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Epidemiologic Notes and Reports
Arsenic Contamination in an Abandoned Building -- Ohio
Investigators from the National Institute for Occupational
Safety
and Health (NIOSH) recently re-evaluated residual arsenic
contamination in an abandoned building in Norwood, Ohio (1). At
the
request of the local health department, NIOSH had evaluated the
same
building in 1974 and found it highly contaminated by an arsenic
trioxide rodenticide that had been mixed and packaged in the
building
nearly 40 years earlier.
On October 22, 1981, NIOSH investigators collected 14 dust
samples
from the floor, walls, and ceiling beams throughout the building
and
analyzed them for arsenic content by atomic absorption
spectrophotometry. Six samples from the floor contained from 3% to
41% arsenic by weight (30,000 to 410,000 parts per million). Five
wipe samples from wall surfaces contained from 0.5 to 310 ug of
arsenic per square inch of surface area, and three wipe samples
from
ceiling-beam surfaces contained from 130 to 2100 ug of arsenic per
square inch. (Normal levels are 0.5 ug.) The highest arsenic
concentrations were found in the northeast quadrant of the
building--the area where the mixing and packaging had reportedly
been
done.
On February 2, 1982, NIOSH presented the results to the Norwood
City Health Department with recommendations for decontamination and
guidelines for protection of workers during decontamination.
Reported by Hazard Evaluations and Technical Assistance Br, Div of
Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies, NIOSH, CDC. Editorial Note
Editorial Note: Although most occupational exposure to arsenic is
by
inhalation, it can also occur through ingestion or skin absorption.
Once absorbed, arsenic is widely distributed throughout the body
tissues, including the liver, other abdominal viscera, bone, and
skin.
Chronic exposure to arsenic, particularly to the trivalent
form,
manifests itself by: weakness, weight loss, nausea, diarrhea,
constipation, skin disorders, hair loss, abdominal pain, pleuritis,
and peripheral neuritis. Numerous studies indicate that arsenic
compounds, including arsenic trioxide, can cause cancer of the
skin,
liver, lung, and possibly the lymphatic system (2,3).
Arsenic rodenticides are generally effective against Norway and
roof rats, but not against house mice. This lack of broad-spectrum
effectiveness, coupled with the inherent toxicity of arsenic
compounds
to man, has led to a decline in the use of arsenic as a rodenticide
(4). In August 1967, the United States Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) banned arsenic trioxide for home use in concentrations
1.5%.
To protect workers removing arsenic from a contaminated
building,
NIOSH recommends the following procedures:
The interior of the building should be decontaminated by
collecting all loose material, debris, etc., with particular
attention to material of a gray to white color, which should be
packaged and secured for disposal according to EPA hazardous
waste
disposal guidelines (5).
Workers involved in decontamination should be adequately
safeguarded against exposure to the arsenic-laden material by
air-supplied respirators and disposable full-body protective
clothing, including hoods, gloves, and footwear.
The effectiveness of the decontamination should be assured by
the
EPA-recommended toxicity test extraction procedure to define
those
structures, material, etc., that should be classified and
handled
as hazardous waste (6).
References
Boiano J. Health hazard evaluation--Norwood, Ohio. Cincinnati:
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1982.
(Report no. HETA 82-017-1067).
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
Criteria
for a recommended standard: occupational exposure to inorganic
arsenic (revised). Cincinnati, Ohio: National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health, 1975. (DHEW publication no.
(NIOSH) 75-149).
Landrigan PJ. Arsenic--state of the art. American Journal of
Industrial Medicine 1981:2;5-14.
Lisella FS, Long KR, Scott HG. Toxicology of rodenticides and
their relation to human health. Journal of Environmental
Health
1970;33:231-7.
Environmental Protection Agency. Hazardous waste managemenmt
system. Standards applicable to generators of hazardous waste.
Federal Register 1980;45:33140-8.
Environmental Protection Agency. Hazardous waste management
system. Identification and listing of hazardous waste.
Federal
Register 1980;45:33083-133.
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