Tungsten inert gas welding (TIG) represents one of the most widely used metal joining processes in industry. Its propensity to generate a greater portion of welding fume particles at the nanoscale poses a potential occupational health hazard for workers. However, current literature lacks comprehensive characterization of TIG welding fume particles. Even less is known about welding fumes generat...

A skilled welder determines the weld joint penetration from his/her observation of the weld pool surface during the welding process. This paper addresses the characterization of the 3D weld pool surface in gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), i.e., extracting a set of characteristic parameters from the 3D weld pool surface to determine the backside bead width that measures the degree of weld joint ...

Manganese (Mn) is a required element and a metabolic byproduct of the contrast agent mangafodipir trisodium (MnDPDP). The Mn released from MnDPDP is initially sequestered by the liver for first-pass elimination, which allows an enhanced contrast for diagnostic imaging. The administration of intravenous Mn impacts its homeostatic balance in the human body and can lead to toxicity. Human Mn defic...

BACKGROUND Cadmium is a metal used in the zinc, copper and steel industries, and in the manufacture of electric batteries and solar cells. Acute cadmium poisoning is characterized by irritation of the respiratory tract, while in chronic poisoning the main target organ is the renal tubule. AIMS We report a patient with chronic work overexposure to cadmium, who presented a IgA mesangial glomeru...

We consider an economy in which a political-support maximizing government takes into account different generations’ preferences when deciding how much to borrow abroad and how much to spend on public consumption and investment. We show that, in equilibrium, the government’s choices are shaped by three parameters: the effect of government spending on output, the expected output costs of a defaul...

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a toxic chemical commonly used as a degreasing agent, and it is usually found in a colorless or blue liquid form. TCE has a sweet, chloroform-like odor, and this volatile chlorinated organic chemical can cause toxic hepatitis, neurophysiological disorders, skin disorders, and hypersensitivity syndromes. However, the hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) attributed to TCE ...

Abstract. The Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) is a typical manual process with many dangerous application for the welder (pipe hot tapping, underwater welding, etc.). The process robotization seems to be great for safety associated with the improvement of weld quality and repeatability. This work presents a methodology developed for real time trajectory generation for the robotic SMAW. In thi...

Occupational asthma (OA) can be induced by fumes of manual metal-arc welding on stainless steel. In recent years, the use of special stainless steels (SSS) with high chromium content has increased. This study presents two cases of OA caused by manual metal-arc welding on SSS. In both cases, the diagnosis of OA was based on respiratory symptoms, occupational exposure and positive findings in the...

This study examined the concentration of heavy metal accumulated in the toenail of welders and compared to the concentration of airborne heavy metal exposure in the breathing zone of the welders. Ten selected welders with adequate toenail growth were asked to clip all ten toenails for analysis. The heavy metal concentration in the welder’s breathing zone was collected by using mixed cellulose e...