Direct-Reading Personal Monitor for Vinyl Chloride

描述(申请者提供)：本次小型企业创新研究 项目致力于开发一种直读式个人监控器，用于 检测工作场所中的氯乙烯蒸气。研究工作有待完成 在第一阶段执行的将包括开发一种新的化学品 传感器及其与基于微控制器的仪器的集成。这个 拟议的监测将提供连续的和时间加权的平均数据 准确管理与工人相关的风险的氯乙烯暴露 生产氯乙烯和聚氯乙烯，以及那些 用聚氯乙烯或乙烯基制造工业和消费品， 树脂。目前，氯乙烯被列为第四大 有毒物质和疾病登记局的有害物质 环境保护局。直读式个人监视器将成为 在拟议的项目期间开发的将有助于将化学物质暴露于 氯乙烯让员工意识到风险，也让雇主努力 提供更安全的工作场所。这些创新的监视器将使精确 暴露评估，以支持流行病学研究、实际测量 可在工作场所以合理成本应用的技术，以及 测量相关暴露和总剂量数据的有效方法。 建议的商业应用： 拟议的技术将针对氯乙烯和聚氯乙烯制造商，以及用聚氯乙烯树脂制造工业和商业产品的公司。目前，乙烯基树脂行业每年生产超过110亿磅的产品，销售额超过40亿美元。美国有超过12.5万名来自这些行业的工人，他们可能会从直读式个人监测器的开发中受益，这种监测器可以对工作场所的氯乙烯暴露进行现代控制。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This Small Business Innovation Research project addresses the development of a direct-reading personal monitor for detecting vinyl chloride vapors in the workplace. Research studies to be performed during Phase I will include the development of a novel chemical sensor and its integration with a micro controller-based instrument. The proposed monitor will provide both continuous and time-weighted average data of vinyl chloride exposures to accurately manage risks associated with workers that manufacture vinyl chloride and polyvinyl chloride as well as those that fabricate industrial and consumer products from polyvinyl chloride, or vinyl, resins. At the present time, vinyl chloride is listed as the fourth most hazardous substance by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and the Environmental Protection Agency. Direct-reading personal monitors to be developed during the proposed project will help minimize chemical exposures to vinyl chloride as employees are made aware of risks and as employers strive to provide safer workplaces. These innovative monitors will enable precise exposure assessments to support epidemiologic studies, practical measurement techniques that can be applied at reasonable cost in the workplace, and validated methods for measuring relevant exposure and total dose data. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: The proposed technology would be directed at vinyl chloride and polyvinyl chloride manufactures as well as companies that fabricate industrial and commercial products from polyvinyl chloride, or vinyl, resins. At the present time, the vinyl resin industry has more than $4 billion in sales from producing over 11 billion pounds of products annually. There are over 125,000 workers in the U.S. from these industries that could benefit from the development of a direct-reading personal monitor that provides modern control of vinyl chloride exposures in the workplace.