A Case Study on the Use of Perchloroethylene for a Manual Degreasing Process in an Electronics Factory in Hong Kong

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

In an overall study of occupational safety and health in the electronics industry in Hong Kong, a manual degreasing process using perchloroethylene (PCE) as solvent was investigated. The workroom environment was monitored over a period of five months from September 1983 to January 1984. Exposures exceeding the ACGIH TLV were identified in a few localized positions while the overall room concentration was well within the limits. Ventilation conditions were measured before and after recommendations for improvement were implemented in January 1984. An engineer in the workroom who may have short-term exposures up to the 130 ppm level exhibited symptoms of PCE intoxication. The engineer had worked causecutively on a 12-hour day for five months under the work conditions mentioned above, medical examination revealed an abnormal result in liver function tests. A follows-up examination performed three months later, after the engineer had returned to an 8-hour workday for three weeks, gave normal liver function tests, and at the same time, symptoms of PCE poisoning disappeared. The temporary liver impairment might be attributed to the extended work period when the overall exposure may have exceeded the TLV. Exposure levels of PCE were effectively reduced with the implementation of improvements in the ventilation.