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Together towards the best finish.
Together towards the best finish.
The harmful effects of welding fumes are only visible in the long term. Find out what you can do yourself to ensure a safe working environment!
Of course, as a welder, you know that you have to protect yourself during the welding process. Many people then immediately think of the welding helmet as protection for your eyes. Important, because during the welding process your eyes are indeed at risk. You can read more about these dangers and the symptoms here.
Welding smoke is more than just smoke. It is a collective term for the gases released during welding, mixed with very fine dust particles from the weld pool. The use of additive materials such as wire and electrodes also determine the composition of the welding fumes. Finally, welding fumes often contain particles of paint, primer, greases and oils found on workpieces.
According to many occupational exposure limit regulations, annual inhalation of 11 grams of zinc oxide is legally permissible. To illustrate, this is a tube containing a total of 11 grams of welding fume particles.
What about
Within the occupational exposure limit of 5 mg/m3 for zinc oxide, it is possible for someone working full-time as a welder to inhale up to 11 grams of zinc per year.1
How does the body respond to it?
Welding smoke becomes dangerous the moment it is inhaled and enters the throat and lungs. Some effects are immediately noticeable, such as throat and respiratory symptoms. Metal fume fever and irritated eyes are also immediately noticeable effects of welding fumes. In the long run, serious lung diseases such as bronchitis can result. Long-term exposure to welding fumes increases the risk of lung cancer. Especially the welding consumables such as electrode, welding wire, shielding gas or welding powder determine the composition of the welding fume mixture.
Especially for welding
work on stainless steel there is a chance that the carcinogenic Chromium-VI will be formed.
In addition to particles, gases naturally occur in welding fumes. These can be added during the welding process as (shielding) gases (argon, helium, nitrogen dioxide, carbon dioxide) or created during the welding process (ozone, under the influence of UV light).
Learn more about the dangers of welding fumes and what effects long-term exposure can have on your health.
DownloadLearn more about the dangers of welding fumes and what effects long-term exposure can have on your health.
DownloadWelding fumes can be dangerous in any situation. But there is certainly a distinction to be made in the circumstances and therefore in the risks for the welder. The protection to be chosen therefore also depends on the situation and will have to be tailored to each individual situation. Point by point we give a few factors that influence the degree of protection:
3M has developed a handy tool to help you make the right choice of eye, face and respiratory protection while welding. You will also find a guide to a risk assessment on this page. Go to the 3M page
This page also contains a lot of information for choosing the right protection.
The 5x Better Foundation provides a nice roadmap to arrive at the optimal protection for your specific situation.
Please note, use these tools only as an indicator. If in doubt, because your situation is not exactly standard or you just want sound advice, call 033-4558788 for a no-obligation appointment.
We also provide toolboxes on workplace safety. Learn more on our Toolbox Velighied, your health is worth it!
