Respirator / mask selection for cadmium

[MangoMM]

I am looking into purchasing a respirator to protect against Cadmium & cadmium oxide fumes.

I have been been looking at purchasing the Moldex 9000 full face mask however cannot find any information about which filters / cartridges would be suitable.

I would be using the mask when melting & pouring scrap silver & indian gold jewellery.

Any recommendations?

 

[Palladium]

http://solutions.3m.com/3MContentRetrievalAPI/BlobServlet?lmd=1335339347000&locale=en_WW&assetType=MMM_Image&assetId=1180611010957&blobAttribute=ImageFile

 

[CAR48150]

After reading the entire catalog of 3M's respirator products I do have a few questions to clarify.
The respirator that we are discussing is for when we are melting metal that contains cadmium, correct?
That being the case, the substance that I will be trying to protect against is Cadmium Oxide Fume. According to 3M's chart, their filters are for WEL conditions of 0.025 mg/m3 or less, and this respirator is only to be used for a maximum of 15 minutes if the concentrate of the cadium is WEL 0.05 mg/m3 or greater.

To further my inquiry,it states this substance (cadmium oxide fumes) causes "immediate danger to life & health" (IDLH) at concentrates greater than 9 mg/m3 as Cd.

Here is my concern, the only metal we melt that contains cadmium is silver; and the silver has anywhere from .5% - 4% cadmium. Unless I'm mistaken even the low end of our cadmium exceeds the 9 mg/m3 concentration that poses "immediate danger to life & health". It doesn't appear as though 3M's filters will sufficiently protect my guys from Cadmium poisoning. If 3M doesn't sell respirators to protect against such levels of cadmium, who does? Or is there another method of protecting against these fumes?

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[niteliteone]

The best solution is to follow forum advice to NOT heat or melt silver that contains Cadmium.
If absolutely desired to do so, I would recommend a breathing apprentice that supplies fresh clean air like Fire Fighters use. (Having a brain fart and can't remember the name)

 

[solar_plasma]

supplies fresh clean air like Fire Fighters use. (Having a brain fart and can't remember the name)

Here you go... :lol:

Self-contained breathing apparatus:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-contained_breathing_apparatus
I prefere Dräger SCBA's.

and the fashionable suit matching to this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazmat_suit
I would prefere Trellchem suits.

All in all maybe 4000 bugs.

*LOVE IT!* :mrgreen:

 

[solar_plasma]

But that does not make sense. There is no reason for melting those alloys and if there where, it would be far better to do that in a closed system. Consider, the vapors and smoke are going somewhere and contaminate the environment around you.

 

[FrugalRefiner]

CAR48150,

Respirators, or any other PPE, should be your last line of defense. Proper handling and engineering controls should always be implemented to handle any dangerous fumes. The respirator should only have to deal with the traces that escape the primary systems.

You're also comparing apples to oranges. The respirators are rated based on the amount of cadmium in each cubic meter of air. I have a bar that is 99%+ cadmium, but it poses no danger as none is airborne.

For something like cadmium, you need a fume hood sufficient to handle the volume of fume you're producing. But as Solar pointed out, just blowing that fume outside will poison the surrounding area. You'd need some type of scrubbing system / bag house to capture the airborne cadmium.

I would not rely on respirators alone to protect your workers.

Dave

 

[rickbb]

As Dave said, respirators are only for the small amount that escapes your fume/scrubber systems and to get out in an emergency.

Cartridges are only rated for minimum levels of exposure and for a very limited time frame before they are exhausted.

You'd be better served if you refine the silver to remove the cadmium first.

 

[niteliteone]

supplies fresh clean air like Fire Fighters use. (Having a brain fart and can't remember the name)

Here you go... :lol:

Self-contained breathing apparatus:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-contained_breathing_apparatus
I prefere Dräger SCBA's.

and the fashionable suit matching to this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazmat_suit
I would prefere Trellchem suits.

All in all maybe 4000 bugs.

*LOVE IT!* :mrgreen:

Close enough to what I was thinking of.
I was thinking of a "CABA"(compressed Air Breathing Apparatus) where you have the air hose as a leash.

Thanks Solar

 

[Westerngs]

OSHA regulates workplace cadmium exposures very specifically under 29 CFR 1910.1027.

The regulations for cadmium are even more onerous than for lead. If you are thinking about working with cadmium bearing materials you should think twice and at the very least read the above stated regulation.