Which decay is the most hazardous to bystanders

The commercial company EWS in Belgium dealing with fumigation suggested that for ad hoc situations handhold technology could be used. Examples of those technologies are [ 50 ]:. The openings in the top corners of the containers and possible leaking rubber seals around the doors may explain the observation of uneven concentrations in the container. Recently a new flat lancet was developed to facilitate onsite measurements from unopened containers. The lancet was further connected to a direct-reading instrument with detectors for VOCs, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, phosphine and carbon monoxide [ 51 ].

In Hamburg, measurements were performed onsite with a gas detector array instrument GDA, Airsense by sampling through the online probe inserted into the container. After the measurements with the hand held instrument, special 1 liter air bags were filled with the air of the containers.

The air bags were transported to the laboratory for analysis with gas chromatography—mass spectrometry GC-MS , which requires a well-equipped lab and a well-trained lab technician; in addition, it is time-consuming [ 5 , 19 , 52 , 53 ]. One large storehouse had a Fourier Transform Infrared--instrument in the central unit. However, they claimed that it is not realistic to require every costumer handling containers, small-sized terminals in particular, to have expensive measurement instruments, but rather rely on sufficient ventilation before entry.

Based on interviews with nine key informants in the Danish study, equipment for monitoring of container air is available in some of the selected organizations only, and even when available, the measuring device can detect only methyl bromide but no other potentially harmful chemicals [ 48 ]. In some of these organizations a suspicion is sufficient for applying specific preventive measures while others would require positive results of air measurements to take action. The container should be efficiently ventilated before opening when high concentrations of harmful substances have been detected or when measurements have not been done.

Containers normally have small openings in the top corners to provide limited natural ventilation. In contrast, forced extraction ventilation fan sucking air via a tube inserted all the way into the container and fresh air entering via the doors resulted in rapid washout of the gas.

They concluded that unfortunately the current container design makes safe and speedy sampling and ventilation prior to opening the doors technically difficult. Ventilation must preferably be ongoing during stripping, and a ventilated container that is closed for stripping the following day must be re-ventilated. In the Australian study [ 25 ] the containers were often left to ventilate naturally.

The also concluded that for those containers with known high levels of fumigants, natural ventilation may require supplementation with forced ventilation to reduce the concentrations of residual chemicals to acceptable levels for unloading.

Industry representatives expressed concern that ventilation systems for extracting fumigants from containers were not effective because the levels of fumigants within containers simply rose again after termination of ventilation and close up of the containers. Thus, it may be useful to set a time limit e. The workers that performed stripping of containers in the Swedish study expressed that the containers frequently carried unpleasant odors that from time-to-time prevented stripping.

Such containers were left for natural ventilation before re-entry [ 47 ]. The interviewed personnel in the Danish study reported that the main preventive measure to reduce chemical exposure is natural ventilation; active ventilation is not used in practice [ 48 ].

The conditions of aeration were not consistently applied; the reported ventilation times varied between 2 and 48 hours without any knowledge of whether this amount of time was sufficient or not. In published articles and reports the use of PPE during container stripping has only been briefly mentioned, and it has not been described which type of protective mask or other PPE that have been used.

The types of required PPE differ from one toxicant to another and it is emphasized that the correct PPE should be used. In addition, rescue strategies should be available to individuals who need to enter unventilated containers with unknown hazards [ 47 , 31 ]. Pedersen et al.

The also described that the decision and choice of preventive measures to be used in practice are often left to the directly involved employees and the actions taken show considerable variation. When the workers in Sweden experienced unpleasant odors, the containers were left for natural ventilation, or, alternatively, the workers were instructed to wear respiratory equipment [ 47 ].

WorkSafe [ 54 ] summarizes that consistent with the risk assessment for containers with methyl bromide mixtures, PPE considerations could include:. It is important to ensure regular training and instruction about the procedures and the maintenance and use of PPE to ensure that staffs are competent in its use.

Records of this training should be maintained. High frequency of fumigants and other toxic gases in imported freight containers—an underestimated occupational and community health risk. Occup Environ Med. Gibt es Gefaehrdungen der Verbraucher durch Begasungsmittelrueckstaende? Zentralblatt Arbeitsmedizin. Article Google Scholar. Health risks of residual fumigants in international transport containers.

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Anforderungen an die Messung und Begutachtung der Schadstoffbelastung in der Luft von Importcontainern. Lyts L. Security of import containers: Practical experiences at Benelux terminals. Johanson G, Svedberg U. Occurance and levels of VOCs in containers arriving in Sweden, including aspects of personal exposure, ventilation and sampling position.

Health risks by bromomethane and other toxic gases in import cargo ship containers. Onsite measurements of fumigated containers: possibilities and problems WorkSafe NT. Download references. Die authors would like to thank Dr. Preisser, Dr. Heblich and Dr. Lygia T Budnik and the Agricultural group lead by Prof.

