Rubber Making and Tire Building 1951

admin — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 09:19:10 +0000

Rubber products such as automobile tires are an important part of modern life. However, production of these items involves subjecting heterogeneous mixtures of hundreds of chemicals to heat, pressure, and catalytic action during a variety of manufacturing processes. As a result, the work environment may be contaminated with dusts, gases, vapors, fumes, and chemical byproducts (such as nitrosamines). Workers may be exposed to these hazards through inhalation and skin absorption during rubber processing and product manufacturing. Physical hazards such as noise, repetitive motion, and lifting may also be present. Historically, cancer has been the chronic disease most frequently reported in cohort studies of rubber products workers. In the late 1940s, British rubber workers were reported to be at increased risk of bladder cancer. In the United States, early investigations revealed excess cancer deaths among a cohort of Ohio rubber products workers employed in 1938 and 1939. In 1970, the United Rubber, Cork, Linoleum, and Plastic Workers of America (URW) joined with six major American rubber companies to establish a joint occupational health program. A contract was negotiated with the Schools of Public Health at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina to conduct epidemiologic studies of rubber workers that emphasized cancer incidence and mortality. The principal adverse health effects reported were cancer and respiratory effects (e.g., reductions in pulmonary function, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and other respiratory symptoms). For more on the hazards of rubber making and tire building, go to http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/rubberhr.html . This is clipped from the 1951 U.S. Rubber Company film, Speaking of Rubber. The entire film is available at the Internet Archive.

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Rubber Making and Tire Building 1951