1、Effects of Welding on Health VI1 American Welding Society AWS EWH-7 87 m 0784265 0005244 7 m Keywords - Welding, health, cancer, disease, exposure, fumes, gases, literature review, noise, radiation, toxicology Effects of Welding on Health - VI1 Research performed by Biomedical Toxicology Associates,
2、 Rockville, Maryland, under contract with the American Welding Society and supported by industry contributions. An updated (January 1986-December 1987) literature survey and evaluation of the data recorded since the publication of the first report (1979). This serles of reports is intended to aid in
3、 the understanding of the health effects of welding. Performed by: e Winified Palmer July 1989 Abstract This literature review, with 194 citations, was prepared under contract to the American Welding Society for its Safety and Health Committee. The review deals with studies of the fumