This is a revised application of a previous proposal (Application Number: 1R01OH04246-01) submitted on April 25, 2000 in response to the NIOSH RFA (OH-00-002, Intervention Effectiveness Research). Diisocyanates, a group of highly reactive compounds extensively used in the collision repair industry, are the most commonly reported cause of occupational asthma. Our preliminary data revealed a high inhalation exposure to isocyanate oligomers and extensive skin exposure in auto body shop workers. Control technologies and strategies to reduce these exposures are urgently needed in order for shops to comply with EPA and OSHA regulations and to achieve the overall goal of asthma prevention. However, little research has been done in this industry to evaluate the effectiveness of exposure control measures. We propose an intervention study to test the hypothesis that an integrated intervention program will significantly reduce the inhalation and skin exposure of auto body workers, particularly painters, to aliphatic diisocyanates.
Our specific aims are to: 1) Implement an educational training program and assess the effectiveness of training; 2) Implement a product (process) change and engineering control program and evaluate their effectiveness in exposure reduction; 3) Implement an administrative program to supply more protective equipment and evaluate its effectiveness in exposure reduction; 4) Implement a behavioral intervention program and evaluate its effect on work practices; 5) Evaluate the overall effectiveness of this intervention program with feedback from shop management and workers and using urinary biological monitoring tools. The overall study design will be a prospective field experimental study with 10 shops each in the intervention group and control group and 120 workers. Our experience in an ongoing epidemiological study (SPRAY) affords us ready access to the collision industry. We will evaluate the intervention at baseline, six months and one year. Effects of intervention will be assessed at six months between the two groups, and sustainability of intervention effectiveness evaluated among intervention phases. This should allow us to identify effective exposure intervention strategies, recommend them for wide application in this industry and other similar industries, and contribute significantly to a better prevention of asthma in auto body shop workers.
| Bello, Dhimiter; Herrick, Christina A; Smith, Thomas J et al. (2007) Skin exposure to isocyanates: reasons for concern. Environ Health Perspect 115:328-35 |
| Liu, Youcheng; Stowe, Meredith H; Bello, Dhimiter et al. (2006) Respiratory protection from isocyanate exposure in the autobody repair and refinishing industry. J Occup Environ Hyg 3:234-49 |
| Bello, Dhimiter; Smith, Thomas J; Woskie, Susan R et al. (2006) An FTIR investigation of isocyanate skin absorption using in vitro guinea pig skin. J Environ Monit 8:523-9 |
| Bello, Dhimiter; Woskie, Susan R; Streicher, Robert P et al. (2005) A laboratory investigation of the effectiveness of various skin and surface decontaminants for aliphatic polyisocyanates. J Environ Monit 7:716-21 |
