Document Raz3qNpgj46NVro2m5ao5zd38

FILE NAME: American Cyanamid (AMCY) DATE: 1951 DOC#: AMCY011 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Published Article from Trade Journal - Cyanamid's Industrial Hygiene Program Using the interferometer for the determination of lolvonf vopor lit the atmosphere. Tho go/f bog sorvos as carrying eas for oasy p o r t a b i l i t y EXHIBIT (fyzw znttd'A INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE PROGRAM In a chem ical plant the industrial hygienist shoulders the respon sibility of maintaining healthful .working conditions for the bene fit o f employes within the area, as well as th comfort of nearby neighbors. To do this, he must work closely with all departments W. R. BRADLEY, Chief industrial Hygienist T HE CEN TRA L Industrial Hy giene staff consists f four in dustrial hygienists each having con siderable training and experience in one or more fields of toxicology, chemistry and engineering. These men pool their knowledge to improve work ing conditions, plant environment and atmospheric conditions. Their efforts are directed chiefly toward maintaining the health and well being of employes within the plant and comfort of surrounding neighbors. In addition to this staff, the Calco Chemi cal Division employs three engineers for industrial hygiene engineering. A few other subsidiaries have engineers assigned to industrial hygiene problems on a part-time basis. These men work closely with the Central Industrial Hygiene Staff. Industrial hygiene is a function o f the Central Medical Department and, therefore, is a part o f the over-all em ploye health program. Through this as sociation, all questions pertaining to in dustrial health are properly evaluated 98 i IN D U ST R IA L H Y G IEN E , in a very practical sense, is a program directed toward preserving health through maintaining healthful con ditions o f work in industry. Through studies o f working environments, it is possible to recognize, evaluate and control environmental causes of illness. A s a result, employes are not exposed to the raw materials, inter mediates, or finished products that may be toxic-- whether gases, mists, vapors, dusts, or fumes-- or to excessive heat, noise, or radioactive energy that might otherwise present a nuisance or serious health problem. Through frequent surveys and observations, and through the use o f specially-designed equipment, techniques, air sampling and analytical procedures, the hygienist keeps watch on the environment o f industrial employes, and is able to point out what control measures may be needed. In the chemical industry, the responsibility o f industrial hygiene is perhaps put to its greatest test. N ew chemicals and chemical products must be used and handled long before they are offered on the market. Some of them may exhibit toxic properties that might present a hazard in use. The industrial hygienist must prohibit any opportunity for exposure to exist. In this effort, he works closely with the medical staff, research, engineering department, production, plant management and employes, because it is teamwork that brings results. and assigned for investigation, and all pertinent information o f a toxicological nature is discussed. This background of information, augmented by related data obtained in field investigations, places the industrial hygienists in an excellent position to interpret toxicological information for plant managers and personnel engaged in putting through control measures. The service rendered within the plants consists of making periodic surveys and studies. The surveys consist of ( l ) investigating working conditions and environments with regard to what beneficial effects have accrued and (2 ) to ascertain whether further improvements ace necessary. Studies consist o f augmenting data obtained by observation o f working places, supplemented with data obtained by physical measurements and chemical determinations. Physical measurements include ternperature and relative humidity recordings, sound intensity and vibration frequency, radiation measurements, interferometer measurements, dust counts, etc. Chemical determinations include air sampling and analysis for air borne contaminants to determine their nature and representative concentration in the workroom atmosphere. Such findings are discussed with the medical departments o f the respective . plants and with plant management so recommendations can fit in with contemplated plans for improvement and expansion. On the other hand, atmospheric sam pling often helps dispel mis- givings concerning whether or not a health hazard exists. While the previous statements reveal what industrial hygiene does with existing plant processes, there is just as much effort expended in makingplans in advance for the prevention of employe contact with, and exposure to, toxic chemicals. Consequently, blueprints for new processes and plant design come to the attention of hygienists so prevention can be inaugurated in the blueprint stage. Because o f this constant contact with process development engineering, a vent on a blueprint is no longer indicated by an arrow pointing upward or a discharge to the sewer by an arrow pointing downward. Instead, vent lines in many instances lead to outlines o f cyclones, condensers, scrubbers, incinerators, or other devices, which control air borne material formerly released to the outside atmosphere. Designs o f well-ventilated hood enclosures now appear in drawings depitting bag packing and drum filling o f dusty material. Dust collectors and scrubbers, and outlines o f both hooded and slot type local exhaust systems over kettle manholes are mute evidence of the hygienist's contribution to plant design. Furthermore, frequent and extensive visits to ail company plants provide