NMAM methods update: a laboratory response to concerns about technologically outdated and problematic methods.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety Health (NIOSH) publishes the NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods (NMAM). The NMAM, although subject to various revisions and the incorporation of supplemental editions over the years, still contains many methods that are technologically outdated or problematic, as identified in a recent survey of the various users of the NMAM. Whereas the survey identified a number of problematic methods based on various chromatographic techniques, those selected for inclusion in this project employed analysis by gas chromatography (GC). The GC methods selected for evaluation were categorized as Phases 1, 2, 3, and 4 based on necessity as determined by the results of the client survey or internal assessment. The Phase 1 methods included: NMAM 1606 (Acetonitrile), NMAM 2005 (Nitroaromatic Compounds), and NMAM 1453 (Vinyl Acetate); the Phase 2 methods: NMAM 1003 (Halogenated Hydrocarbons), NMAM 1501 (Aromatic Hydrocarbons), NMAM 2555 (Ketones I), and NMAM 1403 (Alcohols IV); the Phase 3 methods: NMAM 2552 (Methyl Acrylate), NMAM 2537 (Methyl and Ethyl Methacrylate), and NMAM 2553 (Ketones II), and the Phase 4 methods: NMAM 2556 (Isophorone), NMAM 1460 (Isopropyl Acetate), and NMAM 1618 (Isopropyl Ether). All methods previously specifying packed column chromatography have been evaluated using the appropriate fused silica capillary column. Improvements in individual analyte desorption efficiencies were achieved at concentrations substantially lower than those used in the previous methods. Most analytes evaluated had their respective limit of detection lowered by a factor of ten-to twentyfold. Thirty-day storage stability studies, previously lacking in a number of methods or for new analytes, were successfully completed to meet current method development criteria. Additional benefits resulting from this effort included the incorporation of single analyte methods into chemically related multianalyte methods and the evaluation of certain isomers, such as the methylstyrenes and xylenes, which previously could not be separated.

Eye and respiratory symptoms in poultry processing workers exposed to chlorine by-products.

BACKGROUND: CDC/NIOSH responded to a request to investigate complaints of eye and respiratory irritation among workers in a poultry processing facility's evisceration department. METHODS: Investigators administered symptom questionnaires and sampled for chlorine and chloramines. Spirometry was performed on workers before and after their work shift. RESULTS: Symptoms were significantly more prevalent in evisceration workers than in dark meat workers (a control group). Air concentrations of chloramine compounds (i.e., trichloramine and 'soluble chlorine') were significantly higher in the evisceration area than the dark meat area. Exposure levels were significantly higher for employees reporting various symptoms compared to employees not reporting those symptoms. Mean trichloramine exposure concentrations were significantly higher in workers with significant cross-shift declines in lung function; air concentrations of 'soluble chlorine' were higher as well, however, not significantly so. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this evaluation suggest a health hazard may exist from exposure to chloramines.

Development of a flow-injection fluorescence method for estimation of total polycyclic aromatic compounds in asphalt fumes.

Traditionally, measurements of specific polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) have been attempted as an estimate of asphalt fume exposure. However, asphalt fumes contain numerous alkyl substituted PACs, including PACs containing heteroatoms of nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur. Many of these compounds coelute precluding the resolution of the individual compounds resulting in ambiguous data. Moreover, many researchers believe that some observed health hazards are associated with PACs overall and not just a few select PACs. Therefore, NIOSH method 5800 was developed to evaluate total PACs as a chemical class in asphalt fumes. Asphalt fume samples were collected on a poly(tetrafluoroethylene) filter backed by an XAD-2 sorbent tube. The samples were extracted with hexane; then, a cyano-solid-phase-extraction column was used to remove the polar compounds while the aliphatic and aromatic compounds were eluted with hexane. An equal volume of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was added to the hexane extract, causing the aromatic compounds to partition into the DMSO, thus isolating the PACs. The PACs were then analyzed for fluorescence using a flow-injection method with two fluorescence detectors. Wavelength settings for the first detector (254-nm excitation, 370-nm emission) emphasized the 2- to 4-ring PACs that may cause eye and respiratory tract irritation. Wavelength settings of the second detector (254-nm excitation, 400-nm emission) emphasized the 4- and higher-ring PACs that are often mutagenic and possibly carcinogenic.

Toxicity of Mount St. Helen's volcanic ash and relevance to mining populations

This chapter reviews the available information on the health effects of Mount St. Helen's volcanic ash and attempts to synthesize this into a risk assessment analysis. Also included is a synopsis of the testing program conducted by the national institute for occupational safety and health (niosh) to determine interlaboratory variation in free silica analyses & analytical studies on the lungs of two loggers who died subsequent to massive ash exposure. The data generated by this research will not only be of use in the event of future major eruptions, but will also have health implications for workers exposed to similar mineral dusts in the mining industry

Epidemiologic assessment of the risk for adverse pulmonary effects from persistent occupational exposures to Mount St. Helens's volcanic ash (TEPHRA)

Following the May 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens's Volcano in the state of Washington. Laboratory studies were undertaken of the mineralogic nature and toxicologic actions of the ash. This paper addresses these studies by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). It then proceeds to describe the short-term findings of a cross-sectional, acute, and longitudinal health hazard evaluation of the effects of persistent occupational exposures to highly respirable volcanic ash. This unusual health hazard evaluation represents a cooperative effort by union management and government researcher