Phosphorus

Health surveillance data

Administrative data

Endpoint:

health surveillance data

Type of information:

other: medical monitoring

Adequacy of study:

key study

Study period:

1953-2010

Reliability:

1 (reliable without restriction)

Rationale for reliability incl. deficiencies:

other: This statement is made by an experienced occupational physician after serious investigantion of available data of health complaints and adverse reaction reports made on workers working up to 40 years in the production of red phosphorus

Data source

Reference

Reference Type:

other company data

Title:

Unnamed

Year:

2009

Report date:

2009

Materials and methods

Study type:

medical monitoring

Remarks:

by occupational medicine

Test guideline

Qualifier:

no guideline available

Principles of method if other than guideline:

Supervision by occupational medicine of workers in the production plant over a period from 1953 to 2009 in a retrospective view to cases at all of lung diseases

GLP compliance:

no

Test material

Test material information

Constituent 1

Reference substance name:

Phosphorus

EC Number:

231-768-7

EC Name:

Phosphorus

Cas Number:

7723-14-0

IUPAC Name:

phosphine

Details on test material:

Several commercial types of the applicant

Method

Type of population:

other: more than 100 men in the age between 18 up to 65

Ethical approval:

not specified

Details on study design:

The study rely on data of the occupational medicine from workers in the red phosphorus production plant in Knapsack Germany.
Since 1953 in average of about 20 employees are working in the plant and are exposed 8 hours a day at 200 days a year to red phosphorus dust in a concentration of about 2.8 +- 0.8 mg/m³.
Some of them worked about 40 year in the plant. The exposure concentrations are measured in the period from 2001 to 2007and were certainly higher in the time period before.

Results and discussion

Results:

In a retrospective view on occupation medical data of production workers exposed with 2.8mg/m³ in the period between 1953 to 2009.no cases at all of lung diseases have been observed .
Since 1997 pulmonary function of about 70 workers are annually examined and documented without any change of pulmonary function concerning phosphorus dust.

Any other information on results incl. tables

data of emission controll measurements at the working place in the production plant

Date (ddmmyyyy)	P red mg/m³
19032007	1,78
18082006	3,19
21112005	3,27
08032005	3,21
05052004	1,98
02122002	4,57
11042007	1,95
09032005	2,24
24052004	2,62
21022002	3,01

Applicant's summary and conclusion

Conclusions:

About 20 persons worked since1969 yearly about 200 days for about 8 hours a day under working conditions with an exposure of about 0.17 +- 0.12mg/m³ diphosphorus pentaoxide (measured in the period 2002 to 2009, certainly higher in the time before), without any lung diseases concerning diphosphorus pentaoxide dust. In addition since 12 years the pulmonary function of about 70 of these workers has been annually examined without any observation of changes of pulmonary function concerning phosphorus dust.

Executive summary:

About 20 persons worked since1953 yearly about 200 days for about 8 hours a day under working conditions with an exposure of about 2.8 +- 0.8 mg/m³ red phosphorus (measured in the period 2001 to 2007, certainly higher in the time before), without any lung diseases concerning phosphorus dust (in total for more than 56 years). In addition since 12 years the pulmonary function of about 70 of these workers has been annually examined without any observation of changes of pulmonary function concerning phosphorus dust.