| Description |
In the exposure history of a welder, two important questions are, "What do you weld on?" and "Do you weld in a confined space?" The most commonly used welding processes are shielded metal arc, gas metal arc, tungsten inert gas, gas welding, and submerged welding. The most commonly welded metals are mild steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. The electrode, rather than the alloy content, is the most significant contributor to fume exposure in stainless steel welding. Shielded metal arc welding on stainless steel produces higher hexavalent chromium exposure than metal inert gas welding. Welders are at increased risk for the following acute conditions: pulmonary edema from welding in a confined space; photokeratitis of the eyes from UV exposure; and metal fume fever from welding copper or zinc coated metals. [Burgess, p. 167-204] The welder may be exposed to dangerous concentrations of cadmium fume, phosgene, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone. Each of these four agents can cause delayed pulmonary edema. Welding fume is classified by IARC as a possible human carcinogen. See OSHA Technical Links: http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/weldingcuttingbrazing/index.html. See PubMed abstracts on welding at http://haz-map.com/pubmed.htm. |
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