Research on industrial ferrous metal aerosols.

Abstract

Ferrimagnetic metal aerosols originating from the processing of various steels and the resulting occupational exposure have been studied. A description of the phases of steel production is given and the respective dust emissions are characterized using chemical, physical and electronoptical analysis methods. Special attention has been paid to iron, chromium and nickel compounds. Recent developments of the magnetic measuring method for lung-retained ferrimagnetic dust are described, and the results compared with cumulative dust concentrations. The significance of urinary chromium and nickel concentrations as indicators of exposure has been evaluated. The results show that the solubility properties and the chemical composition of chromium and nickel compounds vary greatly between the different handling stages of stainless steel. Alveolar retention of fumes from manual metal arc welding of stainless steel seems to exceed that of the other dusts under study.