The .A..D-VISOR, 

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH 5600 Fishers Lane, 

Rockville, Md. 20852 

NO.5 - January 1973 

"Intellectual passion drives out sensuality." 

Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519 

WE BLUE IT! 

Faces of the NIOSH Office of Public Information staff 

are as "hot pink" as the little brochure called "A Directory 

of NIOSH Services and Activities." The first listing in this 

small directory is for the Office of Public Information - and 

our phone number is listed wrong! And what's more, we 

developed and proofread the thing in the first place. The 

number, for those of you who have a copy, should read 

(301) 443-21 40 - NOT 433-2140. 

This issue of The ADVISOR is being mailed with a 

frcshly corrected issuc of the Directory of N IOSH Services and 

Activities. We urge you to discard or correct the incorrect 

copy. Forgive us for the only mistake we ever maid! 

Office of Public Information 

NIOSH GETS LEAD OUT . . . 

NIOSH has sent to the Dcpartment of Labor the criteria 

for a recommended standard governing the exposure of workers 

to inorganic lead. 

NIOSH has rccommended a maximum occupational exposure levcl of 0 . 15 milligrams of inorganic lead per cubic 

mcter as a time weighted avcrage exposure over an eight-hour 

workday. The present standard for occupational exposure 

being enforced by the Department of Labor's Occupational 

Safety and Health Administration is .20 milligrams of inorganic 

lead per cubic meter. The term "inorganic lead," as defined 

by the NIOSH recommendation, refers to lead oxides, metallic 

lead , and lead salts, including organic salts, but excluding 

lead arsenate. Organic lead compounds, such as tetraethyl 

lead , will be covered by future N IOSH recommendations. 

The document recommends specific procedures for collecting and analyzing environmental samples of lead in the 

workplace. It also recommends procedures, including a time 

schedule, for medically monitoring lead exposure in workers 

through the ana lysis of blood or urine samples. The proposed 

standard includes recommendations concern ing sanitation and 

work practices, personal protective clothing and equipment, 

the posting of warnings in the workplace, and recordkeeping. 

Over 700,000 workers are estimated to be exposed to inorganic lead products in such industries as the manufacture 

of batteries, paint, and electronic equipment, printing, fou ndry 

operations, and others. Symptoms of lead poisoning include 

abdominal and muscular pains, headaches, vomiting, loss of 

appetite and weight, muscle weakness, and tremors. 

... AND ULTRA VIOLET RADIATION 

NIOSH has also sent to the Department of Labor the 

criteria for a recommended standard governing the exposure 

of workers to ultraviolet radiation. 

For that portion of the electromagnetic spectrum from 200 

to 315 nanometers (a measurement of wave length), NIOSH 

has set forth a formula incorporating the relative biological 

effects of ultraviolet radiation for use in determining permissible 

exposure times over an eight hour period. According to NIOSH 

researchers, it is this portion of the spectrum that poses the 

greatest threat of injury to skin and eyes from ultraviolet 

radiation. 

For that portion of the electromagnetic spectrum of 315 

to 400 nanometers, a maximum limit of one milliwatt of ultraviolet radiation per square centimeter is recommended for 

exposures exceeding 1000 seconds. For 1000 seconds or 

less, the total radiant energy would be limited to 1000 milliwatt-seconds (one joule) per square centimeter. 

The document points out present technical problems in 

conducting accurate measurement of broadband ultraviolet 

energy and lists three different approaches for determining 

compliance with the proposed standard: utilization of available in strumentation wherever applicable; utilization of known 

data on ultraviolet energy output, such as from lamps; and 

utilization of work practice guidelines when suitable instrumentation or energy output data are not available. The proposed standard is not intended for application to lasers. 

Recommendations are also included for protective clothing, 

medical examinations, work practices, and labeling and warning considerations. 

Industrial processes involving ultraviolet radiation production include welding and plasma torch operations, photoengraving, vitamin and drug production, hot metal operations, 

chemical synthesis, medical diagnosis, germicidal and sterilization techniques, and many others. 

A limited number of single copies of the recommendations 

for inorganic lead and ultraviolet radiation are available from 

Health Services and Mental Health Administration, Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare 
the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 

Post Office Building, Room 536, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. 

Other criteri a documents expected to be completed early in 

calendar yea r 197 3 include silica, inorganic mercury (excluding alkyl compounds) and coke oven emissions. 

WHAT'S NEW AT THE TeL? 

The Testing and Certification Laboratory, located at 

NIOSH's Appa lachi an Center for Occupational Safety and 

Health in Morgantown, West Virginia, has tested and certified 

several respiratory protecti ve devices for use in industry, including coal mines. 

T hese approva ls a re made by NIOSH under the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Fcderal Coal Mine Health 

and Safety Act of 1969. Earlier respirator approva ls (those 

having certificat ion numbers beginning with BM) had been 

granted by the Bureau of Mines. The present ones are 

granted jointly by NIOSH and the Bureau of Mines under 

test procedures given in the March 25, 1972 Federal Register 

(vol. 37, p. 6244 ) . The new ce rtifications are identified by 

TC, the applicable updated schedule number, and the individual certification number. Items ce rtified bear both HEW 

and Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines seals. 

