Construction fumes

Beth Richwine <mah0cdd [at] sivm__si__edu> writes

>We have ongoing renovation construction in our building with
>contractors that are not always monitored.  Recently noxious fumes
>began to pour into the lab from the ventilation system resulting in
>people working there getting severe headaches and nausea before we
>could get out and shut down the lab.  The headaches lasted all day.
>One person also nearly blacked out.  We later found out that the
>contractors were cutting galvanized steel with a torch at our air
>intake.

Form what you have described, it sounds like you have been subjected
to zinc fumes. Other symptoms include throat dryness, coughing,
weakness, general aches, nausea, vomiting, chills and fever. I don't
think it results in any permanent damage to the body like lead does,
unless the case is very severe. Zinc is an essential element for the
body. Obviously, the fumes should be avoided & I think that you will
find that the contractors have an obligation to extract the fumes
from the work area, not distribute them around your building.

George Bailey
Objects Conservator
Australian War Memorial
Treloar Centre for Conservation
4 Callan St, Mitchell, A.C.T. 2911
Australia
+61 6 241 6122
Fax: +61 6 241 7998

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 9:61
                  Distributed: Thursday, March 7, 1996
                        Message Id: cdl-9-61-007
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From pamela_najar [at] ceo__dia__govt__nz 
Date: 
Message-Id: cdl-9-61-008
From: Pamela Najar <pamela_najar [at] ceo__dia__govt__nz>
Subject: Dataloggers

Re Anne Pat Smith's query on the relative merits of dataloggers vs.
hygrothermographs.  I have been using dataloggers for about 6 years
and found them to be very useful for monitoring areas and buildings
where frequent servicing is difficult.  While a datalogger is not as
accurate as a properly calibrated and positioned hygrothermograph,
most can go a year or more between calibrations, can be happily left
alone for long periods, provide data that can be easily manipulated
to produce a variety of graphs and reports, and tucked away in
awkward spaces.  I would see them as a good choice for a "remote
storage" location.

Pamela Najar
National Archives of New Zealand
Te Whare Tohu Tuhituhinga O Aotearoa

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 9:61
                  Distributed: Thursday, March 7, 1996
                        Message Id: cdl-9-61-008
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