Mercury control technology assessment study, McDermitt Mine, McDermitt, Nevada, indepth survey.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Telesca DR
• Description:
  A survey was conducted to assess techniques to control occupational exposure to mercury (7439976) (Hg) at the McDermitt Mine (SIC-2819), McDermitt, Nevada, in February 1982. The high rate of use and the presence of Hg containing materials throughout the facility made it difficult to maintain Hg vapor concentrations below the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) standard of 0.05 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3); some concentrations as high as 0.260mg/m3 were found. Company management used engineering controls to reduce Hg concentrations as low as possible and then respirators to further reduce worker exposures. Engineering controls involved adding a Hg vapor suppressant, sodium-sulfide (1313822), to the ore and providing negative pressure, forced draft, and local exhaust ventilation to the process points that emitted the largest quantities of Hg vapor. Monitoring of employee urinary Hg concentrations showed that the use of respirators was successful in keeping exposures below acceptable concentrations despite ambient Hg vapor concentrations above the MSHA standard. The author notes that the company is engaged in a continuous effort to develop and evaluate new controls for protecting the workers from Hg exposure and is effectively controlling exposures through the use of respirators.
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Air Pollutants, Occupational Dust Environmental Monitoring Occupational Health Preceptorship Safety
• Keywords:
  Control-methods Control-technology Exposure-levels Field-Study Health-protection Industrial-chemicals Medical-monitoring Metal-industry-workers NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Contract NIOSH-Survey Region-9 Safety-measures

  More +
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHECTB10925a
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Contract
• Genre:
  Field Studies ; Control Technology
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; Nevada ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DPSE - Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-25
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00133589
• 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, ECTB 109-25a, 1982 Aug; :1-25
• CAS Registry Number:
  Mercury (CAS RN 7439-97-6) ; Disodium sulfide (CAS RN 1313-82-2)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1982
• NORA Priority Area:
  Control-technology
• Performing Organization:
  Enviro Control Division, Dynamac Corporation, Rockville, Maryland
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  2819 - Industrial inorganic chemicals, not elsewhere classified - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:96d161392283456fb72e077159677e7f32d0fd9e30e7a244c8a3e48f2d9b93699622197cca7a87615bbda5bf27edb45a63a97f255813b0bd942180dc513e6187
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/179591/cdc_179591_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 502.91 KB ]