Document V3m39MLO7xnm7v1dnQ48YO9J4

I ", V F I ! DOW CHEMICAL U.S.A. LOUISIANA DIVISION P, O. SOX ISO PLAQUEMINI, LOUISIANA 707S4 . AOs ajtsJinnft INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE REPORT Personnel and area monitoring for ethylene oxide was conducted in the A Wing of the R&D.complex and at the showtube area in the Glycol II Plant. All exposures were well below the 3 ppm Dow Industrial Hygiene Guide for EO. Additional monitoring is * planned at the EEM facility in the central pilot plant area when the unit is operating. I IL F DISTRIBUTION LOUISIANA MIDLAND 0. C. Ainsworth - 2505 L. W. Rampy - 1803 E. J. Brown - 2509 M. Swank - 1803 M. F. Currier - 2303 G. W. Daigre - 2501 D. L. Engibous - 2509 OTHER DO 097774 CONFIDENTIAL R. W. Gallant - 2306 *F. D. Axe - Pittsburg W. J. Neely - 2306 *R. L. Daniel - Freeport H. W. Young - 2505 S. A. Good - Oyster Cr ek File (2) L. . Day - 2501 R. J. McCormick - Str ngs. AN-opff$04<> unit of the iiiiJ1R >nijii. Mnimii11 Sarnia INTRODUCTION Personnel and area monitoring for ethylene oxide was conducted in several areas of R&D. The Dow Industrial Hygiene Guide for ethylene oxide exposure was reduced in 1980 to 3 ppm for an eight-hour time weighted average. DISCUSSION The monitoring in this survey was conducted in the A-complex of the Research and Development complex and at the showtube facility at Glycol II. Persons and areas monitored were limited to those judged to have the highest potential exposure to EO. The results appear in Table 1. All exposures were well within acceptable limits for an eight-hour time weighted average. The Dow IHG for ethylene oxide also has a short-term exposure limit of 50 ppm, but no short-term exposures were evaluated as part of this par ticular study. SAMPLING AND ANALYTICAL The samples were collected on activated charcoal using 1 gram charcoal tubes and MDA low flow pumps at a flow rate of 20 cc/minute. The sampling apparatus was calibrated using a soap bubble meter. All samples were stored in a freezer until the analysis was performed. The charcoal was desorbed using 10 ml of CS2 and the analysis was performed by FID gas chromatography. The GC column used was a 70/30 Oronite NlW/Carbowax 1500 on Carbopack C. Recovery was determined to be 86% for this method. PLANS Additional monitoring is planned at the EEM facility in the central pilot plant area of R&D. The unit was not operating at the time of this survey. In addition, some short-term sampl s are planned during specific tasks of highest potential exposure to E0. sb 00 097775 confidential -r 1. r (/ !1 i 1 i * ! 1 i i i i j i 4 ( - Sample Number 1783 1784 1785 1786 1787 1788 18 0 M 1805 1806 -3- TABLE 1 RESULTS OF ETHYLENE OXIDE M0NIT6RING IN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FACILITIES LOUISIANA DIVISION Date 1/8/81 Sample Description Outside A-complex near EO reactor vent, 460 min. Ethylene Oxide Concentration ppm v/v 0.2 1/8/81 Behind control panel near EO reactors in Lab A-16, 460 min. 0.4 1/8/81 Lab Technician, operating showtube facility at Glycol II, 397 min. 0.3 1/9/81 Lab Technician, operating EO reactors in Lab A-16, 467 min. 0.2 1/9/81 Showtube control room, 410 min. 0.3 1/9/81 3rd deck of showtube structure, not venting, 410 min. - 0.4 1/12/81 Lab Technician, operating EC mini-reactor, 445 min. 0.6 1/12/81 Lab Technician, cubicle control room, 443 min. 0.3 1/12/81 3rd deck of showtube structure, venting several tubes, wind from NE, 432 min 0.1 11 * '* i ' O ' 1 DOW IHC = 3 ppm T.W.A. 1' 1 DO 097776 CONFIDENTIAL