SAFE USE OF NICKEL IN THE WORKPLACE
Last Revised:5/1997
APPENDIX A - SOURCES OF USEFUL INFORMATION
APPENDIX B - SELECT PROCEDURES FOR SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS OF INORGANIC METALS
APPENDIX C - CALCULATING EXPOSURE CONCENTRATIONS
ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
GLOSSARY
APPENDIX A - SOURCES OF USEFUL INFORMATION
American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists
1330 Kemper Meadow Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45240
U.S.A.
Telephone: 1 513 742 2020
Telefax: 1 513 742 3355
American Industrial Hygiene Association
2700 Prosperity Avenue, Suite 250
Fairfax, Virginia 22031-4319
U.S.A.
Telephone: 1 703 849 8888
Telefax: 1 703 207 3561
American National Standards Institute
11 West 42nd Street
New York, New York 10036
U.S.A.
Telephone: 1 212 642 4900
Telefax: 1 212 302 1286
British Standards Institution
3 York Street
Manchester M2 2AT
United Kingdom
Telephone: 44 61 832 37 31
Telefax: 44 61 835 28 95
Commission of the European Communities
Directorate-General
Employment, Social Affairs and Education
Health and Safety Directorate V/E
Bâtiment Jean Monnet
Rue Alcide de Gasperi
L-2920 Luxembourg
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Telephone: 352 43013 2719
Telefax: 352 43013 4511
Health and Safety Executive
Broad Lane
Sheffield S3 7HQ
United Kingdom
Telephone: 44 742 892345
Telefax: 44 742 892333
International Labour Organization
International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre
CH-1211 Geneva 22
Switzerland
Telephone: 41 22 799 67 40
Telefax: 41 22 798 62 53
International Occupational Hygiene Association
Principle Office and Secretariat-British Occupational Hygiene Society
Great Northern Road
Georgian House, Suite 2
Derby DE1 1LT
United Kingdom
Telephone: 44 332 298 101
Telefax: 44 332 298 099
International Organization for Standardization
P.O. Box 56
1, rue de Varembé
CH-1211 Geneva 20
Switzerland
Telephone: 41 22 749 01 11
Telefax: 41 22 733 34 30
International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
Bank Court Chambers
2-3 Pound Way
Templars Square
Cowley, Oxford OX4 3YF
United Kingdom
Telephone: 44 865 74 7744
Telefax: 44 865 74 7510
Japanese Ministry of Labor
Labor Health and Safety
1-2-2 Kasumigaseki
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100
Japan
Telephone: 81 3 3593 1211
Telefax: 81 3 3502 1598
Maximale Arbeitsplatz Konzentrationen Commission
Kennedyalle 40
D-53175 Bonn
Germany
Telephone: 49 228 8 85 1
Telefax: 49 228 8 85 22 21
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Robert A. Taft Laboratories
4676 Columbia Parkway
Cincinnati, Ohio 45226-1998
U.S.A.
Telephone: 1 800 356 4674
Telefax: 1 513 533 8573
National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (Worksafe Australia)
GPO Box 58
Sydney NSW 2001
Australia
Telephone: 61 2 565 9500
Telefax: 61 2 565 9205
Nickel Development Institute
214 King Street West, Suite 510
Toronto, Ontario M5H 3S6
Canada
Telephone: 1 416 591 7999
Telefax: 1 416 591 7987
Nickel Producers Environmental Research Association
2605 Meridian Parkway, Suite 200
Durham, NC 27713
U.S.A.
