Evaluation of Fire Debris Cleanup Employees’ Exposure to Silica, Asbestos, Metals, and Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons | NLM

Disaster Information Management Research Center | NLM

Evaluation of Fire Debris Cleanup Employees’ Exposure to Silica, Asbestos, Metals, and Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons

08/01/2019 12:00 AM EDT

Source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] (CDC NIOSH). Published: 8/2019. In March 2018, an employer representative with a government agency for the State of California requested a health hazard evaluation concerning exposure to silica, asbestos, metals, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons during cleanup of structural debris and burn ash after wildfires spread into areas where homes and business were located. This 54-page report summarizes work that measured employees’ exposures to respirable crystalline silica, asbestos, metals, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons in air; and measured metals and polyaromatic hydrocarbons on skin. It provides findings, including that some employees were overexposed to respirable crystalline silica, and recommendations to improve workplace health and safety. (PDF)