Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-86-030-1785: Vimar Corporation; Boulder, Colorado

Details

• Personal Author:
  Pryor, Paul D.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  A representative of Vimar Corporation (SIC-3911) located in Boulder, Colorado, requested an investigation of occupational exposure to cyanide at the facility during a brightening process used for treating jewelry. During the study, air monitoring and wipe samples were taken in and around the glove box used for the process. During the process, sodium-cyanide (143339) and hydrogen-peroxide (7722841) interact to etch the jewelry and bomb the material surface, yielding a brighter finish. At times the solution, which is very unstable, may actually explode from the container, posing a safety hazard to the operator. Air samples did not indicate cyanide at levels that would be hazardous to workers. Levels were recorded at 0.003 to result of a new engineering exhaust system which was recently installed at the facility. Wipe samples did indicate the possibility of exposure through the skin, which can be resolved through good housekeeping practices. The author recommends that the ventilation system should be reviewed annually, personal protective clothing should be provided for employees when working where the cyanide is stored and used, and safety goggles and face shields should be used. Sodium-cyanide should be stored in appropriate places and under appropriate conditions. Eating, drinking or smoking should not be allowed in those areas where cyanide is present, and first aid kits should be available.
• Subjects:
  Cyanides Occupational Health Poisoning Safety
• Keywords:
  Cyanide-compounds Cyanide-poisoning Cyanide Color Brightening Hazard-Unconfirmed HETA-86-030-1785 Jewelry, Silverware, And Plated Ware NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report OSHA Region 8
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA860301785
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; OSHA Region 8
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  8 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  DiGiacomo, Marile F.
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00170407
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB87-223210
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HETA 86-030-1785, 1987 Mar ; :1-10
• CAS Registry Number:
  Sodium cyanide (CAS RN 143-33-9) ; Hydrogen peroxide (CAS RN 7722-84-1)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1987
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  3911 - Jewelry, precious metal - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:97e5ad3ee870ea03b29263ac1b701fc4ee8129aa1a673fafba0427969ce12540eae2fd150cea1b67f709b8efbe4127e98bb1e8fb728552f3a0f21e6908449c30
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172106/cdc_172106_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 141.04 KB ]