Health Hazard Evaluation Program Research Articles

Lessons learned from surface wipe sampling for lead in three workplaces

ABSTRACTSurface wipe sampling in the occupational environment is a technique widely used by industrial hygienists. Although several organizations have promulgated standards for sampling lead and other metals, uncertainty still exists when trying to determine an appropriate wipe sampling strategy and how to interpret sampling results. Investigators from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Health Hazard Evaluation Program have used surface wipe sampling as part of their exposure assessment sampling strategies in a wide range of workplaces. This article discusses wipe sampling for measuring lead on surfaces in three facilities: (1) a battery recycling facility; (2) a firing range and gun store; and (3) an electronic scrap recycling facility. We summarize our findings from the facilities and what we learned by integrating wipe sampling into our sampling plan. Wiping sampling demonstrated lead in non-production surfaces in all three workplaces and that the potential that employees were taking lead home to their families existed. We also found that the presence of metals such as tin can interfere with the colorimetric results. We also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of colorimetric analysis of surface wipe samples and the challenges we faced when interpreting wipe sampling results.

Evaluation of noise exposures and hearing loss at a hammer forge company

The NIOSH health hazard evaluation program evaluated employees’ exposures to high level continuous and impact noise at a hammer forge company. Personal dosimetry data were collected from 38 employees and noise exposure recordings were collected during two visits to the facility. Extensive audiometric records were reviewed and trends for hearing loss, threshold shifts and risk of hearing loss were assessed. The effectiveness of hearing protection devices for hammer forging was evaluated with an acoustic test fixture. A longitudinal analysis was conducted on the audiometric data set that included 4750 audiograms for 483 employees for the years 1981 to 2006. The analysis of the audiometric history for the employees showed that 82% had experienced a NIOSH-defined hearing threshold shift and 63% had experienced an OSHA-defined standard threshold shift. The mean number of years from a normal baseline audiogram to a threshold shift was about 5 years for a NIOSH threshold shift and was about 9 years for an OSHA t...

New reports from the NIOSH health hazard evaluation program.

New reports from the NIOSH health hazard evaluation program.

New reports from the NIOSH health hazard evaluation program.

New reports from the NIOSH health hazard evaluation program.

New reports from the NIOSH health hazard evaluation program.

New reports from the NIOSH health hazard evaluation program.

New Reports from the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program.

New Reports from the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program.

New reports from the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program.

New reports from the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program.

New Reports from the NIOSH health hazard evaluation program

New Reports from the NIOSH health hazard evaluation program

New reports from the NIOSH health hazard evaluation program

New reports from the NIOSH health hazard evaluation program

New Reports from the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program

With each issue, the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health publishes a selected set of abstracts of important Health Hazard Evaluations (HHEs) from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The full HHE reports are available on the NIOSH website: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/

New Reports from the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program

New Reports from the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program

New Reports from the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program

New Reports from the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program

New Reports from the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program

New Reports from the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program

New Reports from the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program

New Reports from the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program

New Reports from the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program

New Reports from the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program

New reports from the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program

New reports from the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program

New Reports from the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program

New Reports from the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program

New Reports from the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program

New Reports from the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program

New Reports from the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program

New Reports from the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program

New Reports from the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program

New Reports from the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program