The respiratory protective devices that have been approved, the ir certifica tion numbers, manufact urers, and the 

dates are as follows: 

Mod. 87 10 disposable respirator against pneumoconiosis- and fibrosis-producing dusts. TC-2 1 C-132, 3M 

Co., 24 May '72 

MSA part no. 459440 respirator with type F filters against 

dusts and mists having a TL V not less than 0.05 

mg/ M " or 2 mppcf and against asbestos-containing 

dusts and mists, TC-2IC-133, MSA, 4 Oct. '72 

MSA pa rt no. 45943 3 respirator with GMA cartridges 

aga inst not more than 0.1 % organic vapors by volume, 

also approved for type F filters, TC-2 3C-40, MSA, 

13 Oct. '72 

MSA part no. 459434 respirator with GMB cartridges 

against not more than 10 ppm chlorine, 50 ppm sulfur 

dioxide, or 50 ppm hydrogen chloride, also approved 

for type F filte rs, TC-23C-41 , MSA, 13 Oct. '72 

MSA part no. 459438 respirator with type S filters for 

protection against dusts, fumes, and mists having a 

TL V not less than 0.05 mg 1M ' or 2 mppcf; radon 

daughters attached to dusts, fumes, and mists; and 

asbestos-containing dusts and mists, TC-2 1 C- 134, MSA, 

27 Oct. '72 

MSA part no. 45943 9 respirator with type H fi lte rs for 

protection aga inst dusts, fumes, and mists having a TL V 

less th an 0.05 mg M" and against radionuclides, TC2 IC- 135, MSA, 27 Oct. '72 

For further information about the respirator testing and 

certification program write : 

Patric ia Gussey, Chi ef, Respirato r Section 

NIOSH Test ing and Certification Laboratory 

Appalac hi an Center for Occupational Safety and Health 

l) 44 Chcstnut Ridge Rd . 

Morgantown, West Va . 26505 

BRONCHOPULMONARY DISORDERS 

SUBJECT OF NIOSH SEMINAR 

NIOSH's Office of Extramural Activities (OEA) recently sponsored a two-day meeting involving researchers from 

N rOSH's Cincinnati and Morgantown laboratories and recipients of N IOSH research grants concerned with bronchopulmonary disorders. The grantees represented were the University of Cincinnati, Stanford University, West Virginia University, and the University of Rochester. Also present were 

attendees and panelists from relevant programs in medical 

educa tional ins ti tu tions. 

The seminar, held November 16- 17 at the NIOSH Appalachian Center for Occupational Safety and Hea lth in Morgantown, West Va. , enabled researchers from widely scattered 

areas of the country to meet and exchange ideas on the needs 

and latest techniques used with occupational respiratory disorders. Especially useful was the opportunity for each scientist to see how his own work fits into the overall pattern of 

research on industri all y rel ated bronchopulmonary disorders, 

particularly on coal workers' pneumoconiosis - "black lung 

disease. " 

According to Dr. P. G . Rentos, Chief of OEA's Program Development and Evaluation Branch , similar seminars 

are planned in other technical are as in which N rOSH provides 

research support. 

HEW NAMES NEW MEMBERS FOR 

COAL MINE HEALTH COUNCIL 

Before leaving for his new Cabinet post, Secretary of 

Health, Educat ion , and Welfare Elliot L. Richardson named 

five new members to the Coal Mine Health Research Advisory Council. They fill vacancies created by a resignation and 

by four expired terms. 

The appointees to terms explnng June 30, 1975 are 

Louis T. Ellison, M.D., Director, Cardiopulmonary Laboratory of the Medical College of Georgia (Augusta) and William 

p. McElwa in, M.D., Commissioner of Health, Kentucky State 

Department of Health . Appointed to terms expiring June 30, 

1976, are David M. Anderson , Ph.D., Manager, Environmental 

Quality Control, Bethlehem Steel Corp., Allan Eli Green , 

Jr., M.D., Vice-chief of Medical Staff, Glenwood Hospital, 

Monroe, La., and Jean E. Todd, M.D., Director of Surgical 

Pathology, West Virginia University Medical Center, Morgantown. The Secretary also extended the term of E. Cuyler 

Hammond, Sc. D., Vice-president of the American Cancer 

Society, until June 30, 1l)74, in order to provide continuity 

and skill in particular Council function s. 

The Coal Mine Health Research Advisory Council was 

established in May 1l)70 under terms of the Federal Coal 

Mine Hea lth and Safety Act. The Council usually meets 

three times a year to consult with the Secretary and make 

recommendations relating to Departmental coal health research . It is chaired by Paul A. Yu, M.D., Head of the 

Cardiology Unit, Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester, N.Y. 
NIOSH'S BIG DIVISION 

NIOSH's Division of L aboratories and Criteria Development (DLCD) is directed by Associ ate Director D r. Edward J. 

