Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #117102

Curtis E. Cummings, MD, MPH and Arthur L. Frank, MD, PhD. Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Drexel University School of Public Health, Mail Stop 660, 245 North 15th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102-1192, 215-762-3938, cc383@drexel.edu

Background: Although there have been efforts to remove elemental mercury from workplaces and consumer products, it remains a hazard to workers and to the general public. The natural gas delivery systems of public utilities use pressure regulators and thermocouples, older versions of which contain mercury, which has been spilled when handling the equipment. At union and management request, we studied public utility workers who were exposed to mercury vapor inside their field operation vehicles in which there had been spills from carrying mercury-containing devices.

Method: Mercury vapor levels were measured inside vehicles using direct-read instruments (Jerome-431X). Medical screening was offered to all workers whose vehicles had mercury vapor levels ³ 0.010 mg/m³. Screening included questionnaires and 24-hour urine mercury analysis.

Results: Of 37 vehicles with detectable mercury vapor levels, 24 had levels ³ 0.01 mcg/m³, 9 were ³ 0.025 mg/m³ (ACGIH-recommended 8-hour time-weighted average) and 3 exceeded 0.1 mg/m³ (OSHA permissible exposure limit). Of 22 workers examined, 21 had 24-hour urinary mercury reported as < 4 μg/L (reference range ³ 20 ug/L); one worker had 4 μg/L. None reported significant mercury exposure outside the workplace or symptoms of mercury toxicity.

Conclusions: In this setting, biological monitoring of exposed workers did not detect elevated urinary mercury levels, although some exposures exceeded ACGIH or OSHA limits.

This presentation correlates workplace mercury exposure with biological monitoring, and will discuss the toxicology of elemental mercury, medical evaluation of mercury-exposed workers, and union-management relations that were a factor in the response to these issues.

Learning Objectives:

• 3. Explain how mercury exposure to workers and the public currently occur.
  6. Correlate environmental sampling with measured levels in exposed workers.
  9. Describe the medical and industrial hygiene approach to mercury spills.
  12. Recognize the role of union/management relations during a toxic exposure episode.

Keywords: Occupational Exposure, Labor-Management Relations

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.