TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Welding Fume Losses
Definition of welding and welding smoke
Source; is a process that combines two materials by adding filler material to form a strong bond when the pieces are melted and cooled. More specifically, the arc source maintains an electric arc between the electrode and the material to melt at the welding point. There are more than 80 different resource types. Some of the most commonly used are watertight, gas metal arc welding (GMAW) or MIG welding and gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) or TIG welding, plasma arc welding and submerged arc welding (SAW). Each welding method is dangerous, being more harmful than others due to many reasons. An important reason is that particles and gases have negative effects after inhalation. The main source of these particles is soot or welding smoke.
Smoke can be defined as the suspension of solid particles in a gas. the definition of "source fume" is used to describe "the metal or metal oxide particles in the air". This is a phenomenon that occurs when the metal is heated and rises rapidly during welding. A portion of the metal is evaporated at extreme temperatures, then rapidly cools and condenses into submicron particles in the air stream. Another important concentration of source particles in the air stream is the method known as source microscopy. These are small liquid droplets that can be suspended in the air.
Welding smoke hazards
There are many dangerous substances in the source smoke. It is a respiratory harmful element in many small metal species including chromium, arsenic, asbestos, manganese, silica, beryllium, cadmium, cobalt, copper, lead and zinc and contains extremely toxic substances such as welding fumes.
Smoke containing manganese is one of the greatest risks encountered in welding smoke. Metalin breathing can cause serious damage to the brain and nervous system. Manganese fumes can cause Parkinson's disease, a disease that affects movement and balance and causes disability. It also causes "manganism", which is closely related to Parkinson, which makes it difficult for the patient to perform normal physical movements.
It can also be found in iron-oxide welding fumes, which cause serious damage to the respiratory system. There is also cadmium which is used for metal plating and causes lung disease, emphysema and kidney failure. Other harmful substances include lead oxide and asbestos.
Exposure to boiling water can cause a variety of health hazards that damage the lungs, heart, kidneys and nervous system. These health effects can be both short and long term. Some of the short-term and long-term health effects of welding fumes are shown in the following explanations.
Short-term health effects
Exposure to metal fumes can lead to metal fumes. The onset of symptoms occurs 4-12 hours after exposure and causes tremors, thirst, fever, muscle aches, chest pain, coughing, wheezing, tiredness and nausea.
Welding fumes may irritate eyes, nose, chest and respiratory tract. Coughing, wheezing, bronchitis, pulmonary edema and pneumonia may result. Gastrointestinal effects are also known to occur.
Some components of source fumes such as cadmium can be deadly in a short time. In addition, nitrogen oxides and some gases that are lethal to high levels such as ozone can form during welding. Phosgene is another known fatal gas.
Long-term health effects
Welders are confronted with an increased risk of lung cancer, larynx and urinary tract cancer.
Some of the chronic respiratory problems include bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia, emphysema, pneumoconiosis, reduced lung capacity, silicosis and siderosis.
Other problems with the source include heart disease, skin diseases, gastritis, gastroduodenitis, kidney damage and ulcers.
Fertilizer problems (delayed contraception and increased abortions) have been discovered among welders, especially stainless steel workers.
The only toxic substance that can be generated from the source is metal particles. It is often coated with base metals, paint or coating. These coatings can evaporate and contain highly toxic chemicals that can be inhaled. Other fumes and gases may come from the electrochemical fluids, shielding gases, various cleaning agents and solvents. All of these should be recognized and audited. Some of these gases are vapors and therefore can not be filtered by a particulate filter.
The authors discuss the concentration of submicron particles and the deleterious effects on human operators, as reported by Welding Research, October 2005, "Gas Metal and Flow Refilled Arc Welding Fume Particle Size Distribution." They explain that small particles of 20 microns can remain in the air. However, those that are only 1 micron in size are really dangerous; these particles are trapped in the walls of the respiratory tract before being delivered to the lungs.
"They can be transported by the mucus layer in the respiratory tract ..."
Approximately 30% of the particles (0.1 to 1 micron) of the flour reach the lungs at the end.
Attention to the danger that the accumulation of particles in the lung will lead to the death of the respirable part of the particles. In the MIG source, 75% of the particles are smaller than 0.4 microns and less than 90% of all particles are smaller than 0.7 microns. According to the obtained blood, most of the source smoke is breathable.
Reducing Hazards
Given that the vast majority of micro-particles in the airflow are below 0.4 microns, a ventilation unit capable of filtering up to this level is required. When choosing a sufficient ventilation system, do not forget to collect enough information about the filter performance. There are a few filters claiming to have 99% efficiency in the market, but the efficiency of these filters fails to explain what size particles will reach them. With 99% efficiency at 1 micron and 99% efficiency at 3 micron does not mean the same thing at 0.3 microns is not even comparable to 90% efficiency.
Remember, the inhalation of smaller particles is easier and must be filtered to minimize the likelihood of health problems.