Nitroglycol and nitroglycerine exposure in a dynamite industry 1958-1978

Following the Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide in On-Site Mixture Explosives: Study of the Effect of the Auxiliary Oxidising Agent and Binder

The issues of safety and its impact on both human health and the environment are on-going challenges in the field of explosives (EXs). Consequently, environmentally-friendly EXs have attracted significant interest. Our previous work, dedicated to on-site mixed (OSM) EXs utilising concentrated hydrogen peroxide (HTP) as an oxidising agent, revealed that the gradual decomposition of HTP may be harnessed as an additional safety measure, e.g., protection from theft. The rate of HTP decomposition is dependent on the OSM components, but this dependence is not straightforward. Relevant information about the decomposition of HTP in such complex mixtures is unavailable in literature. Consequently, in this work, we present a more detailed picture of the factors influencing the dynamics of HTP decomposition in EXformulations. The relevant measurement and validation methodology is laid out and the most relevant factors for determining the rate of HTP decomposition are highlighted. Among these, the choice of auxiliary oxidising agent is of particular relevance and it can be seen that the choice to use ammonium nitrate (AN), made in previous works dealing with HTP-based EXs, is sub-optimal in terms of maintaining the stability of HTP. Another important finding is that glass microspheres are not as inert to HTP as would be expected, as replacing them with polymer microspheres significantly slowed the decomposition of HTP in the investigated OSM samples.

Comprehensive evaluation of long-term trends in occupational exposure: Part 1. Description of the database

OBJECTIVES

To conduct a comprehensive evaluation of long term changes in occupational exposure among a broad cross section of industries worldwide.

METHODS

A review of the scientific literature identified studies that reported historical changes in exposure. About 700 sets of data from 119 published and several unpublished sources were compiled. Data were published over a 30 year period in 25 journals that spanned a range of disciplines. For each data set, the average exposure level was compiled for each period and details on the contaminant, the industry and location, changes in the threshold limit value (TLV), as well as the type of sampling method were recorded. Spearman rank correlation coefficients were used to identify monotonic changes in exposure over time and simple linear regression analyses were used to characterise trends in exposure.

RESULTS

About 78% of the natural log transformed data showed linear trends towards lower exposure levels whereas 22% indicated increasing trends. (The Spearman rank correlation analyses produced a similar breakdown between exposures monotonically increasing or decreasing over time.) Although the rates of reduction for the data showing downward trends ranged from -1% to -62% per year, most exposures declined at rates between -4% and -14% per year (the interquartile range), with a median value of -8% per year. Exposures seemed to increase at rates that were slightly lower than those of exposures which have declined over time. Data sets that showed downward (versus upward) trends were influenced by several factors including type and carcinogenicity of the contaminant, type of monitoring, historical changes in the threshold limit values (TLVs), and period of sampling.

CONCLUSIONS

This review supports the notion that occupational exposures are generally lower today than they were years or decades ago. However, such trends seem to have been affected by factors related to the contaminant, as well as to the period and type of sampling.

48-hour ambulatory electrocardiography in dynamite workers and controls

ABSTRACT Sudden deaths and chronic cardiovascular diseases have been reported in excess frequency from the explosives industry. Forty-two active dynamite workers and 43 healthy, unexposed workers have been studied by ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring during two 24-hour periods covering an exposed shift and the “abstinence phase,” 40-64 hours after the last exposure to dynamite. To achieve comparability the non-exposed individuals were screened for risk factors of heart disease in the same way as those employed in exposed work. No statistically significant differences were found between the groups concerning the mean individual number of ventricular or supraventicular ectopic beats per hour or per 10 000 heart beats during the whole recorded time. Among those who showed only ectopic beats in one of the two periods dynamite workers tended to have more ectopic beats in the second period. “Complicated” ventricular ectopic beats (multifocal, bigemeny, or coupled) were seen in six dynamite workers and four controls. The only observed period of ventricular tachycardia was seen in a dynamite worker on Monday morning. The mean individual corrected QT-time was similar between the two groups, and there was no tendency towards longer QT-times among the dynamite workers during the abstinence period. Continuous monitoring detected several cases with pronounced ventricular arrhythmias despite normal short-time ECG and may be used to investigate the heart rhythm in active workers.