Telephone: 1 919 544 7722
Telefax: 1 919 544 7724
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Office of Information and Customer Affairs
Room N3647
Washington, DC 20210
or
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Directorate of Health Standards
Room N3718
Washington, DC 20210
Telephone: 1 202 219 8148
Telefax: 1 202 219 5986
Ontario Ministry of Labour
400 University Avenue
Third Floor
Toronto, Ontario M7A 1T7
Canada
Telephone: 1 416 326 7111
Telefax: 1 416 326 7183
World Health Organization
International Programme on Chemical Safety
20 Appia
CH-1211 Geneva 27
Switzerland
Telephone: 41 22 791 21 11
Telefax: 41 22 791 07 46
APPENDIX B - SELECT PROCEDURES FOR SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS OF INORGANIC METALS
THREE METHODS FOR NICKEL ANALYSIS ARE INCLUDED IN THIS APPENDIX:
1. NIOSH Method No. 7300:
Elements.
2. NIOSH Method No. 8005:
Elements in Blood or Tissue.
3. NIOSH Method No. 8310:
Metals in Urine.
APPENDIX C - CALCULATING EXPOSURE CONCENTRATIONS
Calculating Exposure Concentrations
CALCULATING EXPOSURE CONCENTRATIONS
Calculating Exposure Concentrations
In order to calculate the concentration of particulate, the sampled volume of air must be determined. The volume is determined by taking the average of the volumetric flowrates from the pump pre- and post-calibration and multiplying it by the time sampled. Corrections to the volume for any difference in air temperature or pressure between the area where calibration is performed and the area where air is sampled should be made using the ideal gas laws:
| V2= |
|
x | P1 |
xV1 | |
|
|
where:
P1 and T1 are the conditions during calibration in units of mmHg and
K, and P2 and T2 are the
sampling conditions. V1 is the calculated sample volume, and V2 is
the corrected volume.
From the laboratory analysis, which reports the mass of the contaminant collected, the concentration is calculated by dividing the mass of contaminant by the volume of air sampled:
| Cn= | massn (mg) |
| volumen (m3) |
Calculating the Time-Weighted Average Exposure Concentration (TWAEC)
An employee's TWAEC is calculated by taking the sum of the products of the analytically-determined concentration (see above) for each sampling period and the duration of the corresponding sampling period and dividing this sum by the total sampling time as shown below:
| C1 T1 C2 T2 ...
Cn Tn |
| T1 T2 ... Tn |
where:
Cn = concentration for sample n in mg/m3, and
Tn = sampling time for sample n in minutes
It usually happens that the total sampling time is less than eight hours. If the TWAEC is to be compared with an eight-hour TWA standard such as the TLV, the calculated TWAEC must be adjusted to an eight-hour basis. This can be done by adding one or more CuiTui products to the numerator of the above equation and increasing the denominator to 480. As the added CuiTui product(s) refers to periods during which sampling was not conducted, estimates of Cui must be made. If the person conducting the sampling decides that no exposure occurred during an unsampled period, the Cui for that period would be set to zero.
| ACGIH | American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists |
| ATSDR | Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry |
| BEI | Biological Exposure Indices |
| CFR | Code of Federal Regulations |
| CHIP | Chemical (Hazard Information and Packaging) Regulations |
| cm2 | Centimeter squared |
| COSHH | Control of Substances Hazardous to Health |
| Disulfiram | Tetraethylthiuram disulfide |
| Dithiocarb | Diethyldithiocarbamate |
| DNA | Deoxyribonucleic acid |
| EEC | European Economic Community |
| EKAs | Exposure equivalents for carcinogenic materials |
| EPA | Environmental Protection Agency |
| EU | European Union |
| FeSO4 | Iron sulfate |
| FEV1.0 | Forced expiratory volume in one second |
| FVC | Forced vital capacity |
| g | Gram |
| H2SO4 | Sulfuric acid |
| HEPA | High efficiency particulate air |
| HSC | Health and Safety Commission |
| HSE | Health and Safety Executive |
| IARC | International Agency for Research on Cancer |
| ICNCM | International Committee on Nickel Carcinogenesis in Man |
| ILO | International Labour Organization |
| IPCS | International Programme on Chemical Safety |
| ISO | International Organization for Standards |
| IUPAC | International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry |
| kg | Kilogram |
| L | Liter |
| LOAEL | Lowest Observed Adverse Effect Level |
| m3 | Meter cubed |
| MAK | Maximale Arbeitsplatzkonzentrationen |
| MEL | Maximum Exposure Limit |
| mg | Milligram |
| MOL | Ministry of Labor |
| MSDS | Material Safety Data Sheets |
| ng | Nanogram |
| NiO | Nickel oxide |
| Ni3S2 | Nickel subsulfide |
| NiSO4 | Nickel sulfate |
| NiSO4 · 6H2O | Nickel sulfate hexahydrate |
| (Fe,Ni)1-xS | Nickelferrous pyrrhotite |
| (Ni,Fe)9S8 | Pentlandite |
| NiDI | Nickel Development Institute |
| NIOSH | National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health |
| NiPERA | Nickel Producers Environmental Research Association |
| NOAEL | No Observed Adverse Effect Level |
| NOHSC | National Occupational Health and Safety Commission |
| NTP | National Toxicology Program |
| OEL | Occupational Exposure Limit |
| OES | Occupational Exposure Standard |
| OSHA | Occupational Safety and Health Administration |
| OSHAct | Occupational Safety and Health Act |
| Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons | |
| PEL | Permissible Exposure Limit |
| PPE | Personal Protective Equipment |
| SCBA | Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus |
| SMR | Standardized Mortality Ratio |
| TRK | Technische Richtkonzentrationen |
| TVL | Threshold Limit Value |
| TWA | Time-Weighted Average |
| TWAEC | Time-Weighted Average Exposure Concentration |
| TWAEVs | Time-Weighted Average Exposure Values |
| µg | Microgram |
| µm | Micron |
| µM | Micromolar |
| U.K. | United Kingdom |
| U.S. | United States |
| WHMIS | Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System |
| WHO | World Health Organization |
| Wt% | Weight Percent |
Absorption: The uptake of substances into or across tissues, e.g., skin, intestine, lung, and kidney tubules.
Acute Toxic Effect: An effect that has a short and relatively severe course.
Aerodynamic Diameter: The diameter of a unit density sphere having the same settling speed (under gravity) as the particle in question of whatever shape and density.
Allergic Contact Dermatitis: Inflammation of the skin due to allergic sensitization to various substances that produce inflammatory reactions in the skin.
Allergic Reaction: A local or general reaction of an organism following contact with a specific foreign substance to which it has been previously exposed and to which it has become sensitized.
Alveolar: The region of the lung containing alveolar ducts, alveolar sacs, alveoli, and alveolar capillaries.
Antibody: A protein molecule belonging to the immunoglobulin class of proteins. Antibodies are found in serum and secretions and are produced in response to an antigen (i.e. foreign substance). They are part of the body's defense system against infection and intrusion from foreign substances.
Antigen: Any foreign substance (e.g., toxins or bacteria) that, as a result of coming in contact with certain tissues, induces a state of sensitivity and/or resistance to infection or toxic substances after a latent period and which reacts with tissues and/or antibodies in the sensitized individual.
Asthma: A condition marked by recurrent attacks of difficult or labored breathing, with wheezing due to spasmodic contraction of the bronchi. Some cases are allergic manifestations in sensitized individuals; others are provoked by a variety of factors, including vigorous exercise, irritant particles, stress, etc.
Bile: A yellowish fluid secreted by the liver that aids in digestion.
Cardiovascular: Pertaining to the heart and blood vessels.
Chronic Bronchitis: Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the bronchial tubes characterized by cough, hypersecretion of mucus, and expectoration of sputum over a long period of time; associated with frequent bronchial infection.
Chronic Toxic Effect: An effect characterized by a slow progressive course of toxicity of indefinite duration.
Clearance: A natural process by which materials that are deposited within the respiratory tract are removed from the respiratory tract. Clearance mechanisms include dissolution-absorption and physical transport of materials within phagocytic cells. They may vary from region to region within the respiratory tract and may also vary depending on the physicochemical properties of the inhaled material, such as solubility.
