Hard metals at workplaces: Exposure and evaluation

Hard metals are an important material due to their specific properties, such as high degree of hardness and resistance to abrasive wear, and they are in wide use today. There are indications that hard metal aerosols can endanger human health. Discussions are ongoing as to how to categorize hard metals as hazardous as a result. This categorization will require deciding in particular how to determine and evaluate the carcinogenic risks. In order to obtain an overview of this complex subject, this paper explores the presumed health effects on humans, the measurement and analysis procedures, exposure levels at workplaces, and the current state of the art.