Hygienic characteristics of work conditions and health status of workers engaged in cobalt salt production

It was established that the major hazardous substances in cobalt acetate, chloride, nitrate and sulphate processing shops were the finished product's dusts (disintegration aerosol) in concentrations from 0.05 to 53 mg/m3 depending on the stage of the technological process. An analysis of morbidity with temporary disability and the rate of the workers' appliance for medical advice showed, among the major groups of industrial workers, particular prevalence of the upper respiratory tract diseases (rhinitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis) and the signs of irritation of the mucous in the eyes. ECG examinations revealed marked changes of varying severity in the myocardium among 40-58 percent of the workers in major professions.