Buildings exposure

Lioy, P.J., Freeman, N.C. and Millette, J.R. (2002) Dust a metric for use in residential and building exposure assessment and source characterization. Environmental Health Perspectives, 110, 969-82. 

The general criterion for including a research reactor in group I is that the conditions of Section 1.2 of the previous chapter, are not violated even in case of collapse of the building, exposure of core or spent fuel to the air by loss of normal leak tightness of the pool or other containment structures and large disruption of the core fuel. 

Care must be taken in handling radon, as with other radioactive materials. The main hazard is from inhalation of the element and its solid daughters which are collected on dust in the air. Good ventilation should be provided where radium, thorium, or actinium is stored to prevent build-up of the element. Radon build-up is a health consideration in uranium mines. Recently radon build-up in homes has been a concern. Many deaths from lung cancer are caused by radon exposure. In the U.S. it is recommended that remedial action be taken if the air in homes exceeds 4 pCi/1. 

Polystyrene. Polystyrene [9003-53-6] is a thermoplastic prepared by the polymerization of styrene, primarily the suspension or bulk processes. Polystyrene is a linear polymer that is atactic, amorphous, inert to acids and alkahes, but attacked by aromatic solvents and chlorinated hydrocarbons such as dry cleaning fluids. It is clear but yellows and crazes on outdoor exposure when attacked by uv light. It is britde and does not accept plasticizers, though mbber can be compounded with it to raise the impact strength, ie, high impact polystyrene (HIPS). Its principal use in building products is as a foamed plastic (see Eoamed plastics). The foams are used for interior trim, door and window frames, cabinetry, and, in the low density expanded form, for insulation (see Styrene plastics). 

The nature of the initiation step, which may occur in a variety of ways, is not known in all cases. Commonly used ethers such as ethyl ether, isopropyl ether, tetrahydrofuran, and i)-dioxane are particulady prone to form explosive peroxides on prolonged storage and exposure to air and light (see Peroxides AND PEROXY COMPOUNDS, ORGANIC), and should contain antioxidants (qv) to prevent their build-up. One of the exceptions to the peroxide forming tendency of ethers is methyl fert-alkyl ethers such as methyl fert-butyl ether [1634-04-4] (MTBE) and fert-amyl methyl ether [994-05-8] (TAME). Both have shown htde tendency if any to form peroxides (2,8). 

Vessels for high-temperature serviee may be beyond the temperature hmits of the stress tables in the ASME Codes. Sec tion TII, Division 1, makes provision for construction of pressure vessels up to 650°C (1200°F) for carbon and low-alloy steel and up to 815°C (1500°F) for stainless steels (300 series). If a vessel is required for temperatures above these values and above 103 kPa (15 Ibf/in"), it would be necessaiy, in a code state, to get permission from the state authorities to build it as a special project. Above 815°C (1500°F), even the 300 series stainless steels are weak, and creep rates increase rapidly. If the metal which resists the pressure operates at these temperatures, the vessel pressure and size will be limited. The vessel must also be expendable because its life will be short. Long exposure to high temperature may cause the metal to deteriorate and become brittle. Sometimes, however, economics favor this type of operation. 

NFPA 80A Recommended Practice for Protection of Buildings from Exterior Fire Exposures. National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA. 

The air inside a factory building can be polluted by release of contaminants from industrial processes to the air of the workroom. This is a major cause of occupational disease. Prevention and control of such contamination are part of the practice of industrial hygiene. To prevent exposure of workers to such contamination, industrial hygienists use industrial ventilation systems that remove the contaminated air from the workroom and discharge it, either with or without treatment to remove the contaminants, to the ambient air outside the factory building. 

Hawthorne, A., et al. (1987) Models for estimating organic emissions from building materials formaldehyde example. Atmos. Environ. 21, No. 2. Lewis, R. G., et al. (1986) Monitoring for non-occupational exposure to pesticides in indoor and personal respiratory air. Presented at the 79th Annual Meeting of the Air Pollution Control Association, Minneapolis, MN. 

Limited to residents in BRA s weatherization program Adopted OSHA standards Indoor air exposures considered in determining drinking water levels Restricts use and sales of pesticides which may cause indoor air pollution Bans on use of some potential indoor pollutants in consumer products Restricts smoking in specified indoor environments Restricts use of asl estos in VA buildings... 

Hydrogen cyanide (prussic acid) is a liquid with a boiling point of 26°C. Its vapour is flammable and extremely toxic. The effects of acute exposure are given in Table 5.34. This material is a basic building block for the manufacture of a range of chemical products such as sodium, iron or potassium cyanide, methyl methacrylate, adiponitrile, triazines, chelates. 

MCS may result from a single massive exposure to one or more toxic substances or repeated exposure to low doses. On one hand, some people may become chemically sensitive following a toxic chemical spill at work or in their community or after being sprayed directly with pesticides. On the other, individuals may develop this condition from spending forty hours each week in a poorly ventilated building where they breathe a profusion of chemicals common to our modem way of life. 

The conditions experienced by building occupants are best simulated by sampling air from the "breathing zone " away from the influence of any particular individual. However, if an individual sits at a desk all day (except for brief periods), samplers placed on the desk when the individual is elsewhere can provide a good estimate of that person s exposure. 

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