Fairchild, II , assisted by the Division's Deputy Director, John 

M . Bryant. With a staff of o ver 190, this d ivision is Nl0SH's 

la rgest a nd is the foc a l poi nt fo r NTOSH in-house rese arch. It 

is also the la rgest di vision in terms of vari ety, with research 

ranging from physiology and toxicology to enginee ring and 

psychology. 

Like many other NIOSH divisions, DLCD rende rs supportive services to othe r N IOSH components and ga the rs data 

fo r dete rmining safe levels o f exposure to hazardous substa nces. Much of its eO'ort is devoted to de veloping, u pdating, 

evaluating, and enco uragi ng the acce ptance of new ind ustri al 

hygiene measuring devices and techniques. It also certifies 

new devices and calibrates instruments used by NIOSH and 

by OSHA compli ance otllcers. 

DLCD research reaches into once unch a rted a reas. For 

example , NIOSH scientists a rc studying physiological consequences of in ult ~ to the body, such as, hea t, vibration , and 

those impairing pulmonary function. Other Division scientists 

a re studying the cHects of no ise and electromagnetic radi atio n 

(whi ch includes radio and " light " frequenci es) on the worker, 

paying special attentio n to the eHects of laser radi atio n. And 

a team of ych og s, toxicologists, :md enginee rs is studying the psychological, behavio ral. and moti vational factors 

that affect employee hea lth and on-the -job performance . One 

of the aims is to fin d if exposure to certain chemical and 

physical agents results in behavioral and neuro logical changes. 

The Division of Labo rato ries and Criteria Development is 

composed of six branches, each with different missio ns, desc ribed be low. 

The DLeD Toxicology Branch , under Dr. Herbe rt E. 

Sto kinge r, grew large ly out of the Federal Gove rnment's 

participatio n o n the Thresho ld Limits Committee of the American Co nference of Gove rnmenta l Industri al Hygienists. The 

Committee was founded in 1946 and had as its purpose the 

establishment of safe exposure levels fo r hazards in the workplace . Th is Branch , now numbe ring about 40, incl udes biohemi ts, physical chemists, o rgani c chemists, toxicologists, 

pathologists, physiologists, and pharmacologists. 

The Toxicology Branch co nsists of a Pathology Sectio n, a 

Bio-chcmistry Section , a Tox ic ity Eva luation Services Section, 

a Toxicity Mechanisms Sectio n, and an Immunochemistry Section. The Bio-chcmistry Sec tion wo rks in four areas: a 

clinical chemical services gro up is de veloping new analyti cal 

methods fo r making occupatio nal hea lth toxicity determinatio ns. a bio chemical mech ni s group is studying the breakdown products of body enzymes during bro nchospasl1ls. a 

biophysics group is analyzing re<lctions to dusts and how they 

produce toxi c reactio ns, a nd a pharmacodynami cs gro up is 

studying mechanisms of tox ic action of beryllium , nickel, 

chromium, and cadmium at the present time. The Tox icity 

Eva luatio n Se rvices Sectio n o bt ains data on new compounds 

and studi es possible tox ic respo nses from inhala tion , ingestion, 

,md lifetime exposure. The Tox ic Mechanisms Section stuJie'i 

tox icology in con"ide rable de pt h - how be ryll ium, carbon 

disul phide, Il uorocarbons, furanocouma rins, and oil mists (to 

name o nly a few) can accomplish debilitating effects in man. 

Finally, the Immunochemistry Section concentrates on identifying ato pic reacto r hype rsensi tivities - allergy-like re actions 

in some people to specific industrial chemi cals. 

Th is branch's work on the control of occupational hazards 

includes validatio n of industrial air standards, such as for 

cadmium, in wo rk with various nongovernmental committees. 

Appra isal of new haza rds has included exposing animals to 

proteolytic enzymes - protein-splitting enzymes now found 

in some laundry detergents. This study seems to indicate that 

present limits offe r a suffi cient ma rgin of safety to all but the 

most sensitive employees. 

Haza rd evaluation support wo rk was performed for industry to assess the pathologic potential of enriched manganese 

o re, of previously unevaluated cesi um and rubidi um compounds, and of an unusual form of sil ica. 

Research on toxic mechanisms involving trace elements has 

had some o~t interesting results. The presence of small 

amounts of selenium salts, fo r exampl e, prevents kidney damage with the adm in istration of mercury chloride to rats. Investigation showed that the neutrali zing effect is due to the 

fo rmation of an inacti ve compound, mercury selenide . An 

equall y im portant fin ding is that incl usio n bodies cont ain ing 

mercu ry and sele nium fo rmed in cell nucl ei are not accompani ed by ca ncer. O the r trace element studies, those involving chrom ium and zinc, have co nseque nces for understanding nutritiona l deficiencies and di abetes. 

Resea rc h on dust diseases of the lung showed that the 

response to sterile bitumino us dust in germ free rats parallels 

the response under no rmal conditio ns. This ind ica tes th at bacteri al flora may not have a significant role in coal miners' 

pneumoconiosis. 

