Health Hazard Evaluation Report HETA 85-171-1710, International Bakers Services, Inc., South Bend, Indiana

摘要

A health hazard evaluation was conducted in the mixing room. In the mixing room, three employees weigh and load a large variety of fragrances, flavorings, starch, and 50 to 100 pound bags of flour into one of three mixers. Loading and mixing tasks generate considerable dust, previously measured to be 20 milligrams per cubic meter. Workers did not always use the respirator during clean up operations. Two workers with no known personal risk factors had developed castrophic fixed airways disease suggestive of bronchiolitis obliterans or emphysema. The authors conclude that the disease may have been caused by a single short term exposure specific to a particular mix. The authors made recommendations. The report also contains the walk through survey report made at the facility to study control technology employed in the manual transfer of chemical powders.