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EVALUATION OF CHEMICAL RELEASES AND WORKER EXPOSURES FROM FILTER PRESS OPERATIONS
Citation:
Timberlake, D., M. Marshall, AND J. Scott. EVALUATION OF CHEMICAL RELEASES AND WORKER EXPOSURES FROM FILTER PRESS OPERATIONS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-95/311.
Description:
The exposures (inhalation and dermal) and releases (air, water, solids, and process streams) associated with the filtration of industrial wastewater sludge from an electronics manufacturing plant were characterized. hemical releases and worker exposures for a target chemical (total copper) were measured over four operational cycles. arious aspects of the filtration operation believed to influence the measurement values were documented. orker exposures associated with the discreet stages of the filter operation were measured. entilation patterns around the filter press were also monitored. he workers' time-weighted average exposures to total copper during the 113-minute operational cycle ranged from 3.1 to 25 ug/m3 (2.2 geometric standard deviation, 6.4 ug/m3 geometric mean concentration). he manual removal of filter cake comprised only 15% of the time in an average filtration cycle, but produced 72% of the workers' inhalation exposure. uring this cake-removal stage, inhalation exposures ranged from 11 ug/m3 to 130 ug/m3 (2.5 geometric standard deviation, 30 ug/m3 geometric mean concentration). ifferences in worker technique may account for the large range of inhalation exposures during the cake-removal stage. xposures and releases were successfully determined for a single unit operation, as well as for the discreet stages of operation. he data generated will enable EPA to more accurately estimate worker exposures and chemical releases for new chemicals as required by the Toxic Substances Control Act. he approach utilized will benefit industrial hygienists in providing estimates of worker exposures and aid in the targeting of survey sampling.