Occupational exposure tellurium

The most common signs of toxicity after occupational exposure to tellurium are a sharp garlic odor of the breath, sweat and urine a loss of appetite dryness of the mouth suppression of sweating and a metallic taste in the mouth (Glover 1972). 

The threshold limit value (TLV) set by the American Conference of Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) for tellurium and its compounds is 0.1 mg/m3 which is about ten times the amount which has been known to produce the adverse garlic odor (45,50). The ACGIH TLV for tellurium hexafluoride is 0.1 mg/m3 or 0.02 ppm of air. Likewise, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has established its permissible exposure limit (PEL) for tellurium and its compounds at 0.1 mg/m3 the PEL for tellurium hexafluoride is 0.2 mg/m3 or 0.02 ppm of air (50). 

Acute inhalation exposure to elemental selenium dust, possibly including some selenium dioxide, in occupational settings has been shown to irritate mucous membranes in the nose and throat and produce coughing, nosebleed, loss of olfaction, and in heavily exposed workers, dyspnea, bronchial spasms, bronchitis, and chemical pneumonia (Clinton 1947 Hamilton 1949). Chronic exposure of 40 workers at a copper refinery produced increased nose irritation and sputum (Holness et al. 1989). The exact concentration of selenium was not given, but the concentration was reported to exceed 0.2 mg selenium/m3. Confounding variables in this study include concurrent exposure to several other metals including copper, nickel, silver, lead, arsenic, and tellurium. 

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