Lead poisoning

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autumnwillow

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 1, 2010
Messages
447
How does one get affected with lead poisoning during refining?

My brother went to a local refiner to process polishing wastes about 2 weeks ago. The refiner incinerates in a closed area with scrubber. Grinds and mixes the flux, they use litharge in the flux then they melt this with a large torch in a big clay crucible in an open area. Could this be a probable cause for lead poisoning? He is currently in the hospital and some of the symptoms(according to google) is accordingly with lead poisoning.

I do not process polishing wastes yet so I denied the job and told him to wait until I get a bigger place to do it but even so I think he needed the cash to flow.

I've been to the same refiner years ago until I started my own. They are not very knowledgeable people in refining. I've heard that one of their employees died. They melted AgCl directly with their large torch in a crucible on an open area. One of my earlier posts here refers to them. My last visit to them amounted to about 30% loss and their reason was small Palladium content, which we all know dissolves in nitric. Their process btw is only inquartation and repeated digest in nitric. No AR involved.
 
Yes, i have try it myself! i was a greate chessplayer, it took me years to come just close to normal level again.
And i was tired for a very long time.
Lead is nasty, take care.
Henrik
 
I am not trying to over simplify my response to you but there are numerous ways and without seeing the refiners operation I cannot give you definitive answers. With that being said... it certainly sounds like it could be a possibility.

Maintaining scrubbers, bag houses, duct work, fume hoods, ventilation systems, etc. in a foundry setting requires constant maintenance and air flow checks to make sure it is working properly.

Systems should be well engineered and maintained to prevent people from being exposed to lead hazards. However in my experience even if the exhaust and building ventilation system was well designed to begin with, it is often not maintained very well and it does not work as designed.

Lead poisoning can occurr from directly inhaling lead fumes. Lead fumes are not visible to the naked eye and can be as small as .0001 to <1 micrometer) in size and stay suspended in air for a very long time. Just because you cannot see it does not mean it is not there.

Lead dust / lead oxides will eventually settle out of the air and form dust that can cover everything. Simply putting your fingers in your mouth, smoking a cigarette, eating a sandwich after handling tools, etc. covered in this dust can lead to lead exposure. This is why proper chemical hygiene protocols and implementing a dust control housekeeping program is so important...

Even scarier... workers that wear their uniforms home can potentially infect their family members. This is why large foundries that have lead exposure concerns implement shower requirements for their employees before the employees are allowed to leave work. Prohibitting uniforms, PPE from being worn home from work is also another common standard industry practice.

I hope your brother had a successful outcome in regard to whatever was causing his hospitalization.
 
The likelyhood of lead poisoning from a single exposure is low, especially if other employees that would have been present are not exhibiting symptoms.

Lead poisoning is more commonly a chronic low level exposure, though acute exposures are possible.


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He may have metal fume fever. I've had it before!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_fume_fever
 
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