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1628028 
Technical Report 
Health Hazard Evaluation Report HETA 89-007-1983, St. Thomas More Hospital, Canyon City, Colorado, September 1989 
Daniels, WJ 
1989 
Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
Cincinnati, OH 
HETA 89-007-1983 
22 
English 
In response to a request from St. Thomas More Hospital (SIC-8062), Canyon City, Colorado, an evaluation was made of possible health hazards to workers due to exposure to waste anesthetic gases in the operating rooms of the hospital. Exposures to ethylene-oxide (75218) used in gas sterilization, formaldehyde (50000) used in the morgue, and organic solvents used in the histology laboratory were investigated. The 81 bed hospital was housed in a two story building with a basement. Five of the samples for nitrous-oxide (10024972) exceeded the NIOSH recommended exposure limit of 25 parts per million (ppm) during the period of anesthetic administration. Time weighted average concentrations of isoflurane (26675467) had a mean of 0.23ppm and halothane (151677) had a mean of 0.15ppm. Toluene (108883) and isopropyl-alcohol (67630) were below their limits of detection. Formaldehyde was found at a time weighted average concentration of 4.8ppm, which was above the OSHA permissible exposure level of 2.0ppm as a 15 minute ceiling. The author concludes that at the time of this survey the potential did exist for overexposure to waste anesthetic gases and vapors and formaldehyde. The author recommends specific measures to be taken to control employee exposures.