Deposition: Initial contact of inhaled particles within the respiratory tract. The five significant mechanisms by which particles can deposit in the respiratory tract are: impaction, sedimentation, Brownian diffusion, interception, and electrostatic precipitation. The extent and location of deposition in the respiratory tract depends on the physical characteristics of the inhaled particles, the anatomy of the respiratory tract, and the breathing pattern of the individual.
Diuresis: The excretion of large volumes of urine.
Eczema: An inflammatory condition of the skin, typically erythematous, edematous, papular, vesicular (blister-like), that often is followed by scaling.
Emphysema: A lung condition characterized by increase (beyond normal) in the size of air spaces distal to the terminal bronchioles, due to destruction of alveolar septa.
Epidemiology: The science concerned with the study of the factors determining and influencing the frequency and distribution of disease, injury, and other health-related events and their causes in a defined human population.
Epidermis: The outermost layer of the skin.
Epithelium: The covering of internal and external surfaces of the body. It consists of cells joined by small amounts of cementing substances. Respiratory epithelium is a pseudostratified epithelium that lines all but the finer divisions of the respiratory tract.
Erythema: Inflammatory redness of the skin. May be papular (characterized by a solid, elevation of the skin).
First-Order Kinetic Reaction: When a substance is eliminated at a rate proportional to its concentration (see Half-Time).
Glycosuria: Urinary excretion of carbohydrates.
Half-Time: The time required for the concentration or mass of a material or substance to be decreased or eliminated by one half of the starting concentration or mass.
Hepatic Cirrhosis: Progressive disease of the liver characterized by diffuse damage to the cells of the liver and associated with failure of the cells to function properly and interference with blood flow within the liver.
Hepatotoxic: Toxic to the liver (hepatic) cells.
Hypersensitivity: A state of altered reactivity in which the body reacts with an exaggerated immune response to a foreign substance (see Allergic Reaction).
Hypoalbuminemia: A condition characterized by an abnormally low concentration of albumin in the blood.
Immunology: That branch of biomedical science concerned with the response of the organism to antigenic challenge. The immune system recognizes and defends against many foreign materials, including infectious bacteria, toxins, and cancer cells.
In vivo: A process or reaction occurring in a living body.
In vitro: A process or reaction occurring in an artificial environment such as in a test tube or culture media.
Inflammation: A localized protective response elicited by injury or destruction of tissues, which serves to destroy, dilute, or wall off both the injurious agent and the injured tissue. Histologically, it involves a complex series of events, including dilation of arterioles, capillaries, and venules, with increased permeability and blood flow; exudation of fluids, including plasma proteins, and leukocytic migration into the inflammatory focus.
Acute inflammation: Inflammation, usually of sudden onset, characterized by the classical signs in which the vascular and exudative processes predominate.
Chronic inflammation: Inflammation of slow progress and marked chiefly by the formation of new connective tissue. It usually causes permanent tissue damage.
Chronic active inflammation: Inflammation characterized by the continuing presence of large numbers of neutrophils at the inflammatory site.
Injection: Introduction of a substance into muscular tissue (intramuscular), into the peritoneal cavity (intraperitoneal), into the kidney (intrarenal), etc.
Intratracheal Instillation: The process of placing material in the lung through the trachea.
Ischemia: A localized deficiency of blood caused by blockage in a blood vessel. Myocardial ischemia can cause an infarction (see Myocardial Infarction).
Keratin: A very insoluble protein which is the principal constituent of the epidermis.
Lymphocyte: A mononuclear white blood cell formed in the lymphatic tissue (e.g., lymph nodes, spleen, thymus), usually containing only small amounts of cytoplasm, and that functions as part of the immune (defense) system.
Macromolecule: A very large molecule having a polymeric chain structure, as in proteins and polysaccharides.
Memory Cells: Cells produced from an activated clone of lymphocytes endowed with the memory to fight a specific antigen upon its reintroduction to the immune system.
Minute Ventilation: The total amount of gas (in liters) expelled from the lungs per minute.
