Environmental Exposure to Airborne Contaminants in the Nickel Industry, 1976–1977

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cassady M ; Donaldson, Harry M. ; Jones, James H.
• Description:
  Nickel processing operations at three facilities were surveyed for potential worker exposures to nickel (7440020) and crystalline silica (14808607). The facilities monitored included a nickel smelter (SIC-3339) which pyrometallurgically converted a nickel- oxide ore to a 60 to 60 percent ferro-nickel alloy; a nickel refinery treating imported sulfide ores with acid to produce pure nickel and cobalt as briquettes or powder; and an inorganic chemical facility manufacturing nickel salts and solutions from nickel metal or nickel-oxide. While most of the facilities were continuously below the OSHA standard for nickel of 1mg/m3, none of the samples taken were within the NIOSH recommended limit of 0.015mg/m3. Minor occurrences of excessive silica exposure were noted in the ferro- silicon and ore handling areas with the average concentration being second and third facilities, worker exposure exceeded the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists threshold limit value for nickel of 0.1mg/m3. With minor renovations these facilities could be brought within this limit. However, major changes would be needed to comply with the NIOSH limit of 0.015mg/m3. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Dust Metals Metal Workers Nickel Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Air-quality-control Dust-control Metal-dusts Metal-fumes Metallurgical-processes Metallurgy Nickel-compounds NIOSH-Author Primary-smelting Smelters Smelting

  More +
• Series:
  NIOSH Numbered Publications
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; 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:
  1-32
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00184345
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB-287371
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHEW (NIOSH) Publication No. 78-178, 1978 Aug; :1-32
• CAS Registry Number:
  Nickel (CAS RN 7440-02-0) ; Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1978
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  3339 - Primary nonferrous metals, not elsewhere classified - (SIC)
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3bd82e606e3ab95fbac5431d363abdcb006d8d29e90e018ffe8b969c17c951b11ecfa97f5972df9ccf5a23822d2911c269e55a2892861c3487d3ea430dbb0517
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/209556/cdc_209556_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 920.32 KB ]