Acute nickel toxicity in electroplating workers who accidently ingested a solution of nickel sulfate and nickel chloride.
Thirty-two workers in an electroplating plant accidently drank water contaminated with nickel sulfate and chloride (1.63 g Ni/liter). Twenty workers promptly developed symptoms (e.g., nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, giddiness, lassitude, headache, cough, shortness of breath) that typically lasted a few hours but persisted 1-2 days in 7 cases. The Ni doses in workers with symptoms were estimated to range from 0.5 to 2.5 g. In 15 exposed workers who were tested on day 1 postexposure, serum Ni concentrations ranged from 13 to 1,340 micrograms/liter and urine Ni concentrations ranged from 0.15 to 12 mg/g creatinine. Ten subjects (with initial urine Ni concentrations greater than 0.8 mg/g creatinine) were hospitalized and treated for 3 days with intravenous fluids to induce diuresis, resulting in a mean elimination half-time (T1/2) for serum Ni of 27 hours (SD +/- 7 hour), which was significantly shorter (p less than .001) than the mean T1/2 of 60 hours (SD +/- 11 hours) in 11 subjects who did not receive intravenous fluids. Laboratory tests showed transiently elevated levels of blood reticulocytes (N = 7), urine albumin (N = 3), and serum bilirubin (N = 2). All subjects recovered rapidly, without evident sequellae, and returned to work by the eighth day after exposure.
Sunderman
F W
FW
Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Connecticut Medical School, Farmington 06032.
Dingle
B
B
Hopfer
S M
SM
Swift
T
T
D000062:Accidents, Occupational; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004595:Electroplating; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D009532:Nickel / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000506:poisoning* / Q000652:urine; D014881:Water Supply
C029938:nickel sulfate; C022838:nickel chloride; D009532:Nickel