Aspects of Occupational Health in the Petro-Chemical Industry

Our plain-English summary of Aspects of Occupational Health in the Petro-Chemical Industry, by C.H.B. Binns (1972).

The study

• Author: C.H.B. Binns
• Published: Transactions Of The Society For Occupational Medicine 22:11-121, September 1972.
• Type of article: Journal article
• Our copy: from Johns-Manville's own medical library. The article is still under copyright, so we describe it here rather than post it.

In plain English

This was not a research study. It was a synopsis of a paper presented to a medical conference in September 1971 by the works medical officer of BP Chemicals International Limited. The paper covered the company's Baglan Bay petrochemical works in the UK. The author discussed occupational health problems at the works in general terms and noted that raising a potential problem did not mean it existed there. A table of the principal potential chemical and physical hazards at Baglan Bay included crocidolite (blue asbestos), along with benzene, chlorine, mercury, vinyl chloride monomer, noise and radioisotopes. The author reported that blue asbestos, in materials called Bondstrand and Lamithane, was used extensively in the styrene plants and that no adequate substitute had been found. The Asbestos Regulations of May 1970 had led to expectations of large spending on asbestos workshops. The author stated, however, that changes in engineering methods eliminated the dust hazard, made the plant more reliable, and virtually eliminated shutdowns caused by asbestos pipework failures. The paper reported no measurements of asbestos exposure and no asbestos-related health outcomes. It also discussed benzene monitoring, screening of new chemicals, pre-employment examinations, and staff stress during a large expansion.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Synopsis of a conference paper; a descriptive discussion of occupational health issues at one chemical works, not a research study
• Who was studied: The Baglan Bay chemical works of BP Chemicals International Limited, UK, which began operations in 1963 and was expanding from 1969; no study population was counted
• Exposure: Blue asbestos (crocidolite) in the materials Bondstrand and Lamithane, used extensively in the styrene plants. Benzene and other chemical and physical hazards were also discussed.
• Main results:
  • A table of principal potential hazards at Baglan Bay listed crocidolite (blue asbestos) first among the chemical hazards. The entry is garbled by OCR.
  • The author stated that no adequate substitute for the blue asbestos materials had been found
  • After the May 1970 Asbestos Regulations, large spending on asbestos workshops had been expected
  • The author stated that changes in engineering methods eliminated the dust hazard and improved plant reliability
  • The changes were said to have virtually eliminated plant shutdowns previously needed when asbestos pipework failed
  • About 200 different chemical compounds, other than feedstocks, were required in the processes and were covered by a monitoring scheme for new chemicals
• The authors' conclusion: The author concluded, in general terms, that industry had been too technically minded and had paid too little attention to managing people, and that occupational health physicians had an increasing part to play. No conclusion specific to asbestos disease was drawn.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The author cautioned that highlighting potential problems did not imply they existed at Baglan Bay, nor that they were found only there

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Crocidolite, Asbestos Exposure.

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