Objective:
The goal of this project was to perform side-by-side testing of Total, Respirable and Inhalable Manganese (Mn) exposure in operator breathing zones and general areas of shipyard welding operations to determine if air monitoring of representative tasks could be used to establish estimated or predictable ranges of exposure. This data is beneficial to the industry to reduce the labor and expense burden on individual shipyards and to provide a more timely impact analysis of these proposed changes. 96 air samples were collected during actual production work in three U.S. shipyards and one manufacturing facility for ship components, representing work during seven different welding and metal-working processes. Comparative relationship between Total, Inhalable and Respirable particulate sizes, however, did not follow any consistent or predictable pattern, making any predictive value assigned to these size-fractional test methods unsupportable at this time.
Final Report – Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited
Overview
Project Team:
- Atrium Environmental Health and Safety Services
- Applied Thermal Sciences
- Navy & Marine Corps Public Health Center
2011
NSRP ASE Investment: $100K
