California plans to add TCE to toxic chemicals list

Exposure to TCE can lead to reproductive problems.

California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment has announced plans to add trichloroethylene to the list of reproductive toxicants maintained under Proposition 65.

In a Nov. 27 notice of intent, the agency proposed listing the volatile organic compound based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency findings that trichloroethylene (CAS No. 79-01-06) caused male reproductive toxicity and developmental toxicity in laboratory animals.

Under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, better known as Proposition 65, the state must maintain a list of chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects or reproductive toxicity.

Businesses must provide clear warnings whenever the public is exposed to an unsafe level of a listed substance.

TCE is used as an industrial solvent and is found in several consumer products, including paint removers and adhesives.

TCE - Trichloroethylene
- In the vapor degreasing of metal parts.
- An extraction solvent for greases, oils, fats, waxes, and tars, a chemical intermediate in the
   production of other chemicals, and as a refrigerant.
- In consumer products such as typewriter correction fluids, paint removers/strippers,
   adhesives, spot removers, and rug-cleaning fluids
Source: EPA

In 1988, California added the chemical to the Proposition 65 list of carcinogens.

Findings in the EPA's 2011 Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) document and the Toxicological Review of TCE in support of the IRIS entry meet the criteria for listing the chemical as a reproductive toxicant under the Proposition 65 authoritative bodies mechanism, the OEHHA said.

The authoritative bodies mechanism is an administrative process that requires the OEHHA to add substances to the Proposition 65 list once the EPA or another official body formally identifies a chemical as causing reproductive harm, birth defects or cancer.

Along with the notice of intent, the agency posted its response to comments from the Halogenated Solvents Industry Alliance Inc. and another group questioning whether TCE was eligible for listing via the administrative process.

Source: Bloomberg

Concerned about TCE exposure or other airborne chemicals? Electrocorp offers a wide range of industrial-strength air cleaning systems with activated carbon and HEPA to remove chemicals, gases, fumes, particles and other contaminants from the ambient air. Contact Electrocorp for more information.

Heart defects at birth linked to solvents at work

Women can be exposed through synthetic textiles
and dyes, among many other sources.
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Women who are exposed to organic solvents at the workplace have a higher risk of giving birth to babies with a heart defect, new research shows.

Many pregnant women may be exposed to solvents, which are often used in chemical manufacturing and in industries where substances such as fats, oils and waxes need to be dissolved or cleaned.

Organic solvents are common ingredients in

• Paints
• Varnishes
• Adhesives
• Degreasing and cleaning agents
• Dyes
• Polymers
• Plastic
• Synthetic textiles
• Printing inks
• Agricultural products

By handling these products, workers may breathe in organic chemicals, or they may enter the body through mouth or skin.

The researchers assessed the levels of workplace exposure to solvents in 5000 women in the United States from one month before conception up to the end of the first trimester.

Pregnant women exposed to solvents at work
may put their babies at risk, a study shows.

The women took part in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study and their babies were delivered between 1997 and 2002.

Since exposure to organic solvents (chlorinated solvents, aromatic solvents, hydrocarbons) is relatively common in the workplace, industrial hygienists focused on these chemicals and possible associations to birth defects.

Their approach showed a 4-5% higher risk of heart defects, but they cautioned that the results did not allow the drawing of definitive conclusions on specific types of exposure and specific congenital heart defects.

The study appeared online in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Source: Science Daily Press Release

Cleaner air at the workplace

Since many industries and workplaces rely on the use of solvents, the indoor air quality may be affected by the volatile organic compounds and chemicals known to be a health risk.

Electrocorp has specialized in air cleaners for commercial and industrial applications that come in customizable sizes and with the most efficient filters to provide cleaner and healthier air.

The air cleaners are equipped with an activated carbon and HEPA multistage filtration system to remove airborne chemicals, gases, odors, fumes, VOCs as well as particles and other IAQ concerns.

More than 40 different carbon blends can also target specific chemicals and gases, such as those from organic solvents.

For more information on Electrocorp and its products, contact us.

Show your support for green and healthy working environments by becoming a follower of this blog.

Rare birth defect linked to mothers’ work exposure to PAHs

A mother's workplace exposure to certain chemicals
increases the risk for a rare birth defect, researchers say.

Exposure to certain chemicals at work in early pregnancy could lead to a higher risk of an umbilical cord defect called gastroschisis, a condition where the baby’s organs poke out of the gut.

Researchers have established a link between gastroschisis and exposure to PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), which mainly come from combustion and fossil fuels. They are also found in cigarette smoke.

Gastroschisis is a type of hernia. Babies born with this birth defect have their intestines (and sometimes other organs) protrude through a hole next to their belly button.

The birth defect can affect the babies’ ability to feed, digest food and absorb nutrients, and surgery is needed to place the organs back inside and repair the rupture.

Animal studies have already linked exposure to PAHs to multiple birth defects, including gastroschisis.

Pregnant women stay on the job

The study focused on workplace exposure to PAHs since more than 95 percent of employed women in the United States remain employed during pregnancy.

A growing number of women may be exposed to dangerous chemicals on the job that can harm the fetus.

Examples of workplaces where exposure is likely are oil and gas production facilities and coal-fired power plants as well as restaurants where meat is cooked at high temperatures.

The researchers asked study participants about the jobs they held during the critical window of development for this birth defect, which is the month before getting pregnant through the third month of pregnancy.

They found that mothers who were exposed to PAHs had 1.5 times the risk of having a baby with gastroschisis compared to women who were not exposed at work.

Babies of older women may have an elevated risk because their mothers have been exposed to PAHs for a longer time, they say.

Source: Environmental Health News

Air cleaners for a chemical-free environment

Many workplaces can expose workers to chemicals – even offices are known to suffer from bad air quality due to printer ink chemicals, building materials, electronic equipment and other sources of volatile organic compounds and toxins.

An industrial-strength air cleaner with activated carbon and HEPA provides the most complete filtration system to address the wide range of contaminants we breathe in everyday.

Electrocorp has developed air cleaners for industrial and commercial applications that can remove airborne chemicals, gases, fumes and odors as well as particles, dust and biological contaminants.

Contact Electrocorp for more information and suggestions.