Workplace atmospheres

The ACGIH recommended maximum time-weighted average concentration in the workplace atmosphere for eight-hour daily exposure is 10 ppm. OSHA has set the permissible exposure level at 2 ppm. It maybe desirable to exclude alcohoHcs, persons with chronic disorders of the Hver, kidneys, and central nervous system, and those with nutritional deficiencies from working with chloroform. 

CKN (1993). Workplace Atmospheres—Size fraction Definitions for Measurements of Air-home Particies. tiN 481. 

CFN (1992). Workplace atmospheres — Guidance for the assessment of exposure by inhalation to chemical agents for comparison with limit values and measurement strategy. EN 689. 

Borders RA, Gluck SJ, Sowle WF, et al. 1986. Development and validation of personal monitoring methods for low levels of acrylonitrile in workplace atmosphere II. Thermal desorption and field validation. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 47 158-163. 

Consideration is given to the toxicity of nitrosamines formed during rubber vulcanisation in the presence of certain accelerators, the mechanisms by which they are formed, and French, German and European Union regulations relating to nitrosamines in the workplace atmosphere and in rubber products. Methods used in the sampling and analysis of nitrosamines are also described. 6 refs. 

For follow-up interviews and general information gathering (factfinding type meetings), the ratio of interviewee/interviewer is less critical. A group interview can come across as more open, honest, and less covert. A team atmosphere can be created. Later in the investigation, it may be acceptable to have multiple witnesses present as details and inconsistencies are resolved. The team will have to make this judgment based on the specifics of the occurrence and the workplace atmosphere. 

For complex mixtures that are virtually unavailable for testing as a whole (such as workplace atmospheres, coke oven emissions, atmospheres at waste sites) the top-ten approach as mentioned above is suggested. 

Hekmat M, Smith R, Fung P. 1994. An evaluation of the occupational health and safety administration method for the "determination of chlorine dioxide in workplace atmosphere." Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 55(11) 1087-1089. 

ASTM. 1987. Sampling workplace atmospheres to collect organic gases or vapors with activated charcoal diffusional samplers - method D 4597-87. In 1987 Annual Book of ASTM Standards. Volume 11.03. Atmospheric analysis occupational health and safety. Philadelphia, PA American Society for Testing and Materials, 490-494. 

Someday we will have small portable devices that sample and analyze during exposure to the workplace atmosphere. Devices small enough to be worn comfortably by an active person, devices that will give warnings in real-time when danger of hazardous exposure occurs. These devices may be in the form of integrated circuits with sensors covered with permi-selective membranes, the combination of which will lead to both sensitive and selective measurements. Ten years from now current methods and devices may be, for the most part, but a memory. 

Specialized Sorbents, Derivatization, and Desorption Techniques for the Collection and Determination of Trace Chemicals in the Workplace Atmosphere... 

R. E. Determination of Alkanolamines in Workplace Atmospheres at Sub Part-Per-Million Levels Am. Ind. 

PAH are formed by every high temperature reaction involving organic materials (10). There are a number of industrial processes where PAH can be identified in the workplace atmosphere. Well known examples are coke plants, ferroalloy plants, aluminum plants, secondary lead smelters and others (11,12). In some cases the harmful effect of these compounds has been indicated by epidemiological studies (12). 

Collection of airborne particulates in workplace atmospheres can be achieved effectively by a variety of filtering media which are amenable to use with personal sampling devices. Extraction of the particulates from the filters with suitable solvents results in solutions which may then be analyzed by the developed analytical technique. 

The contribution of vapor forms of organoarsenicals to the total atmospheric concentration depends on the vapor pressure of each compound and also on the temperature conditions. Data on the vapor pressures of the compounds studied were not available and therefore the following experiment was designed to estimate the concentration of vapor forms found in a workplace atmosphere. 

Toxicology and Registration. The toxic nature of some dyes and intermediates has lung been recognized. Acute, or short-term, effects are generally well known. They are controlled by keeping the concentration of the chemicals in the workplace atmosphere below prescribed limits and avoiding physical contact with the material. Chronic effects, on the other hand, frequently do not become apparent until after many years of exposure. 

EN (1995) 838. Workplace Atmospheres-Diffusive Samplers for the Determination of Gases or Vapors-Requirements and Test Methods, The British Standards Institution, London, UK. 

In contrast to the relative safety of many ethers and esters, acetic anhydride is a systemic poison and especially corrosive to the skin, eyes, and upper respiratory tract. Levels in the air as low as 0.4 mg/m3 adversely affect eyes, and contamination should be kept to less than one tenth that level in the workplace atmosphere. Blisters and bums that heal slowly result from skin exposure. Acetic anhydride has a very strong acetic acid odor that causes an intense burning sensation in the nose and throat that is accompanied by coughing. It is a powerful lachrymator. Fortunately, these unpleasant symptoms elicit a withdrawal response in exposed individuals. 

Monitoring the workplace atmosphere to ensure that containments are kept below harmful levels. 

This paper describes some of the techniques used to generate synthetic atmospheres of toxic materials. The work was part of a study supported by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to develop and validate methods for sampling and analysis of various materials found in the workplace atmosphere and was a joint effort of SRI International and Arthur D. Little, Inc. Emphasis was placed on reproducible and reliable generation techniques that could be used for a wide variety of compounds. Unique methods were devised for certain difficult materials. Over 230 compounds were studied, including gases, vapors, fumes, and... 

The relative sensitivity of various AAS techniques must be taken into account if samples are to be collected with foresight. By first deciding upon the lowest atmospheric concentration which the method is required to detect and comparing this with known detection limits, an air sample can be collected which contains a sufficient mass of the desired analyte(s). We detail these considerations in Sections IV and V for ambient and workplace atmospheres, respectively. 

---