Mucociliary System: The mucociliary system is a mechanism for mechanical clearance of particles from the lung. Cells that line the nose, larynx, trachea, bronchi, and the bronchioles are characterized by the presence of cells with numerous cilia and the presence of cells and glands that secrete mucus. The cilia are motile and beat in a coordinated fashion, causing the mucus to move. Free particles and macrophages (which may contain inhaled particles) may be moved from the lung toward the mouth and subsequently swallowed.
Myocardial Infarction: The death of a portion of the heart muscle, usually caused by insufficient supply of oxygen to the heart due to blockage of the coronary arteries.
Nasopharyngeal: The region between the nasal cavity and the back of the mouth.
Neoplasm: A new growth of tissue with the potential for uncontrolled and progressive growth. A neoplasm may be benign or malignant.
Nephrotoxic: Toxic to kidney (renal) cells.
Oronasal: Pertaining to the mouth and nose.
Peritoneal Cavity: The potential space between the parietal peritoneum (the serous membrane that lines the abdominopelvic walls) and the visceral peritoneum (the membrane that covers and holds the abdominal viscera, i.e. organs such as the stomach, spleen, small intestine, uterus, ovaries, etc., in place).
Pharmacokinetics: The action of drugs or substances in the body over a period of time, including the processes of absorption, distribution, localization in tissues, biotransformation, and excretion.
Plasma: The fluid portion of blood containing protein, minerals, and salts.
Preneoplastic: Preceding the formation of any neoplasm, benign or malignant (see Neoplasm).
Proliferation: The reproduction or multiplication of cells during normal growth or repair of an injury.
Promotion: Facilitation of growth of a latent neoplastic cell into a tumor.
Proteinuria: Presence of urinary protein in concentrations greater than normal.
Pulmonary: Pertaining to the region of the lung containing the respiratory bronchioles, alveolar ducts, alveolar sacs, and alveoli.
Pulmonary Edema: An excessive accumulation of watery fluid in the lung.
Pulmonary Fibrosis: Disease characterized by the presence of fibrous tissue in the pulmonary alveolar walls. Progression of the disease may lead to dyspnea (labored breathing) and may ultimately lead to death from lack of oxygen or right heart failure.
Pulmonary Measurements: Measurements of the volume of air moved during a normal or forced inspiration or expiration, which is a reflection of pulmonary compliance. Inhaled toxicants and certain diseases can impair the volumes of air/gas exchanged during respiration. Specific lung volume measurements include:
FEV1.0 (forced expiratory volume in one second): The volume of air that can be forced out in one second after taking a deep breath.
FVC (forced vital capacity): The volume of air that can be forcibly expelled from the lungs after the deepest inspiration.
Respiratory: Pertaining to respiration which is the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and, in the context of this Guide, the cells of the lower lung.
Respiratory Tract: Parts of the body including the nose, nasopharynx, lips and oral cavity, the oropharnyx, the laryngopharynx, the larynx, the trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, respiratory bronchioles, alveolar ducts, alveolar sacs, and the alveoli. The function of the respiratory tract is to bring large amounts of air into close contact with the blood so that the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide can occur.
Retention: The amount of material remaining in the whole body, specific organ, or tissue as a function of time after deposition.
Serum: The clear component of blood which separates into liquid and solid elements.
Shock Lung: The development within the lung of edema, impaired perfusion, and collapse of the alveoli.
Spirometry: Making pulmonary measurements with a spirometer (a gas meter used for measuring respiratory gases).
T-Cell: A lymphocyte that is long-lived (months to years) and is responsible for cell-mediated immunity.
Tracheobronchial: The region of the respiratory tract extending from the trachea through the respiratory bronchioles.
Urticaria: A vascular reaction, usually transient, involving the upper dermis of the skin and marked by the development of wheals.
Vasoconstriction: Narrowing of the blood vessels.
Ventilation: In respiratory physiology, the process of exchange of air between the lungs and ambient air.
