Combined occupational exposure of silver brazers to cadmium oxide, nitrogen dioxide and fluorides at a naval shipyard.

Abstract

Silver brazers at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard are chronically exposed to cadmium oxide fume from the solder, nitrogen dioxide gas formed by the torch, and gaseous or particulate fluorides from the brazing flux. Intermittent peak exposures may be above the current TLV's during brazing, but the time weighted estimates are within acceptable ranges for daily exposures. Acute inhalation cases would most likely involve nitrogen dioxide because cadmium bearing solders are used about 30% of the time based on the total weight of solder used annually. Since both cadmium oxide fume and nitrogen dioxide gas produces a delayed pulmonary response, acute inhalation cases involving silver brazers might be attributed to cadmium oxide fume, when nitrogen dioxide is the cause.