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Affiliation
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Division of Health Studies/Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 1600 Clifton Rd NE, Mailstop E-23, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. dmanassaram@cdc.gov |
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Abstract
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This report describes events involving the acute
release of hazardous substances reported to the Hazardous Substances Emergency
Events Surveillance (HSEES) system for 1993-2000. HSEES, maintained by the
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), collects data on the
industries/services associated with events. This analysis focuses on
fixed-facility events that occurred during the manufacturing of chemicals and
allied products (i.e. categorized according to the 1990 Industrial
Classification System (ICS) of the US Bureau of the Census). This is the most
frequently reported industry category in the surveillance system, with over
12000 events (28% of all events and 35% of fixed-facility events). Further
classification found that the majority (71%) of these events involved the
manufacturing of industrial and miscellaneous chemicals (ICS code 192), and 21%
plastics, synthetics, and resins (ICS code 180). A total of 2676 persons
reported injuries in 307 fixed-facility events. Most of the injured persons were
employees (42%), followed by the general public (38%), students (15%), and
responders (5%). Thirty-five percent of all injured persons and 46% of all
injured employees had respiratory symptoms. Releases frequently occurred in
processing vessels, and the majority was due to equipment failure. A review of
the data indicates that manufacturers of chemicals and allied products could
help reduce morbidity and mortality by taking preventive actions such as
performing regular maintenance of processing equipment, regular training of
employees and encouraging them to wear respiratory protection, and educating the
public on what to do in the event of a release from these
facilities. |