Claudio Colosio. You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar. Correspondence to Xaver Baur. Reprints and Permissions. Baur, X. Health risks in international container and bulk cargo transport due to volatile toxic compounds. J Occup Med Toxicol 10, 19 Download citation. Received : 30 December Accepted : 27 April Published : 20 May Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:. Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative. Skip to main content. Search all BMC articles Search. Download PDF. This article has been updated. Abstract To ensure the preservation and quality of the goods, physical i. Outline The review is divided into several paragraphs, discussing various aspects of health issues associated with international container and bulk cargo transport.

Health effects of toxic substances in container transport a. Health effects of individual fumigants b. Health effects of preservatives and ripening inhibitors c. Health effects of toxic substances released from cargo 2.

Medical examination of subjects with suspected intoxications a. Case report: intoxications in a storage room from off gassing fumigants 3 Practice of handling transport containers in exporting and receiving countries.

Pilot studies in China and Denmark a. Pilot study in China b. Pilot study in Denmark c. Discussion of the pilot studies in China and Denmark 4. Occurrences of intoxications with chemicals used for pest control in transport containers and on bulk cargo ships a. Fumigant intoxications — general b. Fumigated transport containers c. Fumigated bulk cargo ships d. Summary of incidents e. Concluding remarks 5.

Regulations on fumigants 6. Preventive measures a. Applied preventive measures b. Labelling c. Knowledge and awareness d. Guidelines for safe procedures e. Measurements f. Ventilation g. Personal protective equipment. Health effects of toxic substances in container transport Container transport over sea has expanded enormously in the last thirty years. Table 1 Major toxic substances in container atmosphere Full size table. Table 2 Health based occupational exposure limits values for major fumigants Full size table.

Medical examination of subjects with suspected intoxications As mentioned, acute or chronic intoxications by fumigants or toxic industrial chemicals are typically associated with non-specific symptoms and therefore frequently misdiagnosed. Pilot studies in China and Denmark This section addresses the local interpretation and implementation of international and national regulations for safe container handling in China as exporting country and Denmark as importing country.

The first two sections on this page describe two sources of ionizing radiation: naturally occurring radioactive material NORM and technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material TENORM. The NORM tab provides information on radon. The construction standard for ionizing radiation 29 CFR The next two sections on this page provide a starting point for recognizing hazards from radiation-emitting equipment or devices.

The Exposure Scenarios section on this page provides information about external exposure and internal exposure to sources of ionizing radiation. See the Control and Prevention page for information about control measures, including shielding and personal protective equipment PPE , to reduce a worker's radiation dose from exposure to sources of ionizing radiation or prevent contamination.

Emergency response workers involved in a catastrophic radiological emergency might be exposed to different radiation hazards than other workers.

Workers in some occupational settings can be exposed to ionizing radiation from radioactive materials that are naturally present in the environment i. NORM is, by definition, naturally occurring not man-made and not disturbed as a result of human activities.

NORM can be found everywhere in the natural environment. Some common examples of NORM are listed below:.

Source: U. Geological Survey. The uranium decay series naturally-occurring produces alpha, beta, and gamma radiation not shown.

Workers can be exposed to ionizing radiation from radon gas. Radon gas is invisible, odorless, and tasteless. Examples of occupational exposure to radon include:. Radon gas radon decays into several short-lived decay products: polonium, lead, bismuth, and polonium see decay series above. These decay products can attach to particles in the air and be inhaled. When inhaled, these particles deposit in the lungs and deliver a radiation dose to the lung tissue.

Polonium and polonium, in particular, emit highly energetic alpha particles. The Committee's preferred risk models indicated indoor radon to be the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U. In , the International Commission on Radiological Protection ICRP , in its Publication , Lung Cancer Risk from Radon and Progeny and Statement on Radon , increased the lifetime absolute risk coefficient for radon-induced lung cancer, and recommended a more stringent method for the calculation of doses from radon for radiation protection.

There are multiple methods available for determining radon concentrations. These include short-term measurements e. Indoor areas with high radon concentrations can be successfully remediated by closing holes e.

The U. For more information about health risks from exposure to alpha particles from inhaling breathing in radon, see internal exposure on the Exposure Scenarios section of this page. The Mine Safety and Health Administration MSHA regulates miners' exposure to ionizing radiation from short-lived decay products daughters of radon gas and gamma radiation from radioactive ores in underground metal and nonmetal mines 30 CFR Fertilizer manufacturing facilities may have potential for worker exposure to TENORM from uranium, thorium, radium Ra , or potassium K associated with fertilizer production, along with TENORM concentrations in wastes, filters, products, or metal piping scales.

Paint and pigment manufacturing facilities may have potential for worker exposure to thorium, uranium, or radium Ra in wastes from titanium ores. Other examples of TENORM in manufacturing or processing facilities arise from increased concentrations of NORM materials in filters and the solid sludge if large quantities of water containing naturally occurring radionuclides e. Workers who clean or change filters or handle sludge may be exposed to these increased concentrations.

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