Harmful agents present in occupational environment

Author: Dr. Rodica Stănescu Dumitru

Editura Viaţa Medicală Românească

Bucharest 2008

 

ISBN 978-973-160-013-0

You can acquire this book at: Editura Viaţa Medicală Românească, Str. Ion Brezoianu nr.27,et.2, sector 1, postal code 010131/Bucharest

Price: 25 RON

 

Introduction

Any chemical, physical or biological factor present in the working environment, which represents a hazard for workers’ health, is a harmful agent (noxious).

The occupational environment must be monitored in order to evaluate the present exposure (determination of the quantity, degree and significance of a certain type of exposure).

In this respect, the volume “Harmful agents present in the working environment” represents a trial to emphasize a series of harmful chemical and physic-chemical agents in the working environment and the characteristic exposure circumstances.

The majority of the presented harmful agents are complex mixtures generated in the thermal processes (welding, coal, coke or wood combustion, plastics or rubber pyrolysis etc.), mechanical processes (steel, textile, composite, refractory mechanical processing, insulating activities, mining etc.), electrochemical processes (metal plating), chemical processes (organic and inorganic compound synthesis, wood preservation etc.).

In this book, the harmful agents were carefully selected. The book refers to a relative closed number of harmful agents, namely, those frequently met in airborne workplaces, or which are carcinogenic in humans, or are less known from the point of view of their chemical composition.

The presentation of each harmful agent is concise, including: a short characterization (chemical composition, occurrence, synthesis, uses and the physical forms in which the harmful agent is present in airborne workplaces – aerosol, mist, fumes, gas), main occupations and correlated harmful agents (here are mentioned other noxious which have an increased probability to accompany the analyzed noxious).

This book is structured in two parts: the first part presents the selected harmful agents, and the second part shows some occupations and their involved harmful agents.

The work is relied on recent information and brings quickly and substantial knowledge related to harmful agents resulted in the workplaces.

This work is useful for occupational hygienists, occupational health physicians, employers ‘associations, enterprise physicians, safety engineering associations, safety officers and other professional specialists in occupational health.

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Contents

Preface
Introduction

Chapter I.
Harmful agents present in the working environment

Alphabetical list:

