Production and surveillance of mercury exposure over 40 years at a chloralkali plant.
Mercury vapour exposure was studied for 40 years in 419 chloralkali workers. The concentration of mercury was measured in the work room (stationary) from 1953 and in urine from 1948. There were major differences in the mean urinary concentrations between different types of job. The mean urinary mercury concentration, uncorrected for urinary dilution, for all subjects varied between 30 and 250 micrograms 1.(-1) during the study period. For workers in the cell-room the correlation (r) between urinary mercury and mercury in the work room was r = 0.74 (P < 0.001), and for repair men/mechanics it was r = 0.70 (P < 0.001). The introduction of new cells and stabilizing the volume of production may have been important for reducing air-Hg and U-Hg, whereas other changes in the production process, or actions to reduce the release of mercury to the work environment, had no detectable effect. The urinary mercury concentration among all workers was related to the relative energy consumption (r = 0.83, P < 0.001).
Health Department, Hydro Porsgrunn, Norway.
H P
HP
Nordhagen
D G
DG
Ellingsen
H
H
Kjuus
D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D002617:Chemical Industry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis* / Q000652:urine; D016273:Occupational Exposure
D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D008628:Mercury