Machinists treated for metal-working fluids exposure
One of the largest reported outbreaks of work-related respiratory illness in the machining environment in the United States raises new concerns for the estimated one million workers exposed to metal-working fluids on the job, according to an investigation conducted by NIOSH.
In January 2001, three machinists at a TRW, Inc., brake manufacturing plant in Mount Vernon, Ohio, were hospitalized with a respiratory illness called hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Union and management representatives at the facility asked NIOSH to help determine the cause and how to prevent further illness.