The Physical and Chemical A naLysis Branch. under the 

direction of John V. Crable, has the mi:-.sion of providing 

analyt ical services to va rio us groups withi n and outside of 

N IOSH and of supplying analytical method~ nceded for 

measuring standa rds fo r occupatio nal exposures. T he Branch 

also provides anal ytical support for in-house research, which 

in tu rn supplies a n input fo r NIOSH's criteria document program . To carry out its i~s ion the Branch has a staff of 

24 people in Cinci nnati and 7 in Salt Lake Ci ty. 

The current majo r projects of the Branch a re the following : 

I ) Characterizin T coal ta r pitch volatil es, recommending 

standard analytical and sampling methods for them , and 

e va luating the present exposure standa rds. 

:2) Standa rdizing mcthods of analyzing airborne cont aminants 

ge ne rated from hea ting in the manufactu re, fabrica tion. and 

use of commercial pl astics. 

3) Developing and eval uating sampling and ana lytical methodo logy and instrumentation fo r meas uring ino rganic substances in workplace a ir and in the worker's blood, uri ne, 

and ti'islie . 

4 ) The same as 3) fo r measuring o rga ni c subst ances. 

5) Analyzing lung tissue of coal mi ne rs and non miners to relate abnorma l coal. total dust. free si lica, hydroxy proline, 

and tr,lee element concentrations in a coal miner\ lung to 
total pathology, work history, and cause of death . 

6) Supplying analytical services at the Cincinnati and Salt 

Lake City laboratories to NIOSH (approximately 25,000 

analyses last year) and OSHA. 

7) Developing devices containing solid sorbents for sampling 

and analyzing airborne toxic substances. 

The Physical and Chemical Analysis Branch is interested 

in determining the value and practicality of various laboratory 

techniques. An example is the use of the anodic stripping 

voItammeter (a quantitative measuring instrument) for blood 

analysis from a sample so small that it can be obtained from 

a pinprick. Spark source mass spectrometry, a technique that 

can analyze for 54 different elements at a time, has been 

evaluated on about 25 substances, including welding dust, 

fly ash, and lung tissue. A photo-dynamic bioassay emission 

spectral index is being developed and evaluated to express the 

carcinogenic hazard of polynuclear hydrocarbons. E lectron 

spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) has been evaluated 

for determining a wide range of contaminants simultaneously 

in a given sample; 25 samples of lung tissue , coal, minerals, 

and dust, have been analyzed by it. Ion selective electrodes 

and metal ion catalysis procedures are being developed for the 

analysis of 15 widely varied substances, including acids, organic solvents, and metals. 

Over 30 analytical methods have now been written by this 

Branch for publication by NIOSH in early 1973 . These include methods for measuring the presence of airborne contaminants - organic solvents, quartz, carbon monoxide , 

beryllium, cadmium, ozone, and oil mists. Also included 

are methods for biological monitoring, such as those for 

measuring lead and mercury in the blood and urine, carbon 

monoxide in blood, and fluoride and selenium in urine . 

The Division's Physiology and Ergonomics Branch, under 

Dr. Francis, N. Dukes-Dobos, is interested in stressful work 

conditions and particularly interested in physiological indicators of occupational insults to the body. Specific stresses studied 

are heat, vibration, and excessive physical labor, especially in 

connection with materials handling and in combination with 

mental stress. This branch's staff numbers I I and includes a 

physician, physiologists, bioengineers, and biologists. 

The staff of the Branch has been involved for many years 

in laboratory and field studies of hot work environments. 

It recently developed a novel system making it possible to 

express permissible exposure limits for heat at dift'erent work 

intensities in a form that is simpler to use than any previous 

system. The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACG I H) adopted the new system tentatively 

as a Threshold Limit Value (TL V) for work in hot environments. However, physiological measurements will have to be 

further simplified before this system will be useful as an industry-wide mandatory standard. An interim work practices 

standard would eliminate the requirement for industry to do 

physiological monitoring. Research is now under way to find 

~i mple techniques for monitoring both environmental heat 

and the heat that is generated in the body by physical work. 

In other studies, NIOSH is assessing whether there is a 

significant diflerence in heat tolerance among dift'erent worker popUlations, depending on the geographical location of the 

industry. Workers in the southe rn part of the U.S. may be 

more acclimated to heat than in the north and men may tolerate more or less heat than women. 

Physiologists are also studyi ng the interactions of dilferent 

stresses - how the presence of certain toxic substances affects 

the tolerance to heat stress. 

Acute exposure of workers to industrial vibration has been 

identified as a health and safety hazard from studies performed mainly in Europe and Asia . These and domestic 

military aerospace studies show that vibration can produce 

potentially harmful changes in nearly every biological system in the human body (i .e . ca rdiovasc ular, gastrointenstinal. 

nervous, skeletal, and muscul ar) ; at least one disease (Raynaud's Disease) is associated with exposure to vibration . 

Little is known, however, about the consequences for health 

and safety of industrial vibration in the U.S. 

The Physiology and Ergonomics Branch researchers are 

presently I) working on identifying the extent of the industrial vibration problem in U.S. industry, 2) conducting 

laboratory studies to ascertain the consequences to health and 

safety of chronic vibration exposure by simulating industrial 

exposures, and 3) conducting industrial field studies in order 

to analyze and characterize the vibration to which workers are 

exposed. 

