Exposure to different types of welding fumes may result in different health effects. If a welder inhales gases, fumes and vapours in large quantities over long periods, this may have a negative effect on his health.
Health risks when inhaling welding fumes:
|Possible immediate effects||Possible long-term effects|
|Welding fume (general)||Hoarseness, sore throat, eye irritation, metal fever||Bronchitis, reprotoxic, carcinogenic|
Chromium (in welding fume in case of -among other things- stainless steel welding)
Nickel (in welding fume in case of -among other things- stainless steel welding)
|Aluminium||Irritation of respiratory organs, metal fever|
|Manganese||Pneumonia||Damage to central nervous system|
|Magnesium||Irritation of respiratory organs, metal fever|
|Lead||Changes of blood and kidneys Reprotoxic|
|Gases||Possible immediate effects||Possible long-term effects|
|Nitrogen oxide||Irritation of bronchial tubes and eyes, pulmonary oedema||Bronchitis|
|Carbon monoxide||Difficulty in breathing, unconsciousness||Reprotoxic|
|Ozone||Irritation of bronchial tubes and eyes, pulmonary oedema|
There are international standards for the preferred order in which welding fumes must be captured.
Source: Keep welding fumes out of your body (2002)