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This week we will be focusing on Metal Dusts and the dangers they pose to our health. There is a vast amount of metals in use today in many industries and work places. Here we are focusing on some of the more commonly used metals in the work place today. As with all of our dust blogs we are focusing on airborne dust that you can breathe in as either inhalable or respirable dust. Every dust, regardless of where it comes from and how it is formed, as a foreign body, is potentially harmful to your health.

Remember: Inhalable gets into your mouth, throat and nose and you can generally see it. Respirable dust gets deeper into your lungs and generally is to small to be seen. Both are potentially harmful but respirable dust is generally the more dangerous. Inhalable dust that collects in the nasal cavity and mouth can be swallowed as well as breathed in, and respirable dusts are taken deep into the lungs. Both types of dust end up being adsorbed into the bodies soft tissue and cells. This leads to the damage to your health.

Steel
Steel is an alloy of several elements but the main components are Iron and Carbon. Steel is a very widely used material and comes in different grades and these are commonly divided into two groups – Non-Alloy Steels (Basic and Quality Steels) and Alloy Steels (Tool Steel, Stainless Steel and Engineering steels)

Steel’s main danger lies in the other elements used in making the steel in the first place. As with most dusts, breathing in steel dust can cause irritation and damage to the soft tissues in your nose, throat and mouth. This can lead to inflammation, pain, difficulties swallowing and skin irritation.

In Steel we also commonly find: Tungsten, Chromium, Molybdenum and Vanadium.

Tungsten is usually found in small quantities and is most commonly used in Tool production. In recent years Tungsten particulates and dust have been highlighted as causing irritation to the eyes, nose, throat and has been known to cause permanent respiratory diseases such as occupational asthma and interstitial fibrosis. Symptoms of these include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, weight loss and difficulty breathing. Long term exposure can cause damage to the lungs and mucus membranes and it has also be linked to certain types of cancer.

Chromium is a know cause of cancer (carcinogen) – primarily lung cancer.

Molybdenum dust can cause irritation to the eyes and skin, coughing and wheezing. Other effects include headaches, fatigue, loss of appetite, muscle and joint pain. Repeated exposure has been linked to Gout, Low blood count (anaemia) and liver and kidney damage.

Vanadium has been classified as toxic and breathing in vanadium dust has been linked to several adverse effects on the respiratory systems (lungs) such as inflammation, asthma, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath and irritation.

Stainless steel can also include Nickel – this is known to cause allergic contact dermatitis. Also referred to as Nickel Allergy.

All airborne dusts can be harmful but the next three are far more dangerous than just the harm they can do if we breath them in.

Titanium
Titanium is actually classified as non-toxic (even in larger doses). It is estimated that we ingest around 0.8 milligrams of Titanium each day. It is often used in aerospace manufacture and tools.

As a powder or in the form of shavings however – Titanium is a different beast. Titanium powder and shavings are classified as a significant fire risk. When Titanium is heated in air it oxidises and explodes – often violently. Once Titanium has combusted water and carbon dioxide fire extinguishers are ineffective.

This is why Titanium must be extracted and it must be extracted via a wet collection system – to prevent combustion in the first place. Whilst titanium is not as toxic as some dusts we breath in – Titanium dust explosions cause sever property damage and, most importantly, loss of life.

Magnesium
Much like Titanium, Magnesium is non-toxic (in recommended doses) but in the form of metal shavings or powders it is highly flammable. Once it combusts Magnesium can burn very hot and can be very difficult to extinguish – ever used a flare or sparkler that wont go out unless you bury it in sand.

Magnesium in contact with water produces hydrogen gas which itself is highly combustible and explosive.  Putting water on a magnesium fire will make the situation a lot worse.

But this also means we need to be careful when looking at extraction for Magnesium, as Magnesium must be extracted via a wet collector. To combat this, extractors must have systems built in to stop the hydrogen building up. Collectors must be grounded and have additional safety features such as interlocks between the fan motor and water control.

You should never mix magnesium dusts with other metal dusts and must use dedicated extraction.

Aluminium
Aluminium makes up the trifactor of combustible, non-toxic dusts that needs extraction to control additional risks rather than a person’s exposure. Aluminium is one of the most widely used metals in industry. Generally Aluminium is only considered a fire risk if in fine powder and dust form with approximately 20% of the the dust below 44 microns.

Aluminium that falls into this category is very dangerous and highly explosive. As with Magnesium, when Aluminium comes into contact with water it produces hydrogen gas – itself highly combustible and explosive.

The finer the aluminium the greater the risk of fire and explosion. Extraction for Aluminium should be a wet collector or wet extraction system such as a wet down draft bench, with considerations for the hydrogen gas or – if above the danger level – via dry dust extraction with explosive relief (just in case).

The main cause of Aluminium dust igniting is from an external ignition source such as a spark from grinding or cutting, a discharge from static electricity or naked flames.

It is easy to panic about the dangerous of Aluminium but it is simply a case of understanding your process and having the dust tested. There have been several reports in recent years that sate over 90% of Aluminium based applications that involve potential ignition sources as part of the process have particulate sizes over 75 microns – making them very hard to ignite.

Other metals you may come across

Gold
50% of the world’s gold is used in jewellery manufacture. Pure gold is non-toxic and non-irritating when ingested (food and drink) but Soluble Gold is often used in industry for applications such as electroplating. These compounds such as gold chloride and potassium gold cyanide are considered highly toxic and gold has been cited as a known allergen.

Silver
Silver is also commonly used in jewellery manufacture and exposure to it can cause breathing irritations and allergies. In extreme cases of exposure to silver dust, a condition called Argyrosis can develop. Argyia can cause the whites of the eyes to turn purple and the skin, in patches or wide spread over the body, to turn a purplish-grey colour.

In high levels silver that effects the body in this way can cause serious damage to your health.

Copper
Copper can cause Metal Fume Fever – chills, nausea, headaches, pneumonia, chest pain, muscles aches, fatigue, joint pains, shortness of breath. Sever cases can cause burning sensations in the body, shock, no urine production, collapse, convulsions, jaundice, vomiting and bloody diarrhoea.

Iron Oxides
Iron oxides are a know cause of Siderosis. Siderosis is used to refer to an environmental disease of the lung and is a form of Pneumoconiosis. The primary cause of this is repeated inhalation of Iron dust over many years. In tissue biopsies the iron can physically been seen deposited in the tissue.

There is no cure for Siderosis and the damage is permeant.

A note on high levels of exposure.
Many people will often say “but I don’t use a lot” and thus think “high levels” of exposure don’t apply to them, Often, they can be right but high levels of exposure can also be stated as long term or repeated exposure.

A small amount of a contaminate in one dose may not be harmful at all. Now repeat that exposure hour after hour, day after day, month after month, year after year. Now the contaminate builds up in your body and this is when high levels are often found. As the exposure is slow and drawn out, often by the time the health issues arise years down the line, the damage is done and it is too late.

Many dusts that reach our lungs, regardless of toxicity, over time can cause Interstitial Lung disease. This is a group of lung diseases that cause damage to the tissue and spaces around the air sacs of the lungs.

Interstitial Lung diseases are not curable. The damage is permanent.

Don’t worry about 10yrs time, worry about now and protect yourself, your employees and colleagues today and get proper extraction.

Implementing proper dust extraction is easy. We have a wide range of dry dust extractors, wet collectors, wet benches, centralised extraction services and more. Contact us to find out more information or to talk about your application and materials. we are always happy to help.

Contact us via the Contact Form or Email us or Call 01489 899070

Next week: Wood Dust

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