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Korea
First case of occupational disease caused by nickel carbonyl in Korea
The Occupational Disease Review Commission of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) released its review opinion on the occupational disease (eosinophilic pneumonia) suffered by a 56-year-old man who has been employed for the last 11 years in the milling department of the stainless steel factory operated by a metal company, located in Kyonggi Province. The result of review and inquiry at the Korea Labor Welfare Corporation revealed that he suffers from occupational nickel poisoning caused by exposure to nickel and nickel carbonyl, both of which are heavy metals.
Eosinophilic pneumonia, the type of respiratory disease confirmed by the KOSHA's Industrial Safety and Health Research Center, occurred as the result of exposure to nickel and nickel carbonyl formed from the nickel injected in the steel processing of the metals. There have been many cases of skin allergies caused by nickel, but this is the first occurrence in Korea of bodily disease (eosinophilic pneumonia) caused by nickel and nickel carbonyl. Even at the worldwide level, eosinophilic pneumonia caused by exposure to nickel is very rare. In workplaces using nickel injection, it is possible for nickel to dissolve and spread as fumes. This nickel can combine with carbon monoxide to produce nickel carbonyl, which has a strong tendency to cause poisoning. The recommendation is made that employees at the work site should wear the proper respiratory devices, to protect them against heavy metal poisoning when exposed to nickel for long periods of time.
More news from Korea can be found at the Internet site of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency: www.kosha.or.kr/english/english.htm