Document nmmdB5Rw0qDY1drybeeBoRZpX

FILE NAME Corning OC DATE 1970 Aug 13 DOC OC252 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Consultant Report from Industrial Hygiene Survey at Bloomington Plant with Cover letter Subsidiary of Sittin Smelting and Refining Refining Company Inc. 25711 Southfield Road Southfield M.cmg3 45075 Telephone 313-352-3120 fi August 13 1970 Dr. Jon Konzen Medical Director CORNING FIBERGLAS Toledo Ohio 43601 CORPORATION Dear Dr. Konzen Presented herewith are two copies of our report covering Bloomington the industrial hygiene survey conducted at the plant several weeks ago In summary we have found excessive exposures to ashestos fibers marginally acceptable exposures to polyurethane dust and acceptable exposures to MDI vapor From an over- all viewpoint it is clear that the work environment in this facility must be improved and it is our recommendation that an entirely new process be installed including the appropriate environmental controls to maintain workroom concentrations of asbestos and polyurethane dust at accept- able levels The distinction between this facility and other facilities with which we are familiar is quite dra- matic Very truly yours . George D. Clayton President GDC 02 401 0429 | 131 INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE SURVEY CORNING FIBERGLAS CORPORATION BLOOMINGTON ILLINOIS PROBLEM An industrial hygiene survey was conducted at the Bloomington Illinois plant of Corning Fiberglas Corporation to measure the exposures of workers in the Plant to asbestos fibers MDI Methylene bis phenylisocyanate vapor and polyurethane dust This survey was conducted by Mr. George D. Clayton of Clayton & Associates Mr. Sam Thomas and Dr. Jon Konzen of Corning Fiberglas Corporation INTRODUCTION the Corning Fiberglas Corporation recently purchased a facility in Bloomington Illinois which is being used to produce insulation materials made from asbestos polyure- thane foam On June 30 1970 sampling was conducted in batch mix sanding and side trim areas of the asbestos board operation under normal production conditions The sur- continued on July 1 when MDI samples were taken near the vey foam and along the forming operation for the polyurethane line as the foam was being saved into smaller sec- ctoinovnesyor The survey included dust samples taken near the sawing operations for polyurethane dust concentrations ? ASBESTOS INHALATION Until recently the standard method of sampling asbestos in the workroom was based on the number of particles per unit volume millions of particles per cubic foot determined by standard impinger sampling and 100X lightfield microscopy For several years the Threshold Limit Value ACGIH was set at 5 mppcf In 1969 the Threshold Limits Committee changed asbestos fibers per ml the TLV to a tentative value of 12 as determined by for fibers greater than 5 microns in length contrast microscopy at 430X In 1970 the Committee phase the TLV further to a tentative value of 5 fibers per reduced Occupational Hy- milliliter on the same basis The British of 2 fibers giene Society has adopted a standard 4 fofribecrhsryspoetrilmel for twenty- per ml for fifty years of exposure al for ten years of 10 fibers per five years of exposure or of the experts These standards are in the opinion exposure the best that can be drawn from existing data These data are 02 401 0430 132 -2- . the standards and of course, and not of course the not review ideal and review are gubject to methods improved curent of measurement improved methods industrial industrial suggests practice suggests practice rather than maine controlling controlling controlling Good posures industrial hygiene maximum allowable suggests rather than ex- posures tenance tenance below the to maximum this level it than appro- connection connection engineering engineering for appro- appro- priate priate concentration current controls engineering airborne downward concentration concentration trend nT trend engineering acceptable ance ance with ASBESTOS PROCEDURE weighed ASBESTOS expected transported those speci- with latest PROCEDURE sampling developments developments sampling were eollected speci- speci- Infied line latest fied fied by Threcsehlolludlose Limit samples those Value collected were membrane use on Appliances ester samplers Sampling rates of were Safe- ty liters per personal Sampling Sampling Samplingvaried fil- between between betwen between 5 and minutes depdepenedingnddepiendningg upon expected dust loading heads At conclusion carried sampling sampling period fil- fi te filr ters filters removed and transferred " clean containers where ter transported carefulltyhe laboratory to sealed the transported back to and representativespecified FIBER COUNTING PROCEDURE veed by was that counting asbestos fibers the used by U.S. Public membrane Service for of The enumeration the this asbestos dust Edwards filters in description description method by and R. Lynch this . 