Silicone based oil is heated in the boiler of the diffusion pump and the vaporized oil rises in the central tower and streams out of directional flutes directed downward in the pump throat. This allows air molecules to dissolve in the gaseous oil (gas dissolved in gas). As the oil-air mixture cools (due to water cooling coils wrapped around the pump throat) the oil condenses and returns to liqu...

background: suicide is a problem worldwide and occupation is an important risk factor. in the last decade, 55 200 deaths in the us were attributed to occupational risk factors. objective: to determine if toxic metal exposure was associated with suicide risk among paducah gaseous diffusion plant (pgdp) workers. methods: we assembled a cohort of 6820 nuclear industry workers employed from 1952 to...