Mercury safety in a shop making neon tubes
May 5, 2010 7:09 PM Subscribe
Mercury safety in a sign shop making neon tubes...
I just joined a sign company that has a neon shop with no ventilation. They often repair existing mercury-argon tubes.
My training is that this is a very bad idea, because the old tubes must be heated during processing, which puts mercury vapor into the air -- particularly bad with no ventilation for the shop.
After searching on the web and finding nothing other than the OSHA PEL regulations, I am left wondering if this is something that is just not talked about in the industry, or if it is such a blatant danger that it's common sense and not mentioned, just as you wouldn't have to mention the dangers of playing in traffic or drinking drain cleaner.
I'd like to be safe, but don't want to report them or even confront anyone without more information. How does one get the proper testing done to see if it is safe? Can this be done privately, DIY, or does OSHA have to come in? Also, the shop floor looks like it hasn't been swept in years. Does mercury vapor condense onto the floor? Is there possibly mercury in the dust as well?
They seem to take care in the handling of the mercury, so apparently there is some concern about it. But the boss says that he's been doing this but hasn't ever been poisoned in 25 years, has a family member pump in the same shop, yet admits that he knows one person that was poisoned years ago. So I'm not clear on his concerns about the safety in the shop.
What options would you say I have to proceed on this? Thanks.
I just joined a sign company that has a neon shop with no ventilation. They often repair existing mercury-argon tubes.
My training is that this is a very bad idea, because the old tubes must be heated during processing, which puts mercury vapor into the air -- particularly bad with no ventilation for the shop.
After searching on the web and finding nothing other than the OSHA PEL regulations, I am left wondering if this is something that is just not talked about in the industry, or if it is such a blatant danger that it's common sense and not mentioned, just as you wouldn't have to mention the dangers of playing in traffic or drinking drain cleaner.
I'd like to be safe, but don't want to report them or even confront anyone without more information. How does one get the proper testing done to see if it is safe? Can this be done privately, DIY, or does OSHA have to come in? Also, the shop floor looks like it hasn't been swept in years. Does mercury vapor condense onto the floor? Is there possibly mercury in the dust as well?
They seem to take care in the handling of the mercury, so apparently there is some concern about it. But the boss says that he's been doing this but hasn't ever been poisoned in 25 years, has a family member pump in the same shop, yet admits that he knows one person that was poisoned years ago. So I'm not clear on his concerns about the safety in the shop.
What options would you say I have to proceed on this? Thanks.
Response by poster: Sorry -- "pump" in this context means "process neon tubes to make them light up".
posted by buzzv at 7:40 PM on May 5, 2010
posted by buzzv at 7:40 PM on May 5, 2010
Start by giving yourself a crash course in vapors, dusts, protective gear, and ventilation. I recommend Artist Beware by Michael McCann. (Link to table of contents on Google books.)
I don't know about your state, but NYC has tried to pass legislation making it illegal for private individuals to own or use air quality testing equipment. You might need to take it to OSHA.
posted by alight at 8:21 PM on May 5, 2010
I don't know about your state, but NYC has tried to pass legislation making it illegal for private individuals to own or use air quality testing equipment. You might need to take it to OSHA.
posted by alight at 8:21 PM on May 5, 2010
Best answer: I'm sorry to hear this about your workplace. You're right to be concerned and want to protect your health. I was once in a similar situation, working with mercury in a research lab.
Yeah, heating mercury without ventilation puts mercury vapor into the air, and this is the most dangerous part of what you describe, as it presents the greatest concentration of mercury for you to inhale. This mercury vapor also condenses on the walls and floor, but it just sits there, contributing a small background of mercury in the air.
The good news is that you're dealing with the element mercury, not mercury in some compound, which can be much more dangerous. (The problem with mercury in fish is that it's an organic compound, which the body readily absorbs.) The other good news is that your boss is aware of the dangers, mercury is handled carefully, and nobody has gotten sick. That in itself shows that mercury concentrations in the air can't be huge.
Still, if you want to check, you can buy a gadget to measure the mercury in the air. Just google mercury vapor detector.
posted by exphysicist345 at 9:05 AM on May 6, 2010
Yeah, heating mercury without ventilation puts mercury vapor into the air, and this is the most dangerous part of what you describe, as it presents the greatest concentration of mercury for you to inhale. This mercury vapor also condenses on the walls and floor, but it just sits there, contributing a small background of mercury in the air.
The good news is that you're dealing with the element mercury, not mercury in some compound, which can be much more dangerous. (The problem with mercury in fish is that it's an organic compound, which the body readily absorbs.) The other good news is that your boss is aware of the dangers, mercury is handled carefully, and nobody has gotten sick. That in itself shows that mercury concentrations in the air can't be huge.
Still, if you want to check, you can buy a gadget to measure the mercury in the air. Just google mercury vapor detector.
posted by exphysicist345 at 9:05 AM on May 6, 2010
Response by poster: Thank you, xp345 -- that is just what I am looking for.
posted by buzzv at 4:56 PM on May 6, 2010
posted by buzzv at 4:56 PM on May 6, 2010
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Um...breast milk? What?
posted by fixedgear at 7:36 PM on May 5, 2010