General information about nickel

Nickel is an odorless, silvery-white, shiny, hard naturally occurring metallic element. It is a very abundant metal, being the fifth most common element on Earth. It is found in all soils, it is emitted from volcanoes, and it can be found in meteorites and on the ocean floor. For its outstanding physical and chemical properties, it is used in hundreds of thousands of products, being its biggest use in alloying.

It has a high melting point, resists corrosion and oxidation, is a highly ductile metal, alloys readily, is magnetic at room temperature, can be deposited by electroplating, has catalytic properties, and can be fully recycled. For all this, nickel is a metal of first-class engineering importance, being also used to make coins, jewelry, and items such as valves and heat exchangers

Moreover, it can combine with other elements such as chlorine, sulfur, and oxygen to form nickel compounds, which dissolve fairly easily in water and have a green colour and are used for nickel plating, colour ceramics, making some batteries, and as substances known as catalysts that increase the rate of chemical reactions.

Why is Nickel a hazardous substance?

Nickel, depending on its concentrations, can potentially be a hazardous substance, both for human health and for the environment, so when performing jobs involving this metal, such as demolitions, precautions should be taken.

When is released into the atmosphere, nickel and its compounds, attach to small particles of dust in the air that settle to the ground or are taken out of the air in rain or snow. Released in industrial waste water, it ends up in soil or sediment where it strongly attaches to particles containing iron or manganese. This nickel present in the environment can harm the existing fauna and flora in the area, as well as humans.

Exposure to this heavy metal can harm the lungs, stomach, and kidneys and may lead to cancer, though, generally, to achieve these harms continuous exposure is required. In this sense when carrying out any type of job in nickel refineries or nickel-processing plants, such as any other place where this substance can be present, precautions must be taken by all the workers. Anyway, the level of exposure depends upon the dose, duration, and work being done.

However, the most common harmful health effect of nickel in humans is an allergic reaction. Approximately 10-20% of the population is sensitive to nickel. The most common reaction is a skin rash. Less frequently, some people who are sensitive to this substance have asthma attacks following exposure to this substance. Some sensitized people react when they water containing nickel or breathe dust containing it.

Where can nickel be found?

This heavy metal, in its ‘first use’ form, is present in nickel refineries or nickel-processing plants, where the metal is converted into intermediate products, which form the basis for nickel-containing end-use products. In almost all cases, these first-use products undergo further processing before they are ready for use.

Once transformed into end-used products, it can be found primarily in stainless steel, nickel-based alloys, alloy steels and castings, plating, jewellery, working tools and batteries.

Following on from the above, in the demolition and dismantling sector, it is frequent to find nickel in the following elements:

Stainless steel reinforcement
Stainless steel in structural applications
Valves, pipelines, piping, vessels, heat exchangers and safety-critical elements of electricity generation plants (oil and gas, fossil fuels, nuclear energy and biofuel production). Elements of wind, wave, tidal and hydropower generation
Components of the equipment used for solar energy generation.
Pipes of geothermal energy.
Waste incinerators
Batteries
Medical equipment
Catering and commercial Kitchens
Water treatment, distribution, plumbing, wastewater and desalination
Pulp and paper industry
Train carriages
Aircraft turbines