Kodak J-314 User Manual

Environment

INFORMATION FROM KODAK

Indoor Air Quality and Ventilation in
Photographic Processing Facilities

J-314(ENG) $10.00

Kodak’s health, safety,
and environmental
publications ar e avai l ab l e
to help you manage your
photographic proce ssin g
operations in a safe,
environmentally sound
and cost-effective manner

INTRODUCTION

The Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA)
presents a framework of federal
regulations that set chemical
exposure standards for the
workplace environment. These
standards outline allowable limits
that employees may be safely
exposed to during the work day.
Effective ventilation systems are an
important tool that will help
minimize employee exposure to
photographic processing
chemicals. While photographic
processing facilities are typically
considered to be a low hazard

workplace, indoor air quality
environment can be improved if
well engineered ventilation
systems are installed.

This publication will provide
information on the following
topics:

• Indoor air quality

• Exposure concepts

• Air contaminants

• Exposure standards and

guidelines

• Methods of evaluation

• Ventilation and work practice

control measures

This publication is a part
of a series of publications
on health and safety
issues affecting photographic
processing facilities.
It will help you understand
the role and proper use of
ventilation systems in the
workplace.

This publication is meant to assist others with their compliance programs. However, this is
not a comprehensive treatment of the issues. We cannot identify all possible situations and
ultimately it is the reader’s obligation to decide on the appropriateness of this information to
his/her operation.

©Eastman Kodak Company, 2002

INDOOR AIR QUALITY (IAQ)

The quality of the air in our homes,
schools, and places of business is an
important environmental health
issue. It is estimated that we spend
over 90% of our time indoors. It is
also important to note that the
design of buildings and ventilation
systems has changed dramatically
over the last 50 years as we have
moved toward more energy
efficient, climate controlled
environments. New or remodeled
buildings are more air tight, which
leads to less air exchange between
indoor air and fresh outdoor air. To
ensure good indoor air quality,
adequate fresh outdoor air must be
brought indoors. You can no longer
rely on leaking windows or other
pathways for outdoor air
infiltration. Indoor air quality (IAQ)
depends upon the ability of a
ventilation system to remove or
control the contaminants generated
within a space to acceptable levels.
When there is insufficient fresh
dilution air, IAQ problems can occur
which may result in a variety of
symptoms in building occupants
including:

• headache

• sinus congestion

• nausea

• eye, nose and throat irritation

• sneezing

• a metallic or sweet taste in mouth

• dizziness

Two terms are used to describe

IAQ health-related problems.

Sick Building Syndrome (SBS):

describes cases in which building
occupants experience acute health
and comfort effects that are
apparently linked to the time they
spend in the building, but in which
no specific illness or cause can be

identified. Basically, people enter
the building and experience
symptoms which clear up after they
leave the building.

Building Related Illness (BRI):

refers to symptoms of diagnosable
illness that can be directly attributed
to environmental agents (chemical,
biological or physical) in the
building air. In other words, people
enter and become ill from a known
agent in the building air but do not
necessarily get better after they
leave the building (examples:
Legionnaire’s disease, respiratory
infections, and humidifier fume
fever).

The causes of poor IAQ continue
to be studied extensively. In the
1980s the National Institute of
Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) studied over 600 buildings
and identified the following as
potential causes of poor IAQ:

Inadequate ventilation 52%

Inside sources 17%

Outside sources 11%

Biological 5%

Building fabric 3%

Unknown 12%

Recent studies have lead some
experts to believe that biological
contamination (molds, fungi,
bacteria) may account for up to 30%
of the IAQ problems in buildings.

To help prevent IAQ problems,
we recommend that you assemble a
comprehensive program that is
preventive in focus. Specific
performance elements of your IAQ
program should include:

1. Developing and maintaining an
IAQ profile for each building
(year built, tenant operations,
number of people, type of
HVAC).

2. Developing and maintaining a
thorough understanding of
your IAQ requirements and
processes.

3. Maintaining up-to-date line
drawings and equipment
schedules for each HVAC
system.

4. Documenting the operational
parameters for each HVAC
system including scheduled
time of operation, temperature
and humidity set points,
seasonal variations, outside air
requirements, air flow
parameters.

