Health Hazard Evaluation Report No. HETA-82-209-1245, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, February 1983

摘要

On May 12-13, 1982, NIOSH investigated operating room personnel exposured to waste anesthetic gases and an outbreak of sore throats and conjunctivitis among the same group. Thirteen of 25 (52%) personal exposures (range 4 to 200 ppm) were above the NIOSH criterion of 25 ppm for nitrous oxide. Two of four (50%) personal exposures for halothane were above the NIOSH criterion of 2 ppm. When used in conjunction with nitrous oxide, NIOSH recommends that halothane levels be controlled to 0.5 ppm. In most cases, this can be achieved by controlling nitrous oxide exposure to 25 ppm. A NIOSH medical officer reviewed the report of the hospital's epidemiologic investigation of the outbreak of conjunctivitis, but results of this review were inconclusive as to an etiologic agent; however, exposure to anesthetic gases did not appear to be the cause. Recommendations for reducing waste anesthetic gas levels are included in the body of the full report. As no additional cases of conjunctivitis had occurred since May, further investigation of the outbreak did not seem warranted at the time.