OBJECTIVES To study the airway response and its mechanism to welding fumes in six welders with respiratory symptoms. METHODS Methacholine and welding challenge tests were carried out. The concentration of welding fumes during the exposure test was measured. On two subjects who developed bronchoconstricition to welding challenge, additional tests were carried out including prick, patch, and in...

BACKGROUND An estimated 800,000 people worldwide are occupationally exposed to welding-fumes. Previous studies show that the exposure to such fumes is associated with damage to genetic material and increased cancer risk. In this study, we evaluate the genotoxic effect of welding-fumes using the Micronucleus Test on oral mucosa cells of Mexican welders. MATERIAL AND METHODS We conducted a cros...

To provide quantitative information to choose the best welding processes for minimizing workplace emissions, nine gas metal arc welding (GMAW) processes for mild steel were assessed for fume generation rates, normalized fume generation rates (milligram fume per gram of electrode consumed), and normalized generation rates for elemental manganese, nickel, and iron. Shielded metal arc welding (SMA...

Recently, the incidence of pneumoconiosis due to inhalation of welding fumes has become increasingly remarkable in Japan. Although several engineering methods such as local exhaust ventilation, push-pull ventilation and general (dilution) ventilation have been preferred for controlling airborne contaminants released from welding work, thorough reduction of the welder’s exposure to welding fumes...

more than one percent of the labor force in each country consists of welders exposed to various damages caused by welding. the number of studies conducted in this field is low, especially in iran. in this paper, we tried to discover any temporary and reversible obstructive effect of welding fumes on the respiratory systems of welders. in this cross-sectional study, peak expiratory flow rates an...

To the Editor: W elders are at risk of a wide range of respiratory health problems, including bronchitis, airway irritation, and lung function changes.1–5 Despite short duration of exposure, an inception cohort study of apprentice welders in Quebec documented a significant respiratory function decline, incidence of welding-related respiratory symptoms suggestive of occupational asthma and sensi...

welding is a process in which two or more metals are attached by the use of heat and, in some cases, pressure. direct exposure and inhalation of welding fumes causes acute and chronic side effects in humans. kidney damage is one of these important side effects. β2 microglobulin is an 11.8 kilodalton protein and levels increase in the case of some inflammatory and viral diseases, or kidney malfu...

Long-time exposure to welding fumes is supposed to be responsible for lung disease in some cases [1]. Whether welding fume exposure leads to an impairment of human health seems to be dependent on various factors like fume concentrations, ventilation of the workshops [2, 3], use of personal protection equipment [4-6] and presence of co-factors like cigarette smoking [7]. From different epidemiol...

Occupation as a welder has been associated with a 25%-40% increase in lung cancer risk. This study aims to elucidate to what extent confounding by smoking and asbestos drives this association and to evaluate the role of welding-related exposures such as chromium. The study included 2,197 male incident lung cancer cases and 2,295 controls from Romania, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, the Czec...

Welding fumes are common ambient air pollutants in manufacturing facilities, and have been shown to have deleterious effects on human health. An experimental effort is conducted to study the formation and composition of respirable fumes from a SMAW process. The responses examined are the fume particle size distribution (mean diameter) and formation rate (particle number and mass concentration)....