Mercury Control Technology Assessment Study, Ray-O-Vac Corporation, Portage, Wisconsin. Preliminary Survey Report for the Site Visit of September 22, 1981

摘要

An on-site visit was made to the Ray-O-Vac Corporation, located in Portage, Wisconsin for the purpose of investigating the control systems in place at this facility and evaluating their effectiveness in reducing the hazards of mercury (7439976) exposure to workers. The major exposures at this facility arose during the production of mercury/zinc and silver/zinc button cells used for micro power applications such as in watches and hearing aids. Work areas involving the use of mercury or mercury containing items were the zinc amalgamation room, the mercury mix room, the consolidation room, the hand assembly room, the vault and the production assembly area. Descriptions were offered of the ventilation systems, baghouse filter exhaust/supply systems, charcoal filter circulation system, equipment enclosures, tablet deduster, material transfer containers, zinc amalgamation controls, personal protective equipment, work practices, biological monitoring, and air quality monitoring. The combined baghouse and charcoal filter exhaust system with heat recovery was noted due to its energy savings potential and its combined reduction of mercury vapor and mercury particulate concentrations. An in-depth study of the zinc amalgamation operation and the ventilation system is recommended.