Occupational exposure to chemical and biological agents in the nonproduction departments of pulp, paper, and paper product mills: An international study

As part of an international epidemiological study of workers in the pulp an d paper industry, previously unpublished exposure measurements were assembl ed in a database. This article describes 7293 measurements in nonproduction departments from 147 mills in 11 countries. The greatest variety of agents was measured in the maintenance, construction, and cleaning department, wh ere high exposures to asbestos, chromium [VI] compounds, copper, mercury in urine, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, styrene, sulfur dioxide, trichloroethylene , and welding fumes were observed, Measurements in the storage, yard, loadi ng, and shipping department indicated high exposures to asbestos, carbon mo noxide, fungal spores, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and total dust. The steam and power generation department had high exposures to methyl mercapt an, silica, and total dust, Measurements in process and effluent water trea tment, laboratory and research, engineering, and office, administration, an d cafeteria areas had few elevated exposures, Throughout the nonproduction departments, measurements of pulp-production chemicals such as chlorine and sulfur compounds tended to be low, with many below detection limits. There were some problems with the available data; in particular, detection limit s were often not specified, and the data tended to be clustered in such a w ay that sources of exposure variability could not be distinguished. Despite these problems, the data provide new insight into the exposures of nonprod uction pulp and paper industry personnel.