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Safety and HealthFact Sheet No. 1 October 2014 2014 American Welding Society

Fumes and Gases

American Welding Society8669 Doral Blvd.Doral, Florida 33166E-mail: [email protected]://www.aws.org

Fact Sheet No. 1 10/14

AWS disclaims liability for any injury to persons or to property, or other damages of any naturewhatsoever, whether special, indirect, consequential or compensatory, directly or indirectlyresulting from the publication, use of, or reliance on this information. AWS also makes noguaranty or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein.

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INTRODUCTION

Many welding, cutting, and alliedprocesses produce fumes and gases,which may be harmful to your health.

Fumes are solid particles whichoriginate from welding consumables,

the base metal, and any coatingspresent on the base metal.

In addition to shielding gases that maybe used, gases are produced during thewelding process or may be produced bythe effects of process radiation on thesurrounding environment.

Acquaint yourself with the effects ofthese fumes and gases by reading the

Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) for allmaterials used (consumables, basemetals, coatings, and cleaners).

For help, consult a recognizedspecialist in Industrial Hygiene orEnvironmental Services.

The amount and composition of thesefumes and gases depend upon thecomposition of the filler metal and basematerial, welding process, current level,arc length, and other factors.

POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF OVER-

EXPOSURE

Depending on the material involved, theeffects range from irritation of eyes,skin, and respiratory system to moresevere complications.

Effects may occur immediately or atsome later time.

Fumes can cause symptoms such asnausea, headaches, dizziness, andmetal fume fever.

The possibility of more serious healtheffects exists when highly toxicmaterials are involved. For example,manganese overexposure can affectthe central nervous system resulting inimpaired speech and movement.

In confined spaces the gases mightdisplace breathing air and causeasphyxiation.

HOW TO AVOID OVEREXPOSURE

Keep your head out of the fumes.

Do not breathe the fumes.

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Use enough ventilation or exhaust atthe arc, or both, to keep fumes andgases from your breathing zone andgeneral area.

In some cases, natural air movementprovides enough ventilation and freshair

Where ventilation is questionable, useair sampling to determine the need forcorrective measures.

Use mechanical ventilation to improveair quality.

If engineering controls are not feasible,use an approved respirator.

Whenever the following materials areidentified as other than traceconstituents in welding, brazing, orcutting operations, and unlessbreathing zone sampling under themost adverse conditions hasestablished that the level of hazardousconstituents is below the allowable

limits specified by the authority havingjurisdiction, special ventilationprecautions shall be taken: Antimony,

Arsenic, Barium, Beryllium, Cadmium,Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Lead,Manganese, Mercury, Nickel, Ozone,Selenium, Silver, Vanadium. Seesection 5.5, Special VentilationConcerns, ANSI Z49.1, Safety inWelding, Cutting, and Allied Processes.

Work in a confined space only if it iswell ventilated, or while wearing an air-supplied respirator. Fumes fromWelding or cutting and oxygendepletion can alter air quality causing

injury or death. Be sure the breathingair is safe.

Follow OSHA guidelines for permissibleexposure limits (PELs) for various

fumes.

Follow the American Conference ofGovernmental Industrial Hygienistsrecommendations for threshold limitvalues (TLVs) for fumes and gases.

Have a recognized specialist inIndustrial Hygiene or EnvironmentalServices check the operation and airquality and make recommendations for

the specific welding or cutting situation.

INFORMATION SOURCES

Occupational Safety and HealthAdministration (OSHA). Code of FederalRegulations, Title 29 Labor, Parts 1910.1to 1910.1450, available from the U.S.Government Printing Office, 732 NorthCapital Street NW, Washington, DC 20401(telephone: 800-321-6742; Web site:

www.osha.gov).

American Conference of GovernmentalIndustrial Hygienists (ACGIH). ThresholdLimit Values for Chemical Substances andPhysical Agents and Biological ExposureIndices, available from ACGIH, 1330Kemper Meadow Drive, Cincinnati, OH45240-1634 (telephone: 513-742-2020;Web site: www.acgih.org).

American Welding Society (AWS). Fumesand Gases in the Welding Environmentand other welding related safety and healthpublications, published by the AmericanWelding Society, 8669 Doral Blvd., Doral,

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FL 33166; telephone 800-443-9353; Website: www.aws.org.

Mine Safety and Health Administration

(MSHA). Code of Federal Regulations,Title 30 Mineral Resources, Parts 1 to 199,available from the U.S. GovernmentPrinting Office, 732 North Capitol StreetNW, Washington, DC 20401; telephone:202-693-9400; Web site: www.msha.gov.

American National Standards Institute(ANSI). Safety in Welding, Cutting, and

Allied Processes (ANSI Z49.1), publishedby the American Welding Society, 8669

Doral Blvd., Doral, FL 33166; telephone800-443-9353; Web site: www.aws.org.

For specific information, refer to theapplicable Safety Data Sheet (SDS)available from the manufacturer,distributor, or supplier.

TLV is a registered trademark of the ACGIH.

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