Occupational risk and toxicology evaluations of industrial water conditioning.
This study addresses the chemical and toxicological questions due to the wide use of chemical treatment programmes for industrial cooling water. First, natural problems encountered in cooling tower systems were presented and grouped into three categories: (i) scaling; (ii) corrosion and (iii) biofouling. Chemical solutions adopted in industrial plants were outlined for each one in order to minimize damage and categorized as shut-down, production loss, heat transfer reduction, upsets, etc. Above all, the purpose of the work was to identify the most dangerous chemicals normally used, which means sources of chemical risk for safety workers and their environment; thus, symptoms of exposure, prevention measures and protection tools are also described.
Broussard
G
G
Occupational Medicine Institute, University of Messina, Italy.
Bramanti
O
O
Marchese
F M
FM
D003343:Corrosion; D004202:Disinfectants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016877:Oxidants / Q000009:adverse effects; D012307:Risk Factors; D012449:Safety; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D014867:Water; D014880:Water Softening / Q000009:adverse effects*
D004202:Disinfectants; D016877:Oxidants; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D014867:Water