Methylene chloride exposure in furniture-stripping shops: ventilation and respirator use practices
Article Abstract:
It is widely recognized that overexposure to methylene chloride (dichloromethane), a chemical used in furniture stripping, can result in respiratory depression and death due to its anesthetic effects. Exposure can also produce systemic poisoning and skin burns. Following reports to a poison center of four cases of methylene chloride poisoning, a survey was conducted of 21 small furniture-stripping operations that used methylene chloride. Six of the shops used a dip tank and 15 used a flow-on system. Of the six dip-tank shops, five reported that a half-facepiece respirator was usually worn; the sixth reported this device was never worn. None of the 21 shops used any type of air respirator. Ventilation in the shops was typically by wall or ceiling exhaust fans, however, one shop reported that only an open window provided ventilation. Fourteen of the 21 respondents were aware that methylene chloride could be seriously toxic and cause death; the other seven knew that it could be dangerous, but were not aware that it could be fatal. Ten of the respondents reported episodes of dizziness, headache, nausea, fatigue, skin irritation, personality changes and/or irritability. The findings indicate that in nearly 50 percent of the 21 shops surveyed, safety practices were inadequate to prevent exposures in excess of the currently recommended limits. This study demonstrates the need to educate people who manage or work in these shops about the potential dangers involved. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journal of Occupational Medicine
Subject: Health care industry
ISSN: 0096-1736
Year: 1990
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Occupational phenoxyethanol neurotoxicity: a report of three cases
Article Abstract:
Three case histories are reported of women, employed as taggers at a salmon hatchery, who suffered severe neurological symptoms from exposure to 2-phenoxyethanol. This chemical is a glycol ether that is added to pans of live fish to anesthetize them so that they can be picked up and tagged. The women studied had absorbed the chemical through the skin. Patient 1, who was left-handed, suffered mild symptoms of intoxication, followed by weakness and partial numbness in her left hand. She later developed fatigue, irritability, forgetfulness, and intolerance to alcohol. Patient 2 experienced weakness and numbness in both hands and arms when working; she also developed irritability, forgetfulness and alcohol intolerance. Patient 3 developed a constant headache, daytime sleepiness, restless sleep, irritability, depression and forgetfulness. After one to two years of exposure, each of the patients exhibited some cognitive (mental) impairment, accompanied by inability to work. The reactions of these women are consistent with symptoms reported from exposure to other organic solvents. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journal of Occupational Medicine
Subject: Health care industry
ISSN: 0096-1736
Year: 1990
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Respirator physiology research: answers in search of the question
Article Abstract:
Respirator use is increasing in the workplace as a consequence of the accumulation of information about the physiological and psychological effects of these devices when they are used to treat occupational ventilation disorders. Considerable research efforts are directed to ascertaining the effects of respirator usage, types of stress used, and the workers' personal characteristics modifying the response. A number of questions remain. What are respirator effects, beneficial and adverse, in terms of ventilatory impact, respiratory controls and patterns, cardiac effects, work performance, subjective effects, protective value for pulmonary disease, and usage compliance? What are the effects of different stressors on the worker? How do the personal characteristics of the individual affect their responses? In order to properly and adequately manufacture respirators that will be acceptable, useful and reliable, answers to such questions should be reviewed in terms of the mechanical, physical, personal and legal requirements involved in their manufacture and use. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journal of Occupational Medicine
Subject: Health care industry
ISSN: 0096-1736
Year: 1991
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
- Abstracts: The challenge of health care branding. Influencing satisfaction for dental services
- Abstracts: Impact of integrated community nursing services on hospital utilization and costs in a Medicare risk plan. Effect of the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act on payer source changes among nursing home residents
- Abstracts: Hospital expenditures in the United States and Canada: do hospital worker wages explain the differences? Estimating the indirect costs of teaching
- Abstracts: World Wide Web Resources for Perinatal Nursing. Internet resources for perinatal and neonatal nurses. The physiology of fetal heart rate patterns and perinatal asphyxia
- Abstracts: Elevated cerebrospinal fluid pressures in patients with cryptococcal meningitis and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome