Industrial Hygiene Problems within Research Laboratories

Abstract

TRADITIONALLY, industrial hygiene has been associated with the evaluation and control of environmental stresses within manufacturing industries. Industrial hygienists always have recognized a need to understand better the complex nature of industrial operations. Manufacturing processes are studied individually, contaminants are isolated, the degree of hazard is measured, and unnecessary or hazardous exposures are controlled. Although this pattern has not changed, the demand for greater industrial productivity and space exploration has opened new avenues of concern. Today, the industrial hygienist faces new%z problems such as exposure of people to noise, microwaves, laser and maser radiations, and to propellants and chemicals used to eliminate plant fungi from the nose cones of space-exploration vehicles. The search for specialized technical knowledge is, as never before, a necessary and continuing process. Research installations afford fertile grounds for study which can provide a better understanding of the future industrial health problems in their formative stages. Because of the availability of industrial and Federal grants, research laboratories have rm-ushroomed so that they seriously challenge many manufacturing industries in terms of total persons employed. The recent growth of such laboratories within Pennsylvania has been dramatic. A conservative estimate shows that, within a period of 5 years (1958-63), the number of installations conducting research increased by nearly onefourth. There is every indication that this trend will continue.