a background of observations on the beneficial effects of good industrial hygiene practices. This experience is of considerable importance in showing the process design engineer the oppor- tunity for providing in advance some measure o f control for a particular process. A typical example o f the success of this type o f thinking is the production of millions of pounds o f a highly toxic insecticide without any lost time accident due to employe contact with the material or its intermediates. Observations and air sampling data obtained in the pilot stage, together with pre liminary toxicological information, _ showed how to design proper environ- . mental control methods into the new plant. Close follow-up work during pro duction has been of great value, Likewise the location o f any new plant is o f considerable interest to the hygiene department. This stems orincipally from its responsibility in helping to abate conditions causing air pollution. The geographic location is o f considerable importance as well as the topography, meteorological and weather conditions. While air-borne material discharged from the new plant may be controlled to such an extent that it constitutes no air-pollution problem by itself, it may, nevertheless, mix with material discharged from neighboring plants and create a new compound, which would be considered a nuisance and undesirable. Once the results o f plant surveys and studies are transmitted to plant management, a plant engineer is usualIy assigned to carry out the designated design and installation of corrective measures under the direction and advice of the hygiene department. While other plans have been tried, it has been found that the expediting o f engineering plans by means of an annual operating budget works best. W ork can be accomplished with more speed, responsibility is centralized, and flexibility is assured for contingencies and emergencies. Execution o f recom mendations for providing engineering control measures is further aided by a definite allocation o f maintenance and construction manhours for whatever installations must be made. Periodically, plant management is presented with a progress report citing work completed, in progress or con templated, with the budget require ment for each item. Since all types of air sampling equipment are employed in our inves tigations, the burden o f handling prob lems involving air pollution is snared considerably by the industrial hy gienists. Their knowledge of what gases, vapors or dusts are emitted from the processes is gained from their intimacy with the various phases of manufacturing. When this knowledge is not avail able, they retreat from blackboard con ceptions and engage in stack sampling. Stack sampling has proved so success ful as the start o f any investigation con cerning alleged air pollution that it has become a routine procedure. Maintaining a satisfactory working environment depends on the nature of the taw materials and intermediates as well as the finished product, and how they are to be handled. The diversity of new products the company is always producing keeps the hygiene depart ment men moving fast. It is to be ex pected that sales personnel get requests for information on the toxicity of vari ous products, how they ace to be handled, whether ventilation is re quited, etc. Since hygienists have dealt with the problem in the manufactur ing process, they are in an excellent position to offer fully appreciated ad vice to customers as a technical service. The tools an industrial hygienist uses enable him to collect and analyze materials by unique methods. A dark smudge within an aluminum tube represents a "sam ple" and the findings obtained from such samples may mean the "go ahead" sign for an expendi ture of thousands o f dollars for ven tilating equipment. Instruments Plus Ingenuity An instrument called an interfero meter measures the difference between the refractive index o f pure air and air containing a solvent vapor. The answer is obtained within a minute, and on the spot. The hygiene sta ff is justifiably proud o f the instrument, not only because of this feature but because it is one o f only three or four portable types in use in this field. On the other hand, the industrial hygienist resorts to a certain amount of ingenuity in sam pling and analyzing a great many substances. For instance, one o f the simplest methods o f air sampling is to use a side-arm test tube and calibrated glass syringe as the suction device. Air is drawn through the tube containing a selected reagent in solution, which gives a desired color change when sufficient air-bome ma terial has been introduced. The volume o f air required is then read o ff the syringe, and a calculation made on the spot to give the atmospheric concen tration. This simplified method, when applied to stack sampling, has enabled hygienists to follow batch operations, obtain data on peak and minimum loads, and collect hundreds o f air samples for subsequent laboratory analysis. Some of the important instruments we use are; (1 ) electrostatic precipita tors, (2 ) sound intensity recorders, (3 ) radiation detecting devices, (4 ) battery-operated air samplers for col lecting samples in orchard studies on the use of insecticides, ( 5 ) carbon monoxide detectors, and (6 ) hand cranked pumps for collecting dusts. A more recent development is that o f a windmill ait sampler where no other source o f power is available. This is for stack sampling and for long-period sampling in the vicinity o f plants where certain gases escape in small quantities. It is only by such outside sampling that we can ascertain whether undesirable atmospheric conditions do or could ex ist in the plant, or neighborhood im mediately surrounding it. IN D U STRY A N D POWER * January, 1951