Transcript Introduction to Industrial Hygiene

Introduction to Industrial Hygiene
Industrial Hygiene
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Part science, part art
Industrial Hygiene is the application of
scientific principles in the workplace to
prevent the development of occupational
disease or injury
Requires knowledge of chemistry, physics,
anatomy, physiology, mathematics
IH Topics
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Toxicology
Occupational Health
Standards
Airborne Hazards
Indoor Air Quality
Skin Disorders
Noise Exposure
Radiation
Thermal Stress
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Anatomy
Biohazards
Chemicals
Illumination
Personal Protective
Equipment
Ventilation
Vibration
Sampling
History of IH
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Disease resulting from exposure to
chemicals or physical agents have existed
ever since people chose to use or handle
materials with toxic potential
In the far past, causes were not always
recognized
Earliest Recordings
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Lead poisoning among miners by
Hippocrates, 4th century BC
Zinc and sulfur hazards by Pliny the Elder,
3rd century BC
The Original Metallica
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Georgius Agricola published a 12 volume
set in 1556, De Re Metallica
Town physician in Saxony
Silver mining
Described diseases of lungs, joints, eyes
Woodcuts (see next slides)
Metallica Quotes
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“If the dust has corrosive qualities, it eats
away at the lungs, and implants
consumption in the body”
Later determined to be silicosis,
tuberculosis, and lung cancer
Metallica Quotes
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“there is found in the mines black pompholyz,
which eats wounds and ulcers to the bone; this
also corrodes iron . . . There is a certain kind of
cadmia which eats away at the feet of workmen
when they have become wet, and similarly their
hands, and injures their lungs and eyes.”
Later recognized as manifestations of toxicity of
arsenic and cadmium
Metallica cont.
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A young American
named Herbert C. Hoover
and his wife, L.H. Hoover,
translated Agricola’s work
into English.
The translation was
published in 1912
Hoover graduated from
Stanford in 1891 as a
Mining Engineer
Hoover served as the 31st
president of the US (1929
– 1933)
Paracelsus
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Published work describing mercury
poisoning of miners in 1567
His famous quote, “All substances are
poisons; there is none which is not a
poison. The right dose differentiates a
poison and a remedy.”
This provided the basis for the concept of
the dose-response relationship.
Dose-Response Relationship
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The toxicity of a substance depends not
only on its toxic properties, but also on the
amount of exposure, or the dose
Paracelsus differentiated between
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Chronic (low-level, long-term) poisoning
Acute (high-level, short-term) poisoning
Bernardino Ramazzini (1633-1714)
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Wrote a book, “De Morbis Artificum”
(Diseases of Workers), starting the field of
occupational medicine
Urged physicians to ask the question, “Of
what trade are you?”
He described diseases associated with
various lower-class trades, such as corpse
carriers and laundresses.
Other Pioneers around 1770
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Sir George Baker
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Linked “Devonshire colic” to lead in cider
Percival Pott
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Linked soot exposure and scrotal cancer in
chimney sweeps
The Mad Hatter
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Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” (1865)
Mad Hatter exhibited symptoms of mercury
poisoning, such as mental and personality
changes marked by depression and tendency to
withdraw
Mercury was used in processing hides made
into hats
Bars were installed on windows at hat factories
presumably to prevent afflicted workers from
leaping during bouts of depression
Protection Starts to Arrive
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English Factory Act, 1833, allows injured
workers to receive compensation
English Factory Inspectorate, 1878
US Workers Compensation started in 19081915 in several states (state programs, not
federal)
Occupational Safety & Health Act enacted in
1970 creating OSH Administration
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Created regulations, inspections, recordkeeping,
enforcement, etc.
