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CARC op de POMS-locaties van Defensie: blootstelling en gezondheidsrisico's : Bevindingen uit het onderzoek op hoofdlijnen, met speciale aandacht voor het bestanddeel HDI
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Series / Report no.
RIVM rapport 2020-0017
Open Access
Type
Report
Language
nl
Date
2020-04-06
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Title
CARC op de POMS-locaties van Defensie: blootstelling en gezondheidsrisico's : Bevindingen uit het onderzoek op hoofdlijnen, met speciale aandacht voor het bestanddeel HDI
Translated Title
CARC at the Ministry of Defence's POMS sites: exposure and health risks : General findings of the study, with special reference to the constituent HDI
Published in
Abstract
Tussen 1984 en 2006 hebben werknemers van Defensie op de zogenoemde POMS-locaties (Prepositioned Organizational Materiel Storage) Amerikaans legermaterieel onderhouden. Zij hebben daar onder andere gewerkt met CARC, een beschermende toplaag (coating) voor legervoertuigen. Eén bestanddeel van de coating heeft zeer schadelijke eigenschappen: hexamethyleen di-isocyanaat, afgekort HDI. Tijdens onderhoudswerk kunnen werknemers dit HDI hebben binnengekregen. Hun gezondheid is hierdoor mogelijk geschaad.
De kans om ziek te worden is groter naarmate iemand meer, vaker en/of langer aan HDI is blootgesteld. Vooral degenen die de CARC-laag op het materieel spoten, hebben blootgestaan aan HDI. Zij ademden de stof in tijdens het spuiten en hun huid kwam ermee in contact. Werknemers die de verf opbrachten met rollers en kwasten zijn er in mindere mate direct mee in contact gekomen. Dat geldt ook voor werknemers die bezig waren met het schuren, stralen en lassen van geverfde oppervlakten. Degenen die het spuitwerk moesten controleren, de quality inspectors, zijn in geringe mate indirect blootgesteld.
HDI wordt in verband gebracht met verschillende ziekten: vormen van astma, neus- en oogslijmvliesontsteking, contacteczeem en de longaandoening Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis. Deze ziekten kunnen zijn veroorzaakt door blootstelling aan HDI uit CARC op de POMS-locaties. Er zijn geen aanwijzingen dat HDI kankerverwekkend is.
Ziekteverschijnselen treden maximaal binnen 1 jaar na blootstelling op. Werknemers kunnen dus nu niet meer ziek worden door de eerdere blootstelling aan HDI op de POMS-locaties. Naast de aard van de blootstelling bepalen nog andere zaken of werknemers ziek worden. Ze kunnen bijvoorbeeld aan andere stoffen zijn blootgesteld, en persoonlijk gevoelig zijn om een van de ziekten na blootstelling te krijgen.
Oud-medewerkers die zijn blootgesteld aan HDI op de POMS-locaties, kunnen Defensie aansprakelijk stellen als ze een ziekte hebben die door HDI kan zijn veroorzaakt.
Between 1984 and 2006, Ministry of Defence personnel maintained American equipment at the so-called POMS sites (POMS stands for Prepositioned Organizational Materiel Storage). They worked with several materials, including Chemical Agent Resistant Coating (CARC), a protective top coating for army vehicles. One of the ingredients of this coating, hexamethylene di-isocyanate (abbreviated to HDI), has hazardous properties. It is possible that workers inhaled HDI or absorbed it through their skin during maintenance activities and that this has been detrimental to their health. The likelihood of a worker having become ill is greater the more, more frequently and/or longer said worker was exposed to HDI. Those who sprayed the CARC coating on the equipment, in particular, were exposed to HDI. During spraying, they inhaled the substance and their skin came into contact with it. Workers who applied the paint with rollers and brushes had less direct contact with HDI and this also applied to workers who sanded, sandblasted and welded painted surfaces. The quality inspectors who had to check the paintwork were indirectly exposed, but to a limited extent. HDI is linked to various diseases: different forms of asthma, eczema and inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose and eye, and the lung disorder Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis. These diseases could have been caused by exposure to the HDI in the CARC used at POMS sites. There are no indications that HDI is carcinogenic. Symptoms usually arise within one year of exposure, which means that workers can no longer become ill from exposure to HDI at POMS sites in the past. Besides the nature of the exposure, a range of other factors determine whether certain workers become sick. They may, for example, have been exposed to other substances and/or they may simply be more susceptible to one of the diseases after exposure. Former workers who were exposed to HDI at POMS sites can hold the Ministry of Defence liable if they have a disease that may have been caused by HDI.
Between 1984 and 2006, Ministry of Defence personnel maintained American equipment at the so-called POMS sites (POMS stands for Prepositioned Organizational Materiel Storage). They worked with several materials, including Chemical Agent Resistant Coating (CARC), a protective top coating for army vehicles. One of the ingredients of this coating, hexamethylene di-isocyanate (abbreviated to HDI), has hazardous properties. It is possible that workers inhaled HDI or absorbed it through their skin during maintenance activities and that this has been detrimental to their health. The likelihood of a worker having become ill is greater the more, more frequently and/or longer said worker was exposed to HDI. Those who sprayed the CARC coating on the equipment, in particular, were exposed to HDI. During spraying, they inhaled the substance and their skin came into contact with it. Workers who applied the paint with rollers and brushes had less direct contact with HDI and this also applied to workers who sanded, sandblasted and welded painted surfaces. The quality inspectors who had to check the paintwork were indirectly exposed, but to a limited extent. HDI is linked to various diseases: different forms of asthma, eczema and inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose and eye, and the lung disorder Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis. These diseases could have been caused by exposure to the HDI in the CARC used at POMS sites. There are no indications that HDI is carcinogenic. Symptoms usually arise within one year of exposure, which means that workers can no longer become ill from exposure to HDI at POMS sites in the past. Besides the nature of the exposure, a range of other factors determine whether certain workers become sick. They may, for example, have been exposed to other substances and/or they may simply be more susceptible to one of the diseases after exposure. Former workers who were exposed to HDI at POMS sites can hold the Ministry of Defence liable if they have a disease that may have been caused by HDI.
Description
Publisher
Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu RIVM
Sponsors
Ministerie van Defensie