Chromium in fumes generated in work environments including sites of welding work appears in various and complex states. Determination of chromium speciation in samples is useful for estimating the toxicity of such fumes. In the present study, determination of chromium speciation in chromium fumes prepared using a plasma metal sprayer, which are regarded as a model of actual fumes, was carried o...

To investigate the disease process of pneumoconiosis induced by welding-fume exposure, a lung fibrosis model was established by building a stainless steel arc welding fume generation system and exposing male Sprague-Dawley rats for 90 days. The rats were exposed to welding fumes with concentrations of 57-67 mg/m3 (low dose) and 105-118 mg/m3 (high dose) total suspended particulates for 2 h per ...

BACKGROUND The prevalence of welding related respiratory symptoms coexisting with welding related systemic symptoms in welders is unknown. AIMS To determine in a sample of welders the prevalence of coexisting welding related systemic symptoms indicative of metal fume fever (MFF) and welding related respiratory symptoms suggestive of occupational asthma (OA), and the strength and significance ...

OBJECTIVE The nervous system is the major target of the toxic effect of manganese (Mn) and its compounds in welding fumes. In humans, inhalation is the most frequent route of Mn access, therefore, the respiratory tract and lungs are usually involved in the process of translocation of inhaled noxius agent by blood to the brain. This study was performed to assess whether it is possible to use neu...

OBJECTIVES Occupational exposure to particulate air pollution has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, the risk to welders working today remains unclear. We aimed to elucidate the cardiovascular effects of exposure to welding fumes. METHODS In a cross-sectional study, structured interviews and biological sampling were conducted for 101 welders and 127 con...

BACKGROUND Particle exposure is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a primary target for oxidative stress generated by particle exposure. We aimed to elucidate the effects of occupational exposure to particle-containing welding fumes on different biomarkers of mtDNA function, and in turn, explore if they modify the association between particle exposure and ca...

FSW is a solid phase welding, invented by W. Thomas and his colleagues at The Welding Institute (TWI), UK, in 1991. It is proven that FSW is completely user friendly, non hazardous and produces no effluents. From the advent of the modern Welding technology, most of all the techniques that were developed produced fumes and gases that were hazardous to the welders and the environment. Protective ...

Welding fume particles are hazardous. Their toxicity likely depends on their composition and reactivity. This study aimed at exploring the role of sodium or other fluorides (NaF), which intentionally added to flux-cored wire electrodes for stainless steel welding, solubility (in phosphate buffered saline) generated welding particles. A multi-analytical particle characterization approach along w...

The objective of this laboratory study was to identify and measure manganese (Mn) fractions in chamber-generated welding fumes (WF) and to evaluate and compare the results from a sequential extraction procedure for Mn fractions with that of an acid digestion procedure for measurement of total, elemental Mn. To prepare Mn-containing particulate matter from representative welding processes, a wel...

Although the incidence of pneumoconiosis has been decreasing in Japan, welders’ health hazards due to welding fume inhalation are still serious, because effective engineering methods for controlling fumes are technically difficult to implement in many welding shops. In the 6th notification of general prevention of dust hazards issued by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (2003–2...