Metal fume fever

Metal fume fever, zinc fever, casting or fume fever is the usual for at least a century term for an initially not quite explicable, nightly discomfort with schüttelfrostähnlicher component, exclusively befell workers in yellow or - had worked brass foundries - in modern words. If the brass melt, especially for casting time and at temperatures > 900 ° C, was not protected by a cover of the melt, occurred from 907 degrees Celsius vaporous zinc from which immediately combined with atmospheric oxygen and the jobs on the furnace and in the most adjacent Sandformerei " atomized ".

Zinc fever was perceived as annoying, but inevitable, there were also acquired resistance, on sustainable health effects has not been reported. The use of a simple respirator also prevailed with the time and reduced the zinc load of the caster.

The hours to a few days -lasting, with a bout of flu similar symptoms (fever, malaise, discomfort in the respiratory tract ) are now metal -containing observed in inhalation aerosols ( vapors or smokes ), as in arc welding (copper, zinc) and working with cadmium, magnesium or chromium. Since no permanent damage is expected, it is a labor complaint medically relevant image, but no compensable occupational disease.