These NIOSH researchers have conducted over 45 onsite plant and field surveys at various industries throughout 

the U.S. Occupations include operating construction equ ipment, over-the-road truck and bus driving, farming, forestry, 

and railroad operation. A conservative estimate, based upon 

these surveys, is that 7 to 8 million workers are exposed to 

significant vibration in the U.S. Some of the findings of the 

surveys correlate well with obse rvations of other investigators 

who performed studies on workers in foreign industries. 

An extensive bibliography of references to domestic and 

foreign studies, Technical R eporl #77, has been prepared. 

Researchers at the N IOSH Cincinnati laboratories are 

presently conducting chronic vibration exposure experiments, 

in a joint study, utilizing the facilities of the Aerospace Medical 

Research Laboratory at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base. 

Members of the Physiology and Ergonomics statf are also 

involved in international efforts to establish criteria for safe 

levels of exposure to vibration as members of International 

Standards Organization committees. 

Materials handling, and especially lifting objects, is known 

to cause a great number of injuries in industry. The Physiology 

and Ergonomics Branch is involved in research to determine, 

on one hand, the forces that human tissues can tolerate 

without harmful effects and, on the other, the forces that act 

upon the body while it is lifting objects of dillerent weights 

and sizes. Knowledge of these relationships will help in the 

design of work practices that can prevent injuries leading to 

low back pain. common among industrial workers. 

Researchers in the Physiology and Ergonomics Branch are 

also conducting a joint study with the Toxicology and the 

Behaviorial and Motivational Factors Branches. It has been 

observed that many industri al accidents occur when workers 

are suft'ering from excessive fatigue. This project has the goal 

of assessing the chronic eft'ects of various stress-producing 
conditions on industrial workers. It will establish simple 

physiological, biochemical, and psychological tests that can 

be used by industry to accurately assess whether a worker is, 

in fact, exposed to excessive stress. 

The Engineering Branch, headed by Clark M. Humphries, 

consists of a staff of 31 at Cincinnati and nearly 50 at the 

Testing and Certification Laboratory (TCL) at NIOSH's Appalachian Center for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, West Virginia. Its purpose is to conduct engineering 

research on control of hazards, to develop and evaluate industrial hygiene sampling devices, to test and certify personal 

protective devices and instruments, and to maintain and calibrate instruments used by Department of Labor compliance 

officers. 

The Engineering Branch is divided into sections performing 

the following functions: I) gas and vapor sampling, 2) particulate sampling, 3) ventilation, respirator, and heat stress instrumentation, 4) safety engineering, and 5) instrument maintenance and calibration. 

This Branch tests direct reading instruments and indicator 

tubes for identifying and quantifying vapor contamination. It 

has developed a nylon personal sampler and a sampler pump, 

which together offer unobtrusive sampling of air at the worker's breathing zone continuously over an 8-hour workday. 

These devices are now being tested and the consequences of 

pump pulsation determined. 

Among the work that the Branch has contracted to be done 

is the development of criteria for industrial ventilation to control contaminants. Performance requirements and test procedures are being written for respirators; they will soon be undergoing testing at the Testing and Certification Laboratory. 

The Branch is also studying instrumentation for determining heat stress, which is a function of the integration of a 

series of temperature, humidity, air motion, and thermal radiation flux measurements. 

The Testing and Certification Laboratory at Morgantown, 

under Robert Schutz, is a major activity of the Engineering 

Branch. There both personal protective devices and sampling 

instruments are tested for certification. This certification will 

permit the manufacturer of a certified device to offer that 

model as a HEW-certified device. (See the TCL story in the 

December issue of the Advisor.) 

The DLCD Behavioral and Motivational Factors Branch, 

under Dr. Alexander Cohen, performs research on the psychological, behavioral and motivational factors that may affect worker health and safety. The value of this research is 

readily apparent when one considers the array of human 

factors that may be contributory to an accident and the wide 

differences among workers in their ability to cope with jobrelated stress that can lead to mental or physical problems. 

The Branch has a staff of 14, which includes psychologists 

(of the industrial. experimental and human factors varieties), 

behavioral toxicologists, bioengineers, and technicians. 

This branch has several major research objectives. One 

is to determine if adverse behavioral and neurological changes 

can be caused by exposure to chemical and physical agents 

at the recommended limits for health protection, or even 

below them. These studies may indicate if such changes can 

serve as early warnings of potential occupational diseases 

and in assessing the behavior deterioration in terms of increased accident risk. 

Another major aim is to study psychological and motivational factors that influence safety awareness in high-risk jobs. 

Still another is to determine the impact of psychological job 

stress on the physical and mental health of the worker. The 

goals of these efforts are the development of strategies for 

improved accident control programs in industry and fostering 

occupational health practice insuring better worker adj ustment to job stress. 

The Behavioral and Motivational Factors Branch includes 

a behavioral studies laboratory that has been assembling performance test batteries for measuring reaction time, eye-hand 

coordination, perception, and fine and gross manual dexterity. 

