Regarding the hazards of occupational diseases in zinc electrolysis workshops
Thread Content
I have been in this industry for only a short time, and I would like to write a paper on the occupational health hazards associated with zinc electrolysis and ways to prevent them. After consulting some relevant books, I found that most of the information available on occupational diseases related to the electrolysis process focuses on tooth erosion caused by acid mist. However, I noticed that some workers involved in the plate mounting and zinc stripping tasks suffer from varying degrees of chronic cadmium, lead, and arsenic poisoning. I’m quite puzzled by this, which is why I’m seeking advice. The concentrate processed in my zinc smelting plant contains high levels of iron, arsenic, antimony, copper, and cadmium; the processing involves a four-stage reverse antimony salt purification process using hot acid leaching of jarosite. In recent years, there has been a frequent occurrence of plate burning during the electrolysis process, and substances such as bone glue, carbonates, and tartaric acid are used in this process. I would be extremely grateful if any expert could provide me with detailed information on this topic.
I don’t quite understand the principles behind occupational diseases； However, in the case of burned plates, it is mostly due to high impurities in the electrolyte, and it is necessary to reduce the purity requirements ；
This post was last edited by Ah Ben on 2009-9-8 at 22:31. Thank you to the friends who commented above for their attention; it’s not yet possible to determine what impurities are causing the board to overheat. The overheating occurs without any clear reason, and then there’s a similar sudden improvement as well. Samples of the new liquid have been sent several times to a well-known zinc smelting plant in China for testing, with no issues found. Their expert team also came to assess the entire system, but still got no results. This post is mainly to seek advice on knowledge related to occupational diseases; I hope those with expertise can offer guidance. I wonder if prolonged board heating might increase the risk of occupational diseases among workers.
Are there also certain issues during the operation? Also, are the components of your anode and cathode plates all qualified?
Chronic poisoning by cadmium, lead, and arsenic is, to put it bluntly, a completely normal phenomenon in this industry. The cathode plate is mainly made of lead, while the electrolyte contains arsenic and cadmium. During the electrolysis process, a large amount of gas is generated, which causes the levels of these metal elements in the air inside the factory to exceed safe limits. Moreover, operators are frequently in contact with anode and cathode plates, zinc sheets, electrolyte, and so on. Therefore, it is best for operators to wear full protective equipment during operation, especially gloves and masks. Take baths when going to and from work; it’s best to have multiple sets of work clothes. To completely resolve these issues, it is best to fully automate all the machinery in the electrolysis workshop. But it’s very difficult in China, extremely difficult.
I heard that there are automatic zinc peeling machines, and Inner Mongolia Zijin Phase 2 has already purchased some of them ready for use.
This post was last edited by A Ben on 2009-9-10 21:54. To achieve automation, automatic panel manufacturing technology is available in China; however, there is still a significant gap compared to foreign countries in terms of our purification technology, quality management, and control equipment. The production process is unstable, which is why most domestic manufacturers still rely on small-scale panel production as well as manual processes for panel assembly and zinc stripping. Another major reason is that labor costs in the country are too low, leaving companies with no incentive to upgrade their equipment. These days, more advanced manufacturers abroad have adopted automation, so very little zinc needs to be stripped manually. Thank you for the advice from the friend on floor 5; could you share any relevant data or information?
In most factories in China, process control is not very good, making it difficult to meet the requirements for automatic zinc removal. Moreover, labor costs in China are relatively low, which results in lower costs compared to using automated methods for zinc removal. Another advantage is that such methods can create more job opportunities, thereby providing employment for people. As for the problems related to electrolysis and their solutions, one has to discover them on their own; there is little information on this topic in books, and what is available is often rather theoretical.
It is unlikely that there is a situation where \"some workers at the electrolysis process stations responsible for panel assembly and zinc removal suffer from chronic cadmium, lead, and arsenic poisoning to varying degrees.\" If such a situation does exist, it might be due to contamination from other workshops spreading to this area, or perhaps those workers were not originally assigned to those positions. The acid mist in the electrolysis workshop may even contain chlorine, which, in addition to the effects you mentioned, can have an impact on the respiratory system.
Thank you to this friend for their analysis. Most of the workers involved in our electrolysis process have been working here for 10 years; few of them are transferred from other workshops. The purification process, which is closest to the electrolysis process, is located about 25 meters away, and the factory buildings are relatively airtight. There are nearly 200 people working in the electrolysis process, and around 20 of them have abnormal test results during annual health checks, with this number increasing slightly each year. The issues related to arsenic and cadmium are the most common. I have suspected that dust generated during commuting might be the cause, but there is no relevant data to support this theory...
The zinc and cadmium content in the zinc sheeting from the electrolysis workshop is very low, while the lead content is high