Industrial Hygiene

An Introduction
For
Chemical Engineers
 Goal of Industrial Hygiene

 Worker safety and well-being

 Anticipation
 Recognition

 Evaluation
 Control
 Workplace Hazards

 Chemical
 Physical
 Ergonomic
 Biological
 Chemical Hazards

 Irritants
 Asphyxiants
 CNS Agents
 Specific organ agents
 Genetic activity

Acute versus Chronic

 Irritants

 Respiratory
 Skin
 Eye
 Irritants

 Primary/Secondary
 Primary – at source of contact
 Secondary – travels through blood to another
area
 Reversible/Irreversible
 Sensitization
 Irritant that has a delayed reaction on subsequent
exposure
 Asphyxiants

 Simple Asphyxiants  Chemical Asphyxiants

 N2  CO
 CO2  HCN
 He  H2S
 CH4
 Interact at cellular level
 Dilute air so oxygen to inhibit oxygen
content is low uptake.
 Central Nervous System
Depressants
 Narcotics
 Anesthetics
 Depressants
 CNS Depressants

 Aliphatic Hydrocarbons
 Increased chain length enhances effect
 Addition of an alcohol group (i.e. ethanol)
 Addition of a halide group enhances the effect
 Specific Organ Attack

 May be reversible or irreversible

 Blood - Hemotoxic
 Liver – Hepatotoxic
 Lungs – Pulmonotoxic
 Kidneys – Nephrotoxic
 Skin – Dermatotoxic
 Nerves & Brain - Neurotoxic
 Genetic Activity

 Typically is irreversible
 Causes cancer – Carcinogen
 Causes chromosome damage – Mutagen
 Causes birth defects – Teratogen
 Causes damage to reproductive system -
Reproductive Hazard
 Anticipation of Chemical
Hazards
 Consider the following:
 Raw materials
 Intermediates formed
 Final products
 Disposal of used products
 Maintenance materials
 “Cradle to Grave” thought process
 Anticipation of Chemical
Hazards
 Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) has established Permissible Exposure
limits
 They are defined in time weighted average, TWA, for
most working conditions. Short Term Exposure Limits,
STEL, for 15 minute exposure. Ceiling, C, for maximum
allowable concentration.
 American Council of Government Industrial
Hygienists (ACGIH) has established Threshold
Limit Values, TLV.
 Anticipation of Chemical
Hazards
 Material Safety Data
Sheets, MSDS
 Recognition of Chemical
Hazards
 Odors
 Not all agents have detectable odor
 Frequent headaches
 Dermatitis
 Drowsiness
 Personality changes
 Clusters of problems
 Workplace Hazards

 Chemical
 Physical
 Ergonomic
 Biological
 Physical Hazards

 Dusts and Fibers

 Noise
 Corrosives
 Temperature Extremes
 Ionizing Radiation
 Non-Ionizing Radiation
 Dusts and Fibers

 Concerned about particle size and

penetration into pulmonary track
 D > 0.5 micron – does not reach lungs (but may
ingest)
 0.2 < D < 0.5 micron – respirable and gets stuck
in lungs
 D < 0.2 micron – are exhaled
 Noise Hazard Recognition

 Need to shout
 Ringing sensation
 Degraded hearing after work
 Auditory testing
 Noise Hazard

 Sound level measurement

L = 10 * Log (I/I0)2

L = Sound intensity, decibels (dB)

P = Sound pressure, rms (Pa)
I0 = Reference sound pressure, rms (20  Pa)
 Typical Noise Sources

Source Sound Level (dB)

Rocket 195
Jet Engine 160
Rock Band 115
Power Lawn Mower 95
Factory 90
Noisy Office 80
Conversation 65
Quite Room 40
Whisper 20
 OSHA Sound Level PEL’s

Sound Level (dB) Exposure Time Limit (hr)

< 90 No Limit
90 8
95 4
100 2
105 1
110 ½
115 ¼
> 115 0
 Noise Control

 Enclose equipment
 Enclose operator
 Slower rotational speed
 Intake/Exhaust mufflers
 Padded mountings
 Corrosive Hazards