Abrasives (dust)
Acetic acid
Acrylonitrile (CH2=CH-CN)
Adhesives
Alcali
Aliphatic aldehydes
Aliphatic esters (organic and inorganic)
Aliphatic ketones
Alkanes (C18+)
Alkanes (C1-C4)
Alkanes (C5-C17)
Alkyd resins
Alumina
Aluminium and compounds (dust)
Aluminium and compounds (fumes)
Ammonia (NH3)
Antimony and compounds
Aromatic amines
Arsenic and compounds
Asbestos
Ashes (dust)
Asphalt
Aviation gasoline
Beryllium and compounds
Biocides
Bleaches
Borium compounds
Brass (dust)
Brick (dust)
Cadmium and compounds
Calcium carbide
Calcium carbonate (dust)
Calcium oxide (dust and fumes)
Camphor (C10H10O)
Carbon black
Carbon disulphide (CS2)
Carbon monoxide (CO)
Cellulose acetate
Cellulose nitrate
Cement (dust)
Cereals
Charcoal (dust)
Chlorinated alkanes
Chlorinated alkenes
Chlorine (Cl2)
Chlorine dioxide (ClO2)
Clay (dust)
Coal (dust)
Coal combustion products
Coal tar and pitch
Cobalt and compounds
Cobalt oxides
Coke (dust)
Coke combustion products
Colophonium (dust)
Composites
Concrete (dust)
Cooking fumes
Copper and compounds (dust and mist)
Copper and compounds (fumes)
Cosmetics
Cotton (dust)
Creosote
Cyanides
DDT (p,p’-dichlorodiphenyl-trichloroethane)
Diesel engine emissions
Diesel oil
Electroplating solutions
Epoxy resins
Ethyl ether (H5C2OC2H5)
Ethylene glycol (HOCH2CH2OH)
Ethylene oxide (C2H4O)
Excavation dust
Explosives
Extenders
Fabrics (dust)
Felt (dust)
Fertilizers
Flax (dust)
Flour (dust)
Fluorides
Fluorohydrocarbons
Formic acid
Fuel oil
Fur (dust)
Gaseous anesthetics
Gasoline engine emissions
Gasoline
Glass (dust)
Glycerin
Glycols ethers
Graphite (dust)
Gypsum (dust)
Hexavalent chromium
Hydraulic fluids
Hydrogen chloride (HCl)
Hydrogen cyanide (HCN)
Hydrogen fluoride
Hydrogen sulphide (H2S)
Hypochlorites
Inks
Inorganic acids (solutions)
Inorganic insulation dust
Inorganic pigments
Isocyanates
Javel water
Jet fuel emissions
Kerosene
Lead and compounds (dust)
Lead and compounds (fumes and mist)
Leather (dust)
Linseed oil
Liquid fuel combustion products
Lubricanting oils
Man made mineral fibres
Manganese and compounds (dust)
Manganese and compounds (fumes)
Melamine-formaldehyde resins
Mercury compounds
Mercury
Metallic dust
Methyl methacrylate (CH2=C(CH3)COOCH3)
Mica (dust)
Mineral spirits
Monohydroxy aliphatic alchols
Mononuclear aromatic hydrocarbons
Natural gas combustion products
Natural gas
Nickel (fumes and mist)
Nickel and compounds (dust)
Nickel carbonyl
Nitrates
Nitric acid (HNO3)
Nitrogen oxides (NxOy)
Organic dyes
Ozone (O3)
Paints, primers, laques, varnishes, enamels, stains
Pesticides
Phenol-formaldehyde resins
Phosgene (COCl2)
Phosphoric acid (H3PO4)
Photographic products
Phthalates
Plastics (dust)
Plastics pyrolysis products
Polyacrylate resins
Polyamide resins
Polychlorinated diphenyls
Polyethylene
Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons
Polypropylene
Polystyrene
Polyurethanes
Polyvinyl acetate
Polyvinyl chloride resins
Potassium aluminium sulfate (alum)
Propane combustion products
Propane engine emissions
Propellants
Refractories (dust)
Rubber pyrolysis products
Rubber
Selenium and compounds
Silicon carbide
Silicon dioxide
Silicone oils
Silk (dust)
Sodium carbonate (Na2CO3∙xH2O)
Soldering fumes
Solvents
Soot
Stainless steel (dust)
Starch (dust) (C6H10O5)
Steel (dust)
Sulphur (dust)
Sulphur dioxide (SO2)
Sulphuric acid (HSO4)
Synthetic fibres (dust)
Talc (dust)
Tannery agents
Tannic acid (C76H52O46)
Tellurium and compounds
Tetraethyl lead
Tin (fumes and mist)
Tin and compounds (dust)
Titanium (fumes)
Titanium and compounds (dust)
Titanium oxides
Tobacco (dust)
Trivalent chromium
Tungsten and compounds
Turpentine (C10H16)
Unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons
Urea-formaldehyde resins
Vanadium and compounds
Waxes
Welding fumes
Wood (dust)
Wood combustion products
Wool (dust)


Chapter II.
Occupational activities (economic branches/jobs) and main involved harmful agents

Alphabetic list

Brickmaking
Butchers, meat smokers
Cabinet making, furniture making
Car mechanics
Carpenter (construction)
Cement making
Charperson cleaners
Coal miners
Concrete and terazzo finishers
Construction demolitions
Cooks
Dairy farmers
Dental technicians
Dentists
Electric arc welding
Electricians
Electronic equipment workers
Electroplating
Farmers
Fire fighting
Foundry workers
Fur tanning workers
Fur workers
Gas pomp operators
Gas welding
Hairdressing and cosmetics workers
Horticultural farmers
Insulators
Machine tool operators
Metal miners
Metal refining
Metal soldering
Stationary engine and auxiliary equipment
operators
Painters (construction)
Pharmaceuticals industry workers
Plasterers
Plumbers
Printers
Railway workers
Roofers
Rubber industry workers
Sheet metal processing
Ship builders
Stationary engine and auxiliary equipment
Textile bleachers
Textile carding operators
Textile dyers
Textile processing
Textile weaving and knitting
Unskilled workers (construction)
Upholsterers

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