Independent Verification of an ERDEC Research Program Recommending Emery 3004(Ethylflo 164) as a Safe DOP Replacement for Mask and Filter Testing

摘要

In April, 1986, the U.S. Army's Office of the Surgeon General (OTSG) took theposition that dioctyl phthalate (DOP) was a suspected carcinogen. The U.S. Army had used DOP for many decades in non-destructive serviceability testing of respirator canisters and protective filters, and in a variety of aerosol penetration studies including mask leakage and face fit. A program was initiated in September 1987 to find a safe replacement material for DOP, under sponsorship of the Product Assurance Directorate (PAD). A synthetic lubricant named Emery 3004, from the class of compounds called poly-alpha olefins (PAOs), was approved by the OTSG on 8 January 1992 for use Army-wide as a safe replacement for DOP in 'hot smoke' and 'cold smoke' testing machines. Subsequently, ERDEC scientists recommended Emery 3004 as a general replacement for DOP, and interest among other users grew rapidly until, today, Emery 3004 is known to virtually all filter testers. Among these are the Department of Energy, and the pharmaceutical organization of Eli Lilly and Company. This report presents the independent results of DOE and Lilly in their own studies of Emery 3004, their verification of ERDEC data, and their intention to replace DOP with Emery 3004 in their own operations.