Occupational Exposure to Fumes and Gases during Different Arc Welding Processes

The fumes and gases releasing from welding processes may seriously affect welders’ health compared to other hazardous agents arising from welding like, noise, and ultraviolet radiation. The present study was aimed to measure the exposure levels of welders to fumes and gases at seven of arc welding processes in a melting company. This descriptive-cross sectional study was carried out on several types of arc welding including TIG, GMAW, PAW ،SAW, and MMAW in a melting industry. In order to measure the concentrations of welding fumes, NIOSH 7300 method was applied. Direct reading instruments were used for sampling of welding gases. The median concentration of all studied metals among different types of welding process were significantly different (P<0.02). The median concentration of some released gases among different types of welding process were not significantly different (P >0.05). The average exposure levels for metals of Cu (from TIG), Fe (from PAW and MMAW processes), Mn (from GMAW, MMAW processes), and Cr (from PAW and MMAW processes) were higher than Occupational Exposure Limit-Time Weighted Average. The finding showed that the nitrogen dioxide average concentrations and ozone gases were higher than the other gases. The welder’s exposure levels to toxic metals and gases in some stations exceeded from recommended levels; so, it is necessary to apply the appropriate preventive methods like engineering control measures to effectively protect welders’ health.