 Usually concerned with the affect of

corrosives on process equipment
 Concern for contact of workers with
corrosives
 Usually involves necrosis, the death of local

tissue due to contact of agent

 Temperature Extremes

 Heat Stress  Cold Stress

 Heat Stroke  Frostbite
 Heat Exhaustion  Hypothermia
 Heat Stress

 Body’s Energy Balance  External Conditions

 Metabolic rate  Temperature
 Radiation  Humidity
 Convection  Air movement
 Sweating  Radiation

In a typical healthy individual the internal core body

temperature may rise as much as 3°C during heat stress
 Cold Stress

 Less Common in Industrial Situations

 Cold climates
 Refrigerated space
 Wind chill
 Responses to Cold Stress
 Body core temperature is typically 37°C
 Shivering when body Tc < 36°C
 Lose Consciousness at Tc < 34°C
 Temperature Stress Control

 Hot Stress  Cold Stress

 Air movement  Limit exposure time
 Periodic rest  Protective clothing
 Remove to cooler
location
 Ionizing Radiation

 Physical damage to cells

 Possible genetic damage
 Types of Radiation
 Alpha – emitted from nuclei of radioactive particles
 Beta – similar to  but with more penetrating (~ 1 cm)
 X-ray – produced from high speed electrons striking
material
 Gamma – originates from nucleus, produces burns
 Neutrons – emitted from disintegration of isotopes, very
penetrating
 Common Units to Measure
Radiation
 Rad – the unit of absorbed dose of ionizing radiation
equal to the absorption of 100 ergs/g
 Roentgen – exposure to x-rays or gamma rays equal
to absorption in 1 cm3 of air to produce 1 electrostatic
unit of charge
 Rem – the dosage of ionizing radiation that will cause
the same biological effect as 1 rad of x-, gamma or
beta
 Curie – the rate at which radioactive material emits
particles, 3.7x1010 disintegrations per second
 Protection from Ionizing
Radiation
 Alpha, Beta - Little protection
required

 X-ray, Gamma - Extensive high

density shielding

 Neutrons - Special shielding

techniques
 Non-Ionizing Radiation

 Low frequency - ~ 3 m wavelength

 Microwaves - 3 m to 3 mm

 Infrared - 3 mm to 750 nm

 Visible light - 750 nm to 400 nm

 Non-Ionizing Radiation

 Ultraviolet Radiation
 UV-A 400 to 320 nm
 Harmful only to eyes, causes sun tan

 UV-B 320 to 280 nm

 Causes skin damage (sun burn), source arc welding

 UV-C 280 to 220 nm

 Severe damage, source germicidal lamps
 Laser Light

 Especially dangerous for eyes

 Retinal burns
 Corneal burns
 Workplace Hazards

 Chemical
 Physical
 Ergonomic
 Biological
 Ergonomic Hazards

 Physiological Hazards  Psychological Hazards

 Awkward movements  Boredom
 Muscle strain  Concentrated attention
 Simulated inputs
 Ergonomic Hazards

 Increasing emphasis due to repetitive nature

of some industrial manufacturing jobs.

 Also with more operators working at

computers or workstations there are
ergonomic concerns.
 Workplace Hazards

 Chemical
 Physical
 Ergonomic
 Biological
 Biological Hazards

 Pathogenic organisms
 Five levels of classification
 1 least dangerous
 5 most dangerous
 Pathogenic organisms are typically not found in a
chemical processing facility
 Possible biological hazards in an industrial setting
 AIDS
 Hepatitis B
 Biological Hazards

 Industries with possible biological hazards

 Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
 Food processing or agricultural products

 Typically hazards are well contained

 Chemical Engineer’s
Responsibility
 Be aware of industrial hazards and possible
effects.
 Design inherently safer systems that
minimize worker exposure to hazards.
 As a manager encourage proper safety
procedures and good housekeeping to
minimize employees exposure to hazardous
situations.