EXPOSURE TO SOLUBLE NICKEL IN ELECTROLYTIC NICKEL REFINING

摘要

Past and present exposure to nickel was studied in an electrolytic nickel refinery, where an increased incidence of nasal cancer had been reported, using nickel analyses in air, blood and urine. Genotoxic effects were studied using analysis of micronuclei from acridine orange-stained smears from the buccal mucosa of the workers. Workers used respirators or masks in tasks where the exposure was expected to be high. Inside the mask, nickel concentrations were 0.9-2.4μgm~-3 in such tasks. In those tasks where masks were not used, nickel concentrations in the breathing zone were 1.3-21 μgm~-3.