Detection
of Toxic Metal in Silver Foundries
Smelting
of silver from old ornaments and decorative articles is done
in small foundries. In Ahmedabad city, there are 106 silver
foundries situated in the residential and commercial
localities. During the smelting process, a number of gaseous
(SO2, NOx) and metallic (Ag, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn) pollutants are
released in the work environment and are also discharged into
the community air by powerful exhausts. This study was
undertaken to investigate the potential health hazards in
workers of silver foundries and among people living in nearby
localities and suggest suitable preventive measures.
The
study consisted of medical examination of the silver foundry
workers, measurement of dust, metallic and gaseous pollutants
in the work environment and the community environment. Blood
samples collected from the foundry workers and the general
population residing in the vicinity of the foundries were
analyzed for lead and cadmium.
Cadmium
and silver concentrations were found to be above the
permissible level of 10 mg/m3 (both for Cd and Ag). Lead
concentration in the ambient air was found to be above the
permissible criteria level of 1 mg/m3 as prescribed by the
National Ambient Air Quality Standard
(NAAQS) for residential areas. Concentrations of cadmium and
other metals in the ambient air were also found to be higher
than the reported values for residential areas. The source of
cadmium was found to be adulteration of silver with cadmium as
this metal is much cheaper than silver. Biological monitoring
indicated that the mean blood cadmium level were 1.14 mg/100
ml in foundry workers and 0.32 mg/100 ml in the
environmentally exposed subjects, which were significantly
higher than the values for general population (0.1 mg/100 ml).
The recommendations for the prevention and control of
health hazards included (i) declaration of silver refining
process as “hazardous”
under section 2 (cb) of the Factories Act, thereby
bringing the small factories under the purview of Factories
Act; (ii) installation of suitable pollution control devices
and periodic monitoring of work environment and workers’
health and, (iii) shifting of all silver foundries to a place
away from residential zone to ensure better compliance of
legal provisions and forestall community exposure. The
recommendations have been accepted by the State Authorities
and appropriate action has been initiated.
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