * l >l .u 3 '1 0G42 j 0.050 K E 0013333 PROB/r - Loo- COA/CERTRARIOA/ P/A 5-4AJ Cu mu l a t iv e Fa e c /u e a/c v D/sr/t/oonotv o f Bl o o d Lo w e Br o s , mix e r s a w o Re c e iv e r s Le a p Pe r c e /v t o f M en/ O /9U /3 Me m /9VO JU me w Hg . \. C>LooD ^A-P Pftoa/r- Lo g Co n c e p t /?a t j o m Dia g r a m Ce mu ia t iv e Fr e q u e n c y Pis t r io u now or Ur /a/e Lo w e Br o s . Mix e r s a n d Re c e iv e r s Le a d <?7r.r Ur in e .W7 .vw . UQ ./U Ls a Oj mg JL--------- >- O /.9V6 /8 mie n /SVO /v AteTA/ - 5V I so ou ik*s - 16 r 2.5" ^ .001 3240