If you’re manufacturing carbide and using cobalt or nickel as your binding material, then chances are you may be getting too much metal in your diet! Industries that make or use cutting or grinding tools may have their employees exposed to higher levels of cobalt. Cobalt dust can enter the body by breathing, getting in your drinking water, or transferrable from your hands to your food.
The US government’s Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry(ATSDR) issued a public health statement on the effects of cobalt in the workplace:
Serious effects on the lungs, including asthma, pneumonia, and wheezing, have been found in people exposed to 0.005 mg cobalt/m3 while working with hard metal, a cobalttungsten carbide alloy. People exposed to 0.007 mg cobalt/m3 at work have also developed allergies to cobalt that resulted in asthma and skin rashes. The general public, however, is not likely to be exposed to the same type or amount of cobalt dust that caused these effects in workers.
Both of these metals are included on the government’s hazardous substance list and both of these metals can be washed away by using Clean-All Heavy Metals® Soap.
Simply washing with plain soap and water will not significantly reduce the spread of contamination or the danger of ingestion. Clean-All Heavy Metals® Soap is also an effective way to keep surfaces and laundry safe. Remove heavy metal residue and reduce the risk of toxic contamination with Clean-All Heavy Metals® Hand & Body Soap.