We spoke with Bharti Ujjani of The Whitman Companies about the responsibilities of an industrial hygienist.
What does an industrial hygienist do?
Industrial hygienists are professionals who are involved in the recognition, assessment, and control of potential work place hazards related to both environmental and occupational exposures. We have become accustomed to enjoying the comforts of the modern world, but rarely stop to think of the costs and the consequences of using certain chemicals and processes. For example, nanotechnology is a fairly new technology involving particles that are smaller than a bacterium or virus. These minute particles are very reactive. Industrial hygienists are now involved in trying to understand how nanoparticles react with the human body, and if there are any adverse health effects due to the exposure. We also establish measuring protocols as well as methods for instituting controls in order to reduce the exposures to workers.
There are numerous workplace hazards in the manufacturing world such as noise, radiation, exposure to toxic chemicals, etc. Another big thing these days is vapor intrusion. In the past, it was common practice for factories to release toxic chemicals into the environment such as cleaning agents like chlorinated hydrocarbons. These toxins would end up in the soil and water, resulting in soil and groundwater contamination. Since these are volatile chemicals, they would then slowly vaporize and come to the surface. If there is a building on one of these sites, vapor can enter the building and collect.
Indoor air quality is also an important area of our practice. This involves indoor pollutants including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, mercury vapors, organic vapors, particle contaminants, mold, and other contaminants. In large institutions, we get involved in looking at indoor air quality from the standpoint of site specific contaminants, such as in a hospital environment where we may be looking at infection control.
How many industrial hygienists are there in the United States?
In the U.S. there are approximately 6,000-7,000 certified industrial hygienists. They're practicing professionals similar to PE'’s or PG's. We have to go through rigorous training, certification, and certification maintenance on a regular basis. We also have to attend conferences and professional development courses in order to keep ourselves abreast of what is happening in the industry.
So you're basically a full-time student as well?
Exactly, it's an ongoing thing. As technology changes, new physical, chemical, and biological hazards are introduced into the work place everyday. One has to stay on top of new research and changing regulations. So yes, it's an ongoing process and it should be.
When would a company need your services?
I do expert work which is mostly after-the-fact. Someone has been exposed to a certain chemical or physical agent, has been adversely affected by it, and it becomes a litigation matter. Retrospectively, you look at what the work environment was like, the chemicals that were used, and how the person operated in their work environment. From there, we analyze if it was possible that this person was adversely affected by the chemicals he or she worked with in his or her environment.
Do you ever get called in before a work environment is set up as opposed to after there has already been a problem?
Yes. Industries contact me because they want to evaluate the risk of using certain chemicals or processes. I'm currently involved with a client who is going to use a certain chemical in a lab setting, and they want to evaluate personnel exposures. OSHA has a standard called PEL, or Permissible Exposure Limit. Industrial hygienists are involved in measuring the actual concentration a person is exposed to and comparing it to the OSHA standard. Based on my findings, I can make recommendations on how to control exposure. That's very rewarding because I have an opportunity to do something before anyone is exposed to a workplace hazard, or even an environmental hazard. Vapor intrusion is not so much an occupational exposure as an environmental exposure. Most people are unaware of what is lurking around them. If you have ground water contamination, ground water doesn't stay still. When the water travels, the contamination travels, and so do the vapors.
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