Jewelry Manufacturing

Overview

Jewelry industryThe jewelry industry manufactures, sells and distributes jewelry pieces, sterling and plated silverware, watches and clocks. Considered a major driver of the fashion industry, the jewelry industry is poised to expand in coming years. Despite a major decline of 60% in 2020 due to the global pandemic, the industry is still projected to reach $292 billion by the year 2025.

While many jewelers enjoy an interesting and creative job, professionals in this field face a number of health hazards daily due to occupational dust and fumes. While workers may not notice immediate reactions to these toxins, over time, exposure can lead to chronic conditions and even early death.

The main jewelry applications producing dangerous toxins include:

Air Quality Challenges

Electroplating

Jewelers employ electroplating to decorate their pieces or to prevent the corrosion of metals. An electroplating device uses electricity to bond thin layers of one metal to the surface of another at the molecular level. The entire process takes place in a plating solution.

The chemicals that make up the plating solution vary according to the metal worked on but are often highly toxic, with cyanide salts being one of the most common. During the electroplating process, a toxic mist is produced containing these chemicals. Salts used in gold electroplating have the potential to cause skin sensitization and allergic reactions. The sulfuric acid used in copper plating can cause irritation of the respiratory tract. Of most concern, the use of cyanide salts creates poisonous fumes that pose an extreme inhalation hazard.

Casting

Casting involves the process of creating a mold of a wax model for a jewelry piece. Once the mold is heated and set in an oven, the wax model is melted away, leaving only the cast. A metal is then melted and poured into the cast. Once it cools, the cast is removed from the new piece of jewelry.

From start to finish, the casting process puts the worker at risk of toxin exposure.

Most casting contains cristobalite, a highly toxic form of crystalline silica. Inhalation of silica dust can scar lung tissue and lead to the incurable disease silicosis. Developing after about 10 years of exposure, symptoms of silicosis include shortness of breath, chest tightness, coughing and wheezing. But silicosis is not the only serious disease that can result from inhaling silica dust. Kidney disease, lung cancer and tuberculosis are also a risk. The Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) recognizes silica dust as a hazardous substance and has strict guidelines for the permissible exposure limit (PEL) for workers. The PEL for Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) is 50 μ/cu.m as an 8-hour time weighted average (TWA).

But toxic dust is not the only concern during the casting process; fumes also pose a dangerous risk. Irritation of the respiratory tract can occur once the wax model is burned and melted away. Fumes from metals alloyed with gold or silver such as zinc, lead, copper and nickel are extremely toxic. Both lead and nickel fumes are very dangerous and classified as carcinogenic.

Zinc fumes can cause metal fume fever. An illness caused by inhalation of freshly formed metal oxides, metal fume fever develops rapidly after exposure. Symptoms include:

But symptoms of metal fume fever can be even more serious. With higher levels of metal toxicity, workers can experience: shock, collapse, convulsions, shortness of breath, yellow eyes or yellow skin, rash, vomiting, watery or bloody diarrhea, low or high blood pressure.

Soldering

Soldering is the application that joins two separate metal pieces by melting a filler metal. To prevent the accumulation of oxides on the metal surface, metals are coated with a flux. That flux is later removed with a pickling solution that typically contains sulfuric acid, nitric acid or sodium bisulfate.

Jewelers are exposed to a number of different contaminants throughout the soldering process. Fumes produced from melting solder are toxic and require local ventilation. Silver soldering often results in cadmium fumes, which are extremely dangerous. Acute overexposure to cadmium could lead to chemical pneumonia or even death. Chronic exposure can cause:

But cadmium isn’t the only contaminant of concern. Antimony, a cadmium replacement, can also create toxic fumes. The primary effects of chronic antimony exposure include: inflammation of the lungs, chronic bronchitis and chronic emphysema. Lead is also prevalent in the jewelry industry and creates dangerous, highly toxic fumes. Zinc, copper, magnesium, aluminum, copper, antimony, cadmium, iron and silver can all cause metal fume fever.

The fluxes used in silver soldering create dangerous byproducts as well, particularly those that contain fluoride. The hydrogen fluoride gas or fluoride fumes produced are highly toxic and can irritate the skin, eyes and respiratory tract.

Sandblasting, Polishing & Grinding

Finishing processes of jewelry making include polishing, sandblasting and grinding.

Jewelers clean metals by sandblasting or abrasive blasting. These applications use compressed air to project sand or other materials to abrade metal surfaces. Sand often contains free crystalline silica which puts the jeweler at risk of silicosis and other illnesses.

A type of finishing application, grinding wears down the surface of a piece to trim away any unwanted parts. Polishing is yet another process for refining a metal surface either by hand or with the use of a wheel. Both grinding and polishing create airborne dust and particulates that are dangerous if inhaled. These dusts can lead to a number of ill health effects, predominantly concerning the lungs. Other organs remain at risk as well as these dusts can dissolve in the bloodstream and travel throughout the body. Damage may be seen in the liver, kidneys and even brain.

Used to prevent corrosion and increase the aesthetic appeal of a piece, the precious metal rhodium is also a concern. Regulated by OSHA, rhodium appears on their Hazardous Substance List. Exposure to rhodium powder can lead to skin and eye irritation. Long-term effects are far more severe and include:

The legal airborne PEL of rhodium dust allowed by OSHA is 0.1mg/m3 averaged over an 8 hour work shift.

Working with precious metals like gold, platinum and rhodium, jewelers face another unique challenge in loss of revenue if the dust and other debris are not captured. Not only is the investment in a Variable Speed Fume Extractor and Dust Collector prudent to keep staff safe and healthy, it can also add up to considerable savings. When purchased with a disposable bag, these collectors capture dust from precious metals, which can later be sent to a refiner.

Patinas

To tarnish the surface of a metal and create the appearance of age, jewelers use an oxidizing agent or specialized mixture called patinas. Usually associated with the green color of antiques, patinas come in many colors. Metal dyes, paints, epoxy resins and other materials are also used to darken recesses.

The chemicals used in the patinas process can pose a health risk to workers if protective measures are not taken. The copper chloride, copper hydroxide and the copper and nickel salts used to create blue and green patinas are toxic and shouldn’t be inhaled. Liver of sulfur (or potassium sulfide), a common darkening solution also used by jewelers, releases liver of sulfide gas. Considered as dangerous as hydrogen cyanide, liver of sulfide gas can lead to chronic lung disease with long-term exposure.

Jewelers also sometimes use selenium print toner as another coloring agent. Selenium should never be inhaled or ingested in any way. Repeated exposure can lead to:

Solutions for the Jewelry Manufacturing Industry

Investing in dust and fume collectors not only keeps employees safe and healthy, they have the potential to reap financial rewards by capturing precious metal dust. A quality air purifier further cleans the air and reduces energy costs for businesses.

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