5. Providing a process to identify,
investigate, track and respond
to IAQ-related complaints.

6. Maintaining a written
maintenance program and
relevant history of each HVAC
unit.

7. Providing a process to review all
major projects in or near the
building for their IAQ
implications.

8. Ensuring that HVAC systems
are commissioned and
periodically balanced.

9. Ensuring that the performance
of local exhaust systems are
periodically assessed.

10. Providing a process to review
health, safety and
environmental implications of
maintenance and housekeeping
chemicals used in the facility for
remodeling or construction
activities that may impact IAQ.

11. Requiring compliance with local
regulations or company
standards regarding smoking in
the workplace.

12. Requiring that personnel
involved in the design,
operation, evaluation and
maintenance of HVAC systems
are properly trained and aware
of new IAQ regulations and
trends.

Indoor Air Quality and Ventilation in Photographic Processing Facilities • J-314(ENG) 2

EXPOSURE CONCEPTS

ROUTES OF EXPOSURE

In a work environment where
chemicals are used, an individual
may potentially be exposed in three
ways:

• inhalation

• skin and eye contact

• ingestion

Inhalation is the most common
route of exposure for airborne
particulates, gases, and vapors.
Inhalation exposures are important
because many chemicals that enter
the lungs can pass directly into the
blood stream and be transported to
other areas of the body.

Skin contact can also be a
significant source of exposure which
can lead to adverse health effects.
Some chemicals can be absorbed
into the body through the skin while
others may cause irritation or rashes
(dermatitis). In addition, some
chemicals are potential eye irritants.

Ingestion is not con sidered to be a
significant problem in the
workplace. Inadvertent ingestion of
chemicals may occur if food or
beverages are consumed in chemical
handling areas or if good personal
hygiene practices are not followed,
i.e., washing hands before eating,
drinking, smoking, etc.

Air contaminants: are chemicals
that may be present in the air that
could be inhaled and may produce
adverse effects. These effects can be
divided into two classes:

• acute

health effects—an adverse
effect resulting from a single
exposure with symptoms
developing almost immediately
or shortly after exposure; the
effect is usually of short duration.
Symptoms may include irritation,
headache, dizziness, or nausea.

• chronic health effects—adverse
effects resulting from repeated
low level exposure, with
symptoms that develop slowly
over a long period of time. These
may affect target organs such as
the liver, kidney, or lungs or cause
cancer.

Dose Response: All chemicals are

toxic if taken into the body by the
right route of exposure and at a high
enough dose. As the dose increases,
there is a corresponding effect or
response.

Chemicals that require large doses

or exposure concentrations to
produce an adverse effect have a
low toxicity, while chemicals that
require smaller doses to produce an
adverse effect are considered more
toxic. For example, acetic acid is
irritating to the eyes and upper
respiratory system at low
concentrations, about 10 ppm.
Isopropyl alcohol is not irritating to
the eyes until concentrations reach
over 400 ppm. Based on this
comparison, acetic acid causes an
irritation at much lower
concentrations than isopropyl
alcohol.

AIR CONTAMINANTS

The air within buildings usually
contains a variety of air
contaminants. These contaminants
can originate from outside sources
(car/truck exhaust) or emissions
from inside sources (office
equipment, furnishings, carpet,
people, kitchens, janitorial
activities).

Whatever the source,

contaminants in the air fall into one
of two physical states of matter.
They are either:

• gases and vapors, or

• solids (particulates)

Gases/Vapors: The difference
between gases and vapors is their
physical state at standard
temperature and atmospheric
pressure (STP, 22.5°C, and 760 mm
Hg). A gas is in the gaseous state at
STP (examples: nitrogen, carbon
dioxide, sulfur dioxide). A vapor is a
gas from a substance that at STP is a
liquid (example, acetic acid).

Particulates: There are several
forms of particulate matter that can
be airborne. These include:

• dust

• fumes

• smoke

• mists

Dust results from the application
of energy to matter, by grinding,
sifting pouring solids, paper cutting,
etc. Dust particles have to be small
enough and light enough to be
airborne.

Fumes are generated by the
condensation of particles in the
vapor state from heated metals.
Fumes are typically smaller than
dust, more soluble, and are more
physiologically active. Fumes are
not generated during normal
photographic processing
operations.

