MEDICAL SURVEILLANCE

TB 43-0209

(1) If a sanitary sewer serving a paint processing

c. Ventilation.

operation discharges to a government-operated sewage

The use of respiratory protection equipment does NOT

treatment plant (STP), notify the STP operator of the

waive the requirement for engineering control measures.

approximate additional loadings of total organic carbon,

The ventilation design specifications for spray paint

biochemical oxygen demand, and total processing

booths are in TB MED 514.

operation prior to discharge.

d. Preferred Paints.

Whenever possible, Type II or Type III aliphatic

(2) If a sanitary sewer serving a paint processing

polyurethane paints (PUP) should be substituted for

operation discharges to privately owned treatment works,

Type I since they contain no lead or chromate. Non-lead-

pretreatment of wastewaters may be required by local

containing primers should be used when available.

regulatory authority.

The installation environmental

e. Warning Labels.

coordinator should determine such cases with public

Warning labels are required on products containing lead

environmental

regulators

having

primacy

over

or chromium IV.

government installations. Pretreatment regulations have

been summarized by the USAEHE Water Quality

20. MEDICAL SURVEILLANCE General. Medical

Information Paper No. 13.

surveillance to detect adverse health effects will be

determined by the installation medical authority (IMA)

22. SPECIFIC HAZARDS

based on the specific constituents of the coating. In

a. Temperature.

general, medical surveillance is required for anyone who

works more than 30 days per year in either a paint

CAUTION

spraying operation or in a brush or roller application

· Coatings should not be applied at temperatures

when respiratory protection is required. Personnel

involved in painting at direct support, general support,

below 50'F (10°C) as they will not cure properly.

and depot levels of maintenance will normally require

surveillance. Vehicle/equipment operators and unit

b. Equipment Hazards.

maintenance section personnel usually do not perform

enough brush touchup painting to warrant medical

CAUTION

surveillance.

Mask intake and exhaust parts, breathers, etc.,

carefully to prevent dust, solution, water, or

21. DISPOSAL

metal conditioner from entering the engines of

a. General.

vehicles.

Unserviceablepaints including aliphatic polyurethane

paint (PUP)/epoxy polyamide enamel (EPE) blend must

Do not use solvents on electronic equipment as

be discarded as a hazardous waste according to AR

they may cause changes in performance.

420-47. Note that because they contain ignitable

solvents, these unusable blends of PUP are defined as

Do not use petroleum based products on natural

hazardous wastes by the Resource Conservation and

rubber as they are destructive agents.

Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976 as amended by the

Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984.

Do not use spray equipment containing any

Unserviceable component B is a hazardous waste per

aluminum components to apply coatings

RCRA due to ignitable solvent content; not because it

formulated with 1,1,1 trichloroethane (such as

contains HDI.

MIL-C-46168, Type m).

b. Method of Disposal.

The method used to dispose of this waste stream

23. OTHER PUBLICATIONS

depends on the types of paint used. When the paints

Additional safety information is contained in the

contain no hazardous heavy metals, the liquid portion of

following publications:

the waste stream may be able to be discharged into the

a. AR 40-5, Preventive Medicine.

sanitary sewer and the sludge disposed of in a sanitary

b. CFR 1910, OSHA Safety and Health Standards.

landfill. The environmental coordinator should be

c. DODI 4145.19-R-1, Hazardous Materials

contacted to ensure state and local ordinances are not

Handling and Storage Criteria.

violated. If heavy metal-based paints have been used,

d. TB MED 502, Occupational and Environmental

samples of the liquid and sludge should be analyzed for

Health Respiratory Protection Program.

the characteristic of extraction procedure (EP) toxicity

(heavy metals) and disposed of accordingly.