Ethylene Oxide Survey Report of Union Carbide Corporation, Seadrift, Texas, June 6-7, 1977. Task 2

摘要

A visit was made to the Union Carbide Corporation located in Seadrift, Texas to evaluate employee exposure to ethylene-oxide (75218) (EtO) during their working hours. EtO production began at this site in 1954 and had been in continuous production since that time. Approximately 800 million pounds of EtO were produced per year at Seadrift. Sixty percent went into ethylene-glycol derivative production, 17% to oxide derivatives and the remainder was shipped to other Union Carbide facilities or sold to customers. Levels of EtO found were equal to or less than 2 parts per million (ppm) and most were less than 1ppm on a time weighted average basis for samples taken over a 4 hour period. These low results could be attributed to a number of factors. Samples taken inside the control room confirmed that worker exposure to EtO was minimal. Operators spend very little time outside the control room. The responsible personnel had a very good understanding of the hazards association with EtO and were performing an excellent job of maintaining levels far below existing requirements. The Seadrift facility was the only Union Carbide Corporation facility included in the EtO study which was both a user and producer of EtO.