In the first European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS I), an excess asthma risk was associated with high exposure to gases and fumes, mineral and biological dusts. In a 9-year follow-up study (ECRHS II), the aim was to study if welding at work increases the risk of asthma symptoms, wheeze and chronic bronchitis symptoms. The study also aimed to identify specific welding risk factors....

A recent $1 million award by an Illinois jury to a welder was the first plaintiff victory in a welding rod failure-to-warn suit and many similar cases are expected to follow. In the case of Elam v. AO Smith et. al., the jury concluded that the manganese in welding fumes caused a 65-year old worker to develop a neurological disorder similar to Parkinson’s disease (i.e., Manganism). Since there a...

This Research article is aimed at highlighting the importance of Welding Processes in marine applications. The recent developments in the manufacturing world have led to a revolutionary change in the design and development of various systems. Development in welding technology is one of such changes. Welding processes have been used extensively as a joining technique. This research article repre...

Welding fumes are classified as Group 2B 'possibly carcinogenic' and this prompts to the implementation of local exhaust ventilation (LEV). The fume extraction torch with LEV integrated into the tool is the most attractive solution but its capture efficiency is often disappointing in practice. This study assesses the main parameters affecting fume capture efficiency namely the extraction flow r...

BACKGROUND Numerous cross-sectional studies have reported reduced lung function among welders but limitations of exposure assessment and design preclude causal inference. The aim of this study was to investigate if long-term exposure to welding fume particulates accelerates the age-related decline in lung function. METHODS Lung function was measured by spirometry in 1987 and 2004 among 68 ste...

OBJECTIVES A cross sectional study of respiratory symptoms and lung function in welders was performed at eight New Zealand welding sites: 62 current welders and 75 non-welders participated. METHODS A questionnaire was administered to record demographic data, smoking habit, and current respiratory symptoms. Current and previous welding exposures were recorded to calculate a total lifetime weld...

The fibrogenic potential of 11 different welding fumes and metallic aerosols, considered to be reference standard surrogates for the commonly used welding technologies and applications responsible for 70% of welders exposure, is screened by using the rat peritoneal macrophage (RPM) in vitro bioassay. Only one class of fumes, that from the manual metal are welding of stainless steel, shows disti...

The cause of Parkinson disease (PD) remains unknown. Progress has been made on the genetic front with the identification of specific gene mutations (e.g., -synuclein) associated with familial Parkinson syndromes. Because of their clinical heterogeneity there remains debate as to whether these genetic syndromes are representative of what has been considered classical PD. The identification of mu...

Alveolar macrophages (AM) from bovine lungs were exposed in culture to manual metal are (MMA) welding fume particles, chromium (Cr), UICC chrysotile A or anatase for 17-20 hr. All the welding particle samples were more cytotoxic to AM than to anatase. Particles from the welding of mild steel with a rutile-coated electrode were less cytotoxic than those produced with a basic-coated electrode. Pa...

BACKGROUND Welding-associated air pollutants negatively affect the health of exposed workers; however, their molecular mechanisms in causing disease remain largely unclear. Few studies have systematically investigated the systemic toxic effects of welding fumes on humans. OBJECTIVES To explore the effects of welding fumes on the plasma metabolome, and to identify biomarkers for risk assessmen...