A recent lawsuit in Ohio, in which a welder charged that toxic fumes released from welding rods caused him to develop permanent tremors similar to Parkinson’s disease, has focused attention on the issue of welding fumes.

The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) recently lowered the maximum Threshold Limit Value (TLV) for Mg to 0.02 mg/cubic meter. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is considering lowering the TLV for several fumes and gases, as well as making manufactures meet other requirements regarding the reporting of fumes and gases.

ESAB has always been willing to supply fume generation and analysis information to our customers. Unfortunately, that information is not an accurate depiction of the level of fume to which the welders will be exposed. That number is ultimately discovered at the customers’ location by doing an air quality test, in which several welders wear a monitor through the course of an eight-hour workday. The data will vary from welder to welder depending on air movement, ceiling height, proximity of the welder’s breathing zone to the plume, and the size of the area where the welding is being done. Other variables include shielding gas type, material type and surface condition.

The customer can protect welders from fume exposure in several ways. First, any welding operation should include adequate ventilation to remove fumes quickly from the work area. Second, a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) should be on file for all materials used. This allows the welder to understand and take steps to protect against possible hazards. ESAB provides easy online access to this information, and you can sign up to receive notification of any updates to the sheets.

ESAB offers a variety of low fuming wires, including Dual Shield 7100 Ultra, Dual Shield II 70 Ultra, Dual Shield II 71 Ultra and Dual Shield 70 Ultra Plus in the cored wires and Coreweld Ultra metal-cored wire. Ultimately, the lowest fume generation is achieved using a solid wire and pulse equipment, though this may not always be the preferred option, for example, in applications on rusty or mill-scaled plate. In these cases, we can offer solutions to our customers’ needs while providing valuable information regarding this issue.