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The greatest issue associated in working with products contaminated with heavy metals is clearly the impact it can have on the health and safety of your work force and the surrounding members of the community.
Heavy metals are known carcinogens. Exposure to heavy metals like lead, chrome and cadmium has been proven to cause a variety of cancers and other serious health issues. EPA and OSHA continue to strengthen legislation to protect workers from exposure to these metals.
For contaminated FRP materials to be of any health risk, heavy metals have to be "freed up" in some way so that they can be absorbed by the human body. This is often times done by creating particles small enough to be ingested, absorbed through the skin or inhaled through the lungs. These small particles can be created in many ways in most shops and businesses. The most common methods seen in industry today are by chemical reactions which release tainted fumes into the air or waste stream, or by cutting or sanding products which release contaminated micro particles into the air and waste stream.
Performing these types of activities on tainted materials can expose not only your valued worker force to these toxins, but also the surrounding community and ecosystem. Once these tiny particles have been "freed up," preventing exposure to employees, the water table and the waste stream becomes your responsibility. Your business and community may face serious health and legal issues from potential exposure to heavy metals.
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