Respiratory Health Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, West Virginia.
Spokane Regional Health District, Spokane, Washington.
Am J Ind Med. 2018 Jun;61(6):538-542. doi: 10.1002/ajim.22847. Epub 2018 Apr 12.
At least four workers at a metal recycling facility were hospitalized and one died after exposure to chlorine gas when it was accidentally released from an intact, closed-valved cylinder being processed for scrap metal. This unintentional chlorine gas release marks at least the third such incident at a metal recycling facility in the United States since 2010. We describe the fatal case of the worker whose clinical course was consistent with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) following exposure to high concentrations of chlorine gas. This case report emphasizes the potential risk of chlorine gas exposure to metal recycling workers by accepting and processing intact, closed-valved containers. The metal recycling industry should take steps to increase awareness of this established risk to prevent future chlorine gas releases. Additionally, public health practitioners and clinicians should be aware that metal recycling workers are at risk for chlorine gas exposure.
至少有四名工人在一家金属回收设施工作时因意外接触到从一个正在被加工成废金属的、完好无损且关闭阀门的钢瓶中释放出来的氯气而住院，其中一人死亡。此次意外的氯气释放是自 2010 年以来美国发生的第三起此类金属回收设施事故。我们描述了一名工人的致命案例，其临床过程符合接触高浓度氯气后的急性呼吸窘迫综合征（ARDS）。该病例报告强调了金属回收工人在接受和处理完好无损、关闭阀门的容器时接触氯气的潜在风险。金属回收行业应采取措施提高对这一既定风险的认识，以防止未来发生氯气泄漏。此外，公共卫生从业人员和临床医生应意识到金属回收工人有接触氯气的风险。