11 Edwards ' Ann Occup Hyg on stan- using the sample mounted mounstt edan- of microscope slides using high high viscosity solution . membrane material dimethyl diethyl render render 1 mixture oxalate and dimethyl phthalate render filter filter transparent . Since taken stable stable records days representative mm color slides are permanent records each filter permanent records representative taken . permanent are The asbestos the filter filter microscopy surface contrast contrast microscopy specified phase by tentative Limit microscopy 10 eye- eye- eye* piece and tentative Tchroesnhotldrast objective oobbjjeectcivteive In the 40 the sample sample transition supporting tne mounting the substrate filter dust supporting solid membrane homogeneous cellulose to transparent optically optically homogeneous ge ester materialgentle transparent slow requiring very and the meniscus requiring about minutes and no time does meniscus & sweep eweep de very gentle. and et 8 time does about 15 minutes, 401 0431 133 [3- : . - 3 e & across dust deposit The filter slowly softens below causing no redistribution of the fibers from having Ten and 5 fields selected at random on the sample are counted total fibers fibers from 0 to 5... fibers greater than and fibers greater than 10... are recorded Any particle an aspect ratio of 3 or greater is considered to be a fiber MDI INHALATION phenylisocyanate bis ) has The use of MDI Methylene become widespread in recent years in the production of poly- urethane foam MDI is a liquid of relatively low volatility it is sufficiently volatile to produce vapor con- hcoenwtervaetrions of MDI in the air in the range of one ppm which has been shown to be very irritating to many individuals The ACGIH Threshold Limit Value is 0.02 ppm based on indus- trial experience with the material , , MDI SAMPLING PROCEDURE collected by the use of midget impingers and Samples were of 1.8 - 2.0 liters per minute battery driven pumps at a rate was 15 for a minimum of ten minutes The sampling solution of a mixture of 35 ml of concentrated hydrochloric milliliters acetic acid diluted to 1 liter of acid and 22 ml of glacial 10 ml of 1N caustic was water A second impinger containing used in series with the first impinger totraabnssofrebrreadcidtova apcolresan After sampling the liquid solution was The glass sample bottle for shipment analyzed by using a back to the laboratory colorimetric method at 550 cal- samples were of MDI in the sample were millimicrons The micrograms culated to ppm of MDI in the air samples POLYURETHane dust SAMPLING PROCEDURE Samples were collected on millipore membrane filttheersasubseisntgos the MSA personal samplers in much the same way considered to samples were collected Polyurethane dust is the Threshold Limit Valuies 10 be a nuisance dust for which milligrams per cubic meter 02 401 0432 134 e 4&4. e RESULTS OF STUDY The asbestos fiber samples are summarized in Table 1. Polyurethane dust samples are summarized in Table 2 and the MDI vapor samples are summarized in Table 3. Asbestos concentra- tions are well above the acceptable levels and only 2 of 34 samples showed less than 5 fibers per milliliter for fibers greater than 5 mixed results microns The polyurethane dust samples gave with concentrations in excess of the TLV mea- sured in about half the less than the Threshold samples The MDI samples were all Limit Value of 0.02 ppm and appar- ently this material presents no hazard in the plant at this OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The atmospheric conditions in the work environment of this plant are unbelievably bad Obviously at the time of construction of this facility no consideration was given to protecting the health of the work force Such items as the baghouse discharging into the workroom are unacceptable when dealing with such toxic materials as asbestos The outdated equipmeanntd methods of handling products prevent proper control under present conditions Therefore it is recom- mended 1. An entirely new facility should be built for this operation 2 Process engineers should be brought in to study the processes and material handling with the idea of dating and improving the present process with -modern equipment Prior to installation however the ventilation for the processes should be designed by persons who appreciate the consequences of exposure to toxic agents in the work environment and who are competent to prevent such exposures by appro' priate engineering control These observations and recommendations apply both to the ' Unarco Board Line and the Polyurethane Line No attempt is made at this time to make specific suggestions because the plant is so generally unacceptable In the meantime consid- eration must be given to providing immediate personal respiratory protection for these workers until the plant has been remodeled We strongly suggest that clinical studies be 02 401 0433 135 conducted on these workers to determine the extent of injury that may have already occurred because of the excessive expo.sures these men have experienced over a period of time .It is obvious that this plant has not been fully incorpor- ated into the Corning Fiberglas corporate structure for it does not resemble other OCF plants with respect to environmental control This report prepared by John E. Mutchler Mutchler . JCohhioefE. Engineering Services George D. Clayton President 02 401 0434 136