Some of these tests will be employed to evaluate the effect of 

carbon monoxide on worker performance, using paid subjects 

from a local university. Similar behavioral tests are being 

given to workers who are exposed to mercury and airborne lead 

in their workplaces. The attempt here is to correlate exposure 

to a hazardous material with behavioral changes and to relate 

any such changes to accidents or health problems found in 

worker records. 

The behavioral studies laboratory includes an animal test 

facility in which monkeys are learning certain discrimination 

responses, which they will be called upon to perform after 

beng exposed to chemical agents or drugs. Data from this 

study will be used by NIOSH in developing dose-response 

relationships for chemical agents in which the response measure is a behavioral change as opposed to pathologic effects. 

A small digital computer is used in the animal experiments to 

program the training and also is used to measure performance 

in testing with human subjects. 

The survey research staff within this branch is directing a 

study to relate psychological stresses caused by the demands 

of a job with the physical and mental status of certain jobholders - aircraft controllers, railway dispatchers, and city 

policemen. Job stress features here include information overload, role conflict, and requirements for decision-making that 

affects the safety of others. Workers subject to such stress 

will be given in-depth psychological interviews, attitude and 

mental inventories, and in some instances physical and biological tests to uncover evidence reflecting the impact of job stress 

on mental and physical health . 

I n a safety research project, groups of construction workers who have experienced few and numerous accidents will 

be given tasks defining performance skills involved in their 

jobs and attitude inventories, and their work habits will be 

observed. In addition, the relationship between safety policies 

and company safety records will be evaluated. The aim of 

this study is to define differentiating characteristics of persons 

and companies with few 1'1'/'.1'11.1' many accidents. The findings 

may ofl'er some ideas for worker selection to reduce accidents 

or eliminate practices that seem to contribute to job accidents, 

The Physical Agellls Bmllch . headed by Dr. Wordie Parr. 

has a stafl of 13 - including physicists. audiologists. engineers 
and technicians. This branch conducts research on the effects 

of various physical agents in the workplace, including noise 

and electromagnetic (nonionizing) radiations. The latter is 

composed of radiofrequency waves, x-rays, and " light," including both laser and ultraviolet wavelengths in addition to 

broadband visible light. 

This branch has studied the requirements for a badly-needed 

mic rowave dosimeter and has contracted to have developmenta l work done on an ultraviolet hazard indicator. 

Some of the Physical Agents Branch's work is designed to 

eventually remedy the absence of Federal standards for naturally radiating materials in the workplace . For example, NIOSH 

is see king to establish a recommended standard to control occupational exposure to radium and its "daughters" - radiation breakdown products - and to radiation from particle 

acce lera tors and x-ray machines, for inclusion in criteria documents. 

Safety in u~ing ultraviolet devices will be increased by a 

N 10SH encyclopedi a on the spectrum of ultraviolet lamps, now 

in preparation, for use in selecting replacement lamps. 

The Branch's work on noise as an occupational hazard 

takes Illany forms - from supplying input to the NIOSH team 

that produced the criteria for a noise standard to determining 

if preplacement testing can identify people who have " tough 

ea rs. " The hearing of 50 selected persons who have worked 

at least 15 years in noisy environments is being studied in 

an efrort to find distinguishing char acteristics of people who are 

relatively unharmed by noise . 

The Physical Agents Branch is cooperating with the Bureau 

of Mines in a study of noise exposure and hearing loss among 

coal miners. In still another interagency project. the Navy 

is conducting hearing tests of people in industry to find out 

how to quantify the haza rds presentd by impulsive noise, such 

as might result from drop forges or certain other types of 

machi nery. 

As part of an industrial noise and he aring survey program , hea ring data are obtained for specific industries by two 

audiometric testing vans, each of which can evaluate the 

hearing of six persons at a time . Other services that will have 

special impact on indu~try are the forthcoming publication 

of a compendium of data on noise control materials available to 

industry and a survey of hearing conserva tion programs in 

industry, to be published soon . 

CALL FOR PAPERS: INTERNATIONAL 

RADIATION PROTECTION CONGRESS 

The International Radi ation Protection Association will 

hold its Third International Congress in Washington, D.C., on 

9- 14 September. 1973 . The Health Physics Society of the 

United States of America is the host for this meeting, which 

follows similar gatherings in Rome, Italy, in 1966 and Brighton, 

England , in 1970. 

The Scientific Program Committee, under the Chairmanship of Dr. B. Lindell of Sweden, invites those prepared to 

pre~e nt paper~ of interest to submit abstracts. To be considered, abstracts must con tain information not previously 

presented or published and should be single-spaced on one 

side only of a single sheet of white paper. Ten copies must 

be submitted with the original to : 

Mr. John C. Vi llforth, Secretary 

IRPA Scientific Program Committee 

Bureau of Radiological Health, FDA 

5600 Fishers Lane 

Rockville, Md. 20852 

NIOSH, OSHA IN PERSONNEL EXCHANGE 

NIOSH and the Department of Labor's Occupational 

Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have participated 

in an exchange of top personnel, in a move intended to improve communications between the two agenc ies. Effective 

November 27, 1972, Delbert L. Flowers, Special Assistant to 

Assistant Secretary George C. Guenther, was assigned to 

serve as a Special Assistant to Dr. Raymond T. Moore, NJOSH 

Associate Director for Washington Operations. 

Simultaneously, Vernon E. Rose, Director of NIOSH's 

Office of Health Surveillance and Biometrics, was detailed to 

OSHA. There he will have direct contact with OSHA's compliance officers and its industrial hygienists in the regions. 

Though these assignments are full-time, they are also temporary. The personnel exchange will be reviewed periodically 

by NIOSH and OSHA leadership in order to appraise the 

impact and effectiveness of the exchange on agency operations. 

OSHA has also assigned Robert D. Mahon , a 30-year 

veteran of industrial safety and health programs, as a representative to N 10SH's Cincinnati laboratories. The assignment 

was effective November 27, 1972. Mr. Mahon, who has extensive experience in training programs and in inspecting 

maritime, industri al, and construction operations and practices, 

recently served with OSHA's Training Institute ne ar Chicago. 

There he coordinated trai ning programs and activities for 

nongovernment al safety and health personnel. 

Mr. Mahon's main responsibilities at NIOSH will be to 

carry out li aison activities, to oller his experience in helping 

NIOSH to establish priorities, and to assist in setting up a 

technical assistance program. He is currently a signed to the 

NIOSH Division of Technical Services in Cincinnati, Ohio, 

where he works closely with James Walters, Chi ef of the Division 's Accident Prevention Service Branch . 

1971 COAL REPORT AVAILABLE 

The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 

assigned to HEW the mission of performing coal mine he alth 

research , to make medical examinations available to miners, 

and to report on the program annually . 

The second of these reports, Th e Federal Coal Mine Healt h 

Program in 1971, has now been published and is ava il able as 

Stock No. 1716-0005 from the Superintendent of Documents, 

U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 at a 

cost of $ 1.25 each. A limited number of copies of the report are 

available from the NIOSH Offices of Public Information at 

Rockvill e, Morgantown, and Cincinnati . 
SYMPOSIUM ON STANDARDS FOR 

HOT WORK ENVIRONMENTS 

NIOSH is supporting a Symposium on Proposed Standards 

for Occupational Exposure to Hot Environments. The Symposium, which will be held February 27-28, 1973, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's William Penn Hotel, is sponsored jointly 

by the Industrial Health Foundation (IHF ) and the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. 

NIOSH awarded a conference grant to IHF for the Symposium following two previous successful workshops, sponsored by IHF and the University, on the subject of heat stress 

and hot jobs in industry. 

On the first day of the Symposium the rationale and contents of the NIOSH recommended standard for hot working 

environments (Criteria for a Recommended Standard . .. Occupational Exposure to Hot Environments) will be presented 

and discussed . On the second day, industries that have been 

studying their heat stress problems will describe them to Symposium participants. 

For further information about the Symposium, write to: 

Heat Conference 

Industrial Health Foundation ' 

5321 Center Avenue 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15232 
DIRECTOR 

Deputy Director 

E){,cut ~eO fll eer 

Auist ant Oi,etlo.lo, Safely 

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR 

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH Auin anl D" eclo, lor RegIonal Operations 

egisl~lIV tt jcer 

jaIAss anuforlnt. ago ern "'e l 

r OFF ICE OF PUBL IC 

INFORMAT ION 

I 

DIVISION OF LABORATORIES 

AND CRIT ER IA 

DEVELOPMENT 

To xico logy Br~och 

Phy !Oical and Chemica. 

Analysis Branch 

PhYSIology and 

Ergonomics Branch 

EnqlneertngBranch 

Bet./lviolal nd 

MOl ivational Factors 

Branch 

Phy$ical Agents B'lIOch 

I 

I 

OFFICE OF EXTRAMURAL 

ACTI VITI ES 

Program Developmen t and 

EWilluation S .. tnch 

Grann Management 

Branch 

G,anU Review Branch 

I 

O FFICE OF ADMI NISTRATI VE 

MANAGEMENT 

FonancialM'lnagement 

Branch 

ProcurementB'Mlch 

Penonnfl l Branch 

I ASSOC IATE DIRECTOR 

(Cincinoatloperations) I 

I 

DIVISIO N O F FIELO 

STUDIES AND CLI NICAL 

INVESTIGATIONS 

Merltca. Inveshg~tloo 

Branch 

Environmental 

Invesligalioo Branch 

BIometry Branch 

I 

DIVI SION O F T EC HNICAL 

SER VI CES 

Industrial HygIene 

Services Branch 

Accident Ptevenlion 

ServK:esBnmch 

Technical lnlormation 

Services BI~nch 

Hanrd Eval ua tion 

Services Branch 

Medical ServicH Sranch 

I 

Alf a irs 

O FFICE O F PLANNING 

AND RESOURCE 

MANAGE M ENT 

Planning and Program 

Oewefo prnerll Branch 

Evaluation and Contlol 

Branch 

Management Systems 

Branch 

DIVISION O F TR AINING 

Health Mainlenance 

Branch 

EnvironmenlalManagement 

Bnnch 

Ext ramural P'ogram 

Branch 

Program A!OsiSlance 

Branch 

I REGIO N I I REG ION II I I REG ION III I I REG ION IV I I REGION V I I REG ION VI 

HEADQUARTERS 

National Institute fo r Occu pation al Safety & Health 

Hea lth Services an d Mental He alth Administration 

5600 Fis hers Lane 

Rockville, Maryl and 20852 

CINCINNArI LABORATORY 

National Institute for O cc upational Safety & Health 

Health Se rvi ces and Me ntal Health Administration 

101 4 Broad way 

Ci nci nnati, Ohio 45202 

REGION I-Boston REGION IV-Atlanta 

I OFFICE OF RESEARCH 

AND 5T ANDARDS 

DEVE LOPM ENT 

Criteria Development 

Branch 

Toxicity and Research 

Analysis Branch 

Informa tion Resour ces 

Branch 

I 

DIVI SIO N OF OCCUPATIONAL 

HEALTH PROGRAMS 

1 

OFFICE OF MANPOWER 

DEVE t OPMENT 

ASSOC IATE DIRECTOR 

~Was infltol'l Operationsf 

I OffiCE O F HEALTH 

SURVEILLANC e AND 

BIOM ET RI CS 

I 

HaurdSurve'llance 

Blanch 

IItnessand In jury 

Su rvlllilance Branch 

Qata P'ocen mg and 

Stillluiul ServIces 

Branch 

p,to"\ lesEvaluatl(m!O 

Branch 

APPALACHIAN LABORATORY 

FOR OCCUPA TlONAl 

RESPIRATORY DISEASES 

Med ical Research Branch 

InleCl iousDisea!OH 

Branch 

BlOCnenltS!ry B"lnch 

Stalillics B.anch 

Fie ld StudI es Branch 

I REGION VII I I REGION VIII I REG ION 1)( I REG ION )( I 

APPALACHIAN LABORATORY 

Appalachian Center for Occupational Safety & Hea lth 

National Institut e fo r Occupational Safety & Hea lth 

944 Chestnut Ridge Road 

Morgantown, West Virginia 26505 

WESTERN AREA LABORATORY 

Western Area Occupational Heal-th Laboratory 

Nati onal Institute for O ccupatio nal Safety & Hea lth 

273 8 South 20th East 

Salt Lake City, Utah 84106 

Mailin g Add re ss: 

P.O . Box 813 7 

Salt Lake City, Utah 84108 

REGION VIII-Denver lConn., Maine, Mass., N.H ., R.I. and Ve rmont) 

Regiona l Program Directo r, N IOS H 

lAla ., Fla., G a., Ky., Miss., N.C., S.C., Ten n. ) 

Reg ional Program Director, N IOSH 

lColo., Mont., N.D., S.D., Utah a nd Wyo.) 

Reg ional Program Director, N 10SH 

DHEW Region I 

Government Center lJ FK Fed. Bldg.) 

Boston, Massachusetts 02203 

REGION II-New York City 

IN .J., N.Y., Puerto Rico and Virgin Isla nds) 

Reg ional Prog ram Di rector, NI O SH 

DHEW Reg ion II- Federal Bldg. 

26 Fed eral Plaza 

New York, N.Y. 10007 

REGION III-Philadel ph ia 

lDel. , D.C. , Md., Va., W .va. and Pa.) 

Regional Prog ram Di recto r, NI O SH 

DHEW Region III 

40 I North Broa d Street 

Phi ladelph ia, Pa. 19108 

* u.s. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OfFICU973- 759 - 576/1407 

DHEW Region IV 

50 Seventh Street, N .E. 

Atlanta, Georgia 30323 

REGION V-Chicago 

1111., Ind ., Mi ch. , Minn ., Ohio and Wise.) 

Reg ional Prog ram Director, NIOSH 

DHEW Region V 

300 South Wa cker Drive 

Ch icag o, Illinois 60607 

REGION VI-Dallas 

lArk., La., N.M., Okla. and Texas) 

Regional Program Director, NIOSH 

DHEW Region VI 

1100 Commerce Street lRm. 8-C-53) 

Da ll as, Texas 75202 

REGION VII-Kansas City 

llowa, Ka ns., Mo. and Neb .) 

Re gional Program Director, N IOSH 

DHEW Reg ion VII 

60 I East 12th Street 

Kansas City, Missouri 64106 

DHEW Region VIII 

19t h a nd Stout Sts. 190 17 Fed. Bldg.) 

Den ver, Colo rad o 80202 

REGION IX-San Francisco 

lArizon a, Calif .. Hawa ii and Nevad a) 

Regiona l Prog ra m Director, NIOSH 

DHEW Reg ion IX 

50 Fu lton Stre et \2 54 FOB) 

San Francisco, Ca liforni a 941 02 

REG IO N X-Seattl e 

lAlaska, Ida ho, Oreg on and Wa shington) 

Regional Prog ram Director, N IOSH 

DHEW Region X 

1321 Se cond Aven ue I Arcad,! Bldg.) 

Sea ttle, Wa shi ngton 98101