Collection Occupational hygiene, Issue 29, 1993 year

Hygienic Importance of Pollution Control in Modern Electroplating Workshops

N. M. Paranko, S. G. Sitalo

doi

Dnepropetrovsk Medical Institute

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The technological process for the production of electroplated coatings consists in the application of metal coatings to metal products in aqueous solutions of salts of various metals, acids and alkalis in order to protect the metal from corrosion, and to manufacture products of aesthetic and marketable appearance.

In modern galvanic production, a variety of coating technologies are used: zinc, copper plating, oxidation, nickel plating, multilayer coating, etc. The technological process is constantly being improved, new additives to electrolytes are being developed and introduced, which contribute to a more uniform and durable deposition of the coating metal [1].

A feature of the technological process in typical electroplating workshops is the weak mechanization of production processes, the presence of a large proportion of manual labor. Preparation and adjustment of electrolyte, loading and unloading of finished products into galvanic baths, their transportation is practically carried out manually, which naturally leads to contamination of workplaces with electrolyte, getting it on overalls and skin. Contamination of equipment and air in the working area is also possible due to the release of aerosols due to the evaporation of electrolyte and the deposition of its components; the temperature in the baths is 40–100 ° C.

The purpose of this work is to study the contamination of equipment, overalls and the skin of workers with metals - components of electrolytes, to develop measures to optimize the working conditions of working galvanizers.

Based on the results of the studies, a set of measures was developed and implemented to optimize the working conditions of working galvanizers [8], which includes: a change in the technological regime associated with a decrease in the electrolyte temperature and the replacement of toxic components with less toxic ones, in particular, the replacement of cyanides with the one developed by Dnepropetrovsk the chemical-technological institute, a brightening additive DHTI-150A; equipment for local exhaust ventilation on the manual galvanizing line of the galvanic shop of the hardware plant; mechanization of loading and unloading operations on mechanized galvanizing and nickel-plating lines; implementation of recommendations to reduce the influence of other harmful factors.

The presence of an increased content of metals on the skin of workers makes it necessary to develop a hygienic criterion for their quantitative assessment. Considering the state of aggregation of these substances [2-6], such a criterion, in our opinion, can be an exposure test [7] for determining nickel in the urine of workers.

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