Nickel

• [General Manufacturing Information] Services
• [General Manufacturing Information] All Other Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing
• [General Manufacturing Information] Primary Metal Manufacturing

Toxizitätsübersicht: Nickel is a ubiquitous trace metal and occurs in soil, water, air and the biosphere. Nickel ore deposits are accumulations of nickel sulfide minerals (mostly pentlandite) and laterites. Most nickel is used for production of stainless steel and other nickel alloys with high corrosion and temperature resistance. Nickel levels in terrestrial and aquatic organisms can vary over several orders of magnitude. Dermal exposure in the general environment is important for the induction and maintenance of contact hypersensitivity caused by daily contact with nickel plated objects or nickel containing alloys (e.g. jewellery, coins or clips). Iatrogenic exposure to nickel results from implants and prostheses made from nickel containing alloys, from iv or dialysis fluids and from radiographic contrast media. In the working environment, airborne nickel concentrations can vary from a few microgram/cu m to a few mg/cu m, depending upon the process involved and the nickel content of the material being handled. Workers are exposed to nickel containing dusts and fumes during welding, plating, grinding, mining, nickel refining, and in steel plants. Dermal exposure to nickel may occur in a wide range of jobs, either by direct exposure, dissolved nickel in refining, electroplating and electroforming industries or by handling nickel containing materials. Nickel can be absorbed in human beings and animals via inhalation or ingestion or percutaneously. Respiratory absorption with secondary gastrointestinal absorption (insoluble and soluble) is a major route of entry during occupational exposure. Percutaneous absorption is negligible, quantatively, but is important in the pathogenesis of contact hypersensitivity. Nickel is transported in the blood, principally bound to albumin. Gastrointestinal absorption of nickel is variable and depends on the composition of the diet. All body secretions are potential routes of excretion including the urine, bile, sweat, tears, milk and mucociliary fluid. Non-absorbed nicke is eliminated in the feces. Data on nickel excretion suggest a two compartment model. Nickel concentration in the serum and urine of healthy non-occupationally exposed adults are 0.2 ug/l (range: 0.05-1.1 ug/l) and 1.5 ug creatinine (range: 0.5-4.0 mg/g creatinine, respectively. The body burden of nickel in non-exposed 70 kg adult is 0.5 ug. Nickel is essential for the catalytic activity of some plant and bacterial enzymes. Slow weight gain, anemia and decreased viability has been described in some animal species after dietary deprivation of nickel. Contact allergy to nickel is very common in human beings; experimental sensitization in animals is only successful under special conditions. Longterm inhalation exposure to metallic nickel caused mucosal damage and inflammatory reaction, sometimes accompanied by slight fibrosis, was observed in rabbits after high level exposure to nickel graphite dust. Metallic nickel induced local mesenchymal tumors in a variety of experimental animals after im, sc, intraosseous, intrarenal, intra-articular, pleural, intraocular, intratesticular or intra-adipose administrtation. Metallic nickel has been tested for carcinogenicity by parenteral routes of administration, local tumors were noted. In studies using repeated intratracheal instillation, nickel powder caused respiratory tumors. Chronic effects such as rhinitis, sinusitis, nasal septal perforations and asthma have been reported in nickel refinery and nickel plating workers. Some researchers reported pulmonary changes with fibrosis in workers handling nickel dust. Orsal nickel intake may aggravate vesicular hand eczema. Prostheses or other surgical implants make with nickel containing alloys have been reported to cause nickel sensitization. Cancer rates have generally been close to normal in stainless steel welding and nickel using industries, with the exception of those involving exposure to chromium, particularly electroplating. Nickel/cadmium battery workers exposed to high levels of both nickel and cadmium may have resulted in a slightly increased risk of lung cancer. Excesses of various cancers other than lung and nasal cancers such as renal, gastric or prostatic have occasionally been reported in nickel workers, but none have been found consistently. No increased cancer risk has been demonstrated in workers exposed exclusively to metallic nickel. The combined data on nickel alloy workers and gasseous diffusion workers, all of whom were exposed to average concentrations of the order of 0.5 mg nickel/cu m show no excess risk, though the total number of lung cancers in these cohorts was to small to exclude a small increase in risk at this level.

Toxizitätsdaten:

• [Environmental Toxicity] The substance is harmful to aquatic organisms. The substance may cause long-term effects in the aquatic environment.