Construction and industrial workers face a wide range of hazards on site each and every day, even if a task is only a one-off occurrence. As such, they and their employers need to be well-versed in both personal safety and more general control measures in order to minimise risks. In this blog, we specifically focus on welding fumes and their toxicity; how toxic are welding fumes?; what conditions can they cause?; what precautions can be taken to maintain good health?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are welding fumes toxic? Welding fumes are very dangerous if inhaled; they are known to increase the risk of developing asthma, cancer and other respiratory conditions. As such COSHH regulations state that employers should do everything in their power to control fumes and minimise risks.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Read on to learn more about the dangers of welding fumes and what employers can do to minimise risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Welding fumes are very dangerous<\/a> if inhaled; both acute and chronic health risks are associated with welding fumes. As such, welders must take appropriate caution by controlling the risks associated. This applies to all welders (including specialist welders and those who only do some welding), no matter how infrequently they use welding tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Welding fumes are subject to Control of Substances Hazardous to Health<\/a> (COSHH) regulations which explain that the fumes produced during welding can cause an increased risk of asthmas and cancer, however, the amount of fumes produced depends on the welding process used. It is also dependent on the location (e.g. welding in a restricted area vs welding outdoors) and the metal being welded. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Uncontrolled welding fumes significantly increase the risk of welders developing respiratory conditions<\/a>, often asthma-related conditions and, in severe cases, cancer. Below are a number of other conditions that welders face an increased risk of developing if toxic fumes are not controlled with PPE<\/a>, RPE<\/a> and welding fume extraction<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s always recommended to wear RPE when welding, however experts estimate that, based on the typical respiratory rate of 20 litres of air per minute, welders could inhale up to 11g of welding fumes<\/a> per year before it becomes significantly harmful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That being said, others in the industry<\/a> advise that there is no known safe level of exposure<\/strong>; employers should do everything they can to minimise risks and ensure that appropriate welding fume extraction processes are in place to capture and dispose of toxic fumes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Welding fumes particles are less than 1 \u03bcm<\/a> (0.001mm) when produced, but increase in size slightly as they clump together – up to around 7 \u03bcm. These larger particles constitute the greatest health hazard due to their ability to penetrate deep into the lungs, however, particles within the welder\u2019s breathing zone are usually 2 \u03bcm or less. These are fairly small, light particles that remain in the air for some hours<\/strong> if not removed by extraction methods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Welding fume risks can be controlled<\/a> in a number of ways, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alongside suitable RPE and PPE, welding fume extraction is one of the most common ways of controlling welding fumes and minimising risks. There are a number of different welding fume extraction systems<\/a> available and the best solution for your business will largely depend on your sector and working environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For mobile welders, a mobile welding fume extractor is ideal. This machine captures fumes at the source, are easy to use and, crucially, easy to transport. Alternatively, if you don\u2019t anticipate moving the extractor around much, an extraction arm could be a good option. This machine provides the same benefits as a mobile welding fume extractor, but is fixed in place in a workshop. Or, why not consider a downdraught bench? These machines provide a fixed workstation for welders which draws fumes downwards via a perforated work surface. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another similar extractor is an air mover, or negative pressure unit<\/a>. Air movers are typically designed to BS 8520.2.2009 and can be used for a wide range of applications, including welding fumes. Units can be adapted with various filtration systems to suit specific requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thermac\u2019s development team have designed and manufactured a range of market-leading air movers\/negative pressure units<\/a> for use across a wide range of applications, including welding. As standard, our air movers are fitted with H14 HEPA filters, however, they can be adapted with various filtration options to suit your specific requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn more about our range of welding fume extraction systems online today or get in touch for more information.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Construction and industrial workers face a wide range of hazards on site each and every day, even if a task is only a one-off occurrence. As such, they and their employers need to be well-versed in both personal safety and … Continue reading Are Welding Fumes Toxic?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":299,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thermac.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thermac.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thermac.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thermac.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thermac.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=298"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thermac.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":300,"href":"https:\/\/www.thermac.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298\/revisions\/300"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thermac.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thermac.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thermac.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thermac.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Are Welding Fumes Dangerous?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Conditions that Welding Fumes Can Cause<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Acute Respiratory Health Effects<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Chronic Respiratory Health Effects<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Other Health Effects<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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How Many Welding Fumes Can You Breathe in Before it Becomes Harmful?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How Long Do Welding Fumes Last?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How Do You Stop Inhaling Welding Fumes?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Welding Fume Extraction<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Welding Fume Extraction at Thermac<\/h2>\n\n\n\n