Professional paper

Mercury hazards in brewery fermentation workers

A. Bruusgaard ; State Labour Inspection, Oslo

Abstract

A reported case of mercury poisoning in a fermentation worker at a brewery was followed by a countrywide survey on the unexpected mercury hazards in this occupation. The mercury source in this connection is the usual bunging-apparatus on each tank used for storing the beer for after-fermentation. The U-shaped apparatus is filled with large amounts of mercury. The carbondioxyde escapes by bubbling freely through the mercury, sometimes with such violence that mercury is sprayed out. High mercury air contamination, up to ten times the threshold limit value was measured, and urine analysis of mercury showed that 31% of the values were about 200 gammail urine and 3% over 1000 gamma/I. No further case of mercury poisoning was unveiled among 1.35 workers in 19 breweries. The survey shows that mercury can be a real hazard, and is at least to be considered as a potential hazard in the after-fermentation cellars in breweries. High urine values of mercury can be tolerated for a considerable time without any clinical effect. Preventive measures are mentioned.

Keywords

Hrčak ID:

183515

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/183515

Publication date:

25.9.1958.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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