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Article

24 Apr 2008

Author:
So. African Broadcasting Corporation

Manganese smelter did not insist on masks [So. Africa]

[Assmang (joint venture Assore, African Rainbow Minerals)]...did not insist its workers wear protective dust masks, even though dust levels were sometimes three times more than national legislative limits, a Labour Department inquiry heard today. The inquiry...is investigating 40 alleged cases of manganism that have resulted from workers breathing in fumes containing airborne manganese particles. Harold Gayze, an occupational hygienist, whose firm Occutech had assessed risk at Assmang's ferromanganese smelter...said there was no evidence that the company had attempted to do any short term exposure measurement at the smelter and that he had suggested that Assmang should do so..."Many of the things we recommended were repeated, but there was no change," he said.