Occupational Mercury Poisoning – Nicaragua

Details

• Journal Article:
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
• Personal Author:
  Velasquez, E. ; Hassan, A. ; Belmar, R. ; Drucker, E. ; Michaels, D.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In May 1980, the detection of inorganic mercury in drinking water in Managua, Nicaragua, led to the discovery that a chemical plant had been discharging mercury into Lake Managua, the source of the city's water supply. An estimated 40 tons of mercury has been discharged, at increasing annual rates, into air and water during the 12 years of the plant's operation; the rate of discharge in 1980 was approximately 50 pounds per day. On further investigation, a major outbreak of occupational mercury poisoning was discovered in workers at the plant. The plant, partially owned and managed by a firm based in the United States, manufactures chlorine gas and sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) from sodium chloride by the chloralkali process; this process involves the separation of sodium from chlorine by direct electric current in the presence of a mercury cathode. Inspection of the plant showed visible contamination with metallic mercury, including pools of mercury on the floor of several work areas. Since metallic mercury is highly volatile and vaporizes readily at room temperatures, there was also inhalation exposure. Workers had been provided no personal protective equipment and had not been informed of the hazards of this element. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Chemistry Chlorine Environmental Exposure Environmental Pollution Hazardous Substances Hazardous Waste Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Mercury Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Mercury; Mercury compounds; Mercury poisoning; Water analysis; Water supply; Drinking water; Potable water; Inorganic mercury; Chemical factory workers; Chemical manufacturing industry; Chemical processing; Environmental contamination; Hazardous materials; Hazardous waste; Environmental hazards; Waste disposal; Chemical hazards; Sodium compounds; Sodium hydroxide; Chlorine; Chlorides; Gases
• Source:
  MMWR 1980 Aug; 29(33):393-395
• Series:
  Weekly Report: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• ISSN:
  0149-2195
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 5
• 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:
  3 pdf pages
• Volume:
  29
• Issue:
  33
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054813
• Citation:
  MMWR 1980 Aug; 29(33):393-395
• CAS Registry Number:
  Chlorine (CAS RN 7782-50-5) ; Mercury (CAS RN 7439-97-6) ; Sodium chloride (CAS RN 7647-14-5) ; Sodium hydroxide (CAS RN 1310-73-2)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1980
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:1e782cbfdfa9a24c6315cabc23a803d445b0b1daf0fb08995e4a4bd71ad7a7278bd56356f0ac1109ae1b4823ba01d17219e86ba975d10a6a0d2db541473fabeb
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/183235/cdc_183235_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 371.33 KB ]