Smoke results from incomplete
combustion and is made up of
extremely fine particles, even
smaller than fumes. Smoke is
extremely complex chemically,
containing thousands of chemical
substances. Unless something is
burning, smoke is not generated
during photographic processing
operations.

Mists result from the dispersion
of fine droplets by aerosolization of
any liquid (spray cans, nitrogen
agitation of tanks, electroplating).
Mists can be formed during the
mixing, recirculation or pouring of
liquids. Mist can also be generated
from foam on the surface of a liquid.

Indoor Air Quality and Ventilation in Photographic Processing Facilities • J-314(ENG) 3

As the bubbles burst, tiny droplets
of the liquid are released into the air.
The composition of a mist is usually
the same as the liquid from which it
was generated.

ANTICIPATED AIR
CONTAMINANTS
FROM PHOTOGRAPHIC
PROCESSING
OPERATIONS

Potential air contaminants
associated with photographic
processing operations will be
determined by the specific process
chemistry and the operating
conditions of the equipment. Some
photographic processing solutions
release small amounts of vapors
such as acetic acid and benzyl
alcohol or gases such as ammonia, or
sulfur dioxide. High-temperature
processing and nitrogen-burst
agitation of tank solutions may
increase the release of chemicals
into the air and generate mists from
the photographic processing
solutions. Depending on the
concentration in the air, these
chemicals could be irritating to the
eyes and respiratory tract, or create
odors. Although odor does not
always indicate safe versus unsafe
conditions, strong odors or the
presence of eye and/or respiratory
irritation can indicate that there is
not sufficient general dilution
ventilation or that the local exhaust
systems may not be capturing the air
contaminants effectively at their
source.

In order to assess whether or not
exposure to airborne chemicals
presents a health and safety hazard,
several exposure standards and
guidelines are available for
comparison.

EXPOSURE STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES

THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION (OSHA)

In 1970, OSHA reviewed existing
exposure guidelines and consensus
standards in the workplace, and
adopted these as OSHA regulations.
These exposure standards set
airborne concentration limits and
are legally enforceable. Two of the
major references used by OSHA at
that time were the 1968 Threshold
Limits Values (TLVs) published by
the American Conference of
Governmental Industrial H ygienists
(ACGIH) and Acceptable
Concentrations of Toxic Dusts and
Gases published by the American
National Standards Institute (ANSI).
Since 1970, OSHA has established
approximately 28 new chemical­specific standards. These new
standards such as the one for
formaldehyde, are much more
comprehensive and detailed. These
new standards include additional
requirements for written programs,
training, personal protective
equipment, control measures,
medical surveillance, etc.

The airborne exposure limits

established by OSHA include:

Permissible Exposure Limit

(PEL): The allowable limit that is

representative of a worker’s
exposure, averaged over an 8-hour
day.

Short-term Exposure Limit

(STEL): The allowable limit that is

representative of a worker’s
exposure, averaged over 15 minutes.

Ceiling Limit (C): The airborne

concentration that is representative
of a worker’s exposure that should
not be exceeded.

Action Level (AL): For the

comprehensive standards
established by OSHA, an Action
Level may be specified. The Action
Level is typically
the concentration at which you may
have to address certain compliance
requirements such as employee
monitoring, training, or medical
surveillance.

1

⁄

of the PEL and is

2

AMERICAN CONFERENCE OF GOVERNMENTAL INDUSTRIAL HYGIENISTS (ACGIH)

ACGIH is a professional
organization whose members work
within the government or academia.
This organization annually
publishes a booklet entitled
Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) for
Chemical Substances and Physical
Agents and Biological Exposure
Indices (BEIs). ACGHI TLVs are
exposure guidelines and do not
have the effect of law. These values
change in response to new data and
are usually more rapidly updated
than OSHA limits.

The Threshold Limit Value (TLV)
refers to airborne concentrations of
substances and represents
conditions under which it is
believed that nearly all workers may
be repeatedly exposed day after day
without adverse health effects.

The ACGIH TLVs include:

Threshold Limit Value-Time­Weighted Average (TLV-TWA):

The time-weighted average
concentration for a normal 8-hour
workday and a 40-hour work week,
to which nearly all workers may be
repeatedly exposed, day after day,
without adverse effect.

Indoor Air Quality and Ventilation in Photographic Processing Facilities • J-314(ENG) 4