Birth of Industrial Hygiene
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A few industrial hygienists were practicing in
early 1900s
Physicians sometimes saw the industrial
hygienist as a threat to their realm of expertise
Dr. Alice Hamilton was a pioneer Occupational
Physician and female pioneer. She helped
foster the field of IH in the US
American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA)
formed in 1939
Industrial Hygiene
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Other terms
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Occupational Hygiene
Environmental Hygiene
Environmental Health
Professional Organizations
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American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA),
www.aiha.org, member organization
American Conference of Governmental
Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), www.acgih.org,
member organization for government employees
American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH),
www.abih.org, independent organization that
administers certification programs for industrial
hygiene professionals
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IHIT, Industrial Hygienist in Training
CIH, Certified Industrial Hygienist
Requires maintenance of certification
Definition of Industrial Hygiene
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An Industrial Hygienist is a person having a college
degree in engineering, chemistry, physics, medicine, or
related physical and biological sciences, who has also
received specialized training in recognition, evaluation,
and control of workplace stressors and therefore
achieved competence in industrial hygiene. The
specialized studies and training must be sufficient so
that the individual is able to: 1) anticipate and recognize
the environmental factors and understand their effects
on people and their well-being; 2) evaluate, on the basis
of experience and with the aid of quantitative
measurement techniques, the magnitude of these
stresses in terms of the stressor’s ability to impair human
health and well-being; and 3) prescribe methods to
eliminate, control, or reduce such stresses when
necessary to diminish their effects.
Scope of IH
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Recognition, Evaluation, and Control of hazards
or agents
Chemical Agents
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Physical Agents
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Ionizing and nonionizing radiation, noise, vibration,
and temperature extremes
Biological Agents
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Dusts, mists, fumes, vapors, gases
Insects, molds, yeasts, fungi, bacteria, viruses
Ergonomic Agents
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Monotony, fatigue, repetitive motion
2nd Aspect: Evaluation of Agents
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Observations
Quantitative measurement of the agents of
concern
Experience and knowledge of Industrial
Hygienist
3rd Aspect: Control of Agents
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Controls in this order of preference
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Engineering Controls
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Administrative Controls
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Engineering changes in design, equipment, processes
Substituting a non-hazardous material
Reduce the human exposure by changes in procedures,
work-area access restrictions, worker rotation
Personal Protective Equipment / Clothing
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Ear plugs / muffs, safety glasses / goggles, respirators,
gloves, clothing, hard-hats
Knowledge Basis for IH
Disciplines
Involved
Applications in IH
Physics, math, anatomy, Hazard evaluations of noise, illumination, lasers,
physiology
radiation, and ergonomics
Chemistry, anatomy,
physiology, toxicology
Toxic chemical exposure evaluations of carcinogen
hazard assessment and reproductive hazard
assessments
Physics, chemistry,
statistics
Measuring exposures to chemical and physical
agents, interpreting lab analytical reports. Use of
direct reading instruments.
Statistics, epidemiology,
physics, chemistry,
anatomy, physiology,
toxicology, language
skills
Interpreting study and lab results, critical review of
research, performing research
Language skills
Interactions with workers, management, and clients;
writing reports and papers; design of programs
IH as Part of an Overall Safety Program
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General Safety
Ergonomics
Industrial Hygiene
Wellness / Fitness
IH Program: Minimum Elements
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Recognition of health hazards
Evaluation of health hazards
Control of health hazards
Recordkeeping
Employee training
Periodic program review
1. Recognition of health hazards
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Walk-through survey with someone
knowledgeable of the processes
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Regular intervals, keep records
Planning stage reviews
Modification reviews
MSDS reviews
2. Evaluation of hazards
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Measurements
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Calculation of dose
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Air sampling, noise meters, light meters,
thermal stress meters, accelerometers
(vibration)
Level and duration of exposure
Keep records
3. Control of Hazards (Prioritized)
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1 Engineering
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2 Administrative
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Substitute a less hazardous material, local
exhaust ventilation
Worker rotation, training
3 Personal Protective Equipment
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Respirators, gloves, eye protection, ear
protection, etc.
4. Recordkeeping
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Important in all phases of the program
Often required by regulation
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29 CFR 1904
Increase program effectiveness
Useful in legal challenges
5. Employee training
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Effective component if total program is
implemented and engineering controls are first
established
Often required by regulation
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Right to Know or Hazard Communication Standard:
29 CFR 1910.1200
Regular intervals
Keep it interesting and effective, use a variety of
techniques
Keep records of dates, individuals, topics,
effectiveness
6. Program review
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Regular intervals (~yearly, semi-annual)
Review the written program as well as the
implementation
Updates for new regulations, new chemicals,
new processes, or any changes
Audit components of the program
Internal “OSHA” inspection
Involve employees, consultants, management