Health Impacts of Plywood Industry

Health Impacts of Plywood Industry

Because of the chemicals used, industrial processes, mechanical and electrical machinery used, there are many serious health impacts relating to the plywood industry. The impacts may be classified as the follows:

·         Health impact on the workers in the industry

·         Health impacts on the community

It may be added that the same chemicals which harm local community will also harm animal life in the area, be it domestic or native.

Health Impact on Workers

Formaldehyde: All plywood industries use formaldehyde as a component of the glue which holds the wooden veneers together. Formaldehyde is mixed with phenol or urea and few minor additives to form the glue. Mostly this mixing is done at the location and those who are involved in the mixing process have acute exposure to the chemicals. In addition, once the glue is formed it is sprayed by hi pressure nozzles onto the wooden veneer, where again employees are exposed. The following are some of the known facts about formaldehyde;

Key Facts: Formaledehyde

·         Formaldehyde is a colourless, flammable, strong-smelling chemical

·         When exposed to formaldehyde, some individuals may experience various short-term effects. When formaldehyde is present in the air at levels exceeding 0.1 ppm, some individuals may experience adverse effects such as watery eyes; burning sensations in the eyes, nose, and throat; coughing; wheezing; nausea; and skin irritation. Some people are very sensitive to formaldehyde, whereas others have no reaction to the same level of exposure

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies formaldehyde as a human carcinogen. In 2011, the National Toxicology Program, an interagency program of the Department of Health and Human Services, named formaldehyde as a known human carcinogen in its 12^th Report on Carcinogens 

Research studies of workers exposed to formaldehyde have suggested an association between formaldehyde exposure and several cancers, including nasopharyngeal cancer and leukaemia. So the workers in plywood factories have clear and persistent risk of cancer from formaldehyde. In addition they may also experience various non cancerous effects such as burning sensation of eyes, nose, throat, coughing, wheezing and nausea.

Particulates: Plywood industry produces significant quantities of wooden dust during the veneering and finishing processes. Particles that are likely responsible for adverse health effects because of their ability to reach the lower regions of the respiratory tract. The PM-10 standard includes particles with a diameter of 10 micrometers or less (0.0004 inches or one-seventh the width of a human hair). EPA's health-based national air quality standard for PM-10 is 50 µg/m3 (measured as an annual mean) and 150 µg/m3 (measured as a daily concentration). The following are some of the known facts about the health impacts of smaller particle sizes.

Key Facts: Particulate Matter less than 10 microns (PM10)

Major concerns for human health from exposure to PM-10 include: effects on breathing and respiratory systems, damage to lung tissue, cancer, and premature death. The elderly, children, and people with chronic lung disease, influenza, or asthma, are especially sensitive to the effects of particulate matter. Acidic PM-10 can also damage human-made materials and is a major cause of reduced visibility in many parts of the U.S. New scientific studies suggest that fine particles (smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter) may cause serious adverse health effects. As a result, EPA is considering setting a new standard for PM-2.5. In addition, EPA is reviewing whether revisions to the current PM-10 standards are warranted.

Hydrocarbon Fumes and Dust: Many plywood industries have their own arrangement for power generation or at least emergency power generation. This needs a generator or stands by generator. Storage and use of fuel, mostly diesel or higher, cause release of hydrocarbon fumes and particulates (partly burnt hydrocarbons). Hydrocarbon fumes have many adverse environmental impacts. The following are some of the known adverse health impacts of hydrocarbon fumes.

Health Impacts of Diesel Fumes and Exhaust

As we breathe, the toxic gases and small particles of diesel exhaust are drawn into the lungs. The microscopic particles in diesel exhaust are less than one-fifth the thickness of a human hair and are small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs, where they contribute to a range of health problems.

Diesel exhaust and many individual substances contained in it (including arsenic, benzene, formaldehyde and nickel) have the potential to contribute to mutations in cells that can lead to cancer. In fact, long-term exposure to diesel exhaust particles poses the highest cancer risk of any toxic air contaminant evaluated by OEHHA. ARB estimates that about 70 percent of the cancer risk that the average Californian faces from breathing toxic air pollutants stems from diesel exhaust particles.

Exposure to diesel exhaust can have immediate health effects. Diesel exhaust can irritate the eyes, nose, throat and lungs, and it can cause coughs, headaches, lightheadedness and nausea. In studies with human volunteers, diesel exhaust particles made people with allergies more susceptible to the materials to which they are allergic, such as dust and pollen. Exposure to diesel exhaust also causes inflammation in the lungs, which may aggravate chronic respiratory symptoms and increase the frequency or intensity of asthma attacks.

Diesel engines are a major source of fine-particle pollution. The elderly and people with emphysema, asthma, and chronic heart and lung disease are especially sensitive to fine-particle pollution. Numerous studies have linked elevated particle levels in the air to increased hospital admissions, emergency room visits, asthma attacks and premature deaths among those suffering from respiratory problems. Because children's lungs and respiratory systems are still developing, they are also more susceptible than healthy adults to fine particles. Exposure to fine particles is associated with increased frequency of childhood illnesses and can also reduce lung function in children.

Like all fuel-burning equipment, diesel engines produce nitrogen oxides, a common air pollutant in California. Nitrogen oxides can damage lung tissue, lower the body's resistance to respiratory infection and worsen chronic lung diseases, such as asthma. They also react with other pollutants in the atmosphere to form ozone, a major component of smog.

Health Impact from Noise: Typical ply wood industry has series of mechanical equipment which all produce noise. The major ones include;

-          Peeling machines

-          Generators

-          Nozzles for spraying

In addition, the regular transport of raw wood and products, their loading and unloading all can cause noise pollution.

Noise has both short term and long term health impacts. When left unmanaged, noise pollution can make people deaf. Some of the known health impacts of noise pollution is given below.

Health impacts of Noise

When sound waves enter the outer ear, the vibrations impact the ear drum and are transmitted to the middle and inner ear. In the middle ear three small bones called the malleus (or hammer), the incus (or anvil), and the stapes (or stirrup) amplify and transmit the vibrations generated by the sound to the inner ear. The inner ear contains a snail-like structure called the cochlea which is filled with fluid and lined with cells with very fine hairs. These microscopic hairs move with the vibrations and convert the sound waves into nerve impulses–the result is the sounds we hear.

Exposure to high levels of noise can cause permanent hearing loss. Neither surgery nor a hearing aid can help correct this type of hearing loss. Short term exposure to loud noise can also cause a temporary change in hearing (your ears may feel stuffed up) or a ringing in your ears (tinnitus). These short-term problems may go away within a few minutes or hours after leaving the noise. However, repeated exposures to loud noise can lead to permanent tinnitus and/or hearing loss.

Loud noise can create physical and psychological stress, reduce productivity, interfere with communication and concentration, and contribute to workplace accidents and injuries by making it difficult to hear warning signals. The effects of noise induced hearing loss can be profound, limiting your ability to hear high frequency sounds, understand speech, and seriously impairing your ability to communicate.

Safety Issues with health implication for Workers

In addition to the above key health issues, plywood industry also have the conventional safety issues with health implication for workers. The key issues are;

1.    Mechanical safety (getting caught in rotating machines, laiths etc)
2. Electrical safety (risk for electrocution)
3. Slips and trips (falling down on cables, wires, wet floors)
4. Fall from height
5. Vehicle related (from vehicles, including fork lifts, manoeuvring at the factory premise)
6. Biological (fungal spores from the wood, pests, snakes etc)

It is important that all these issues are addressed adequately when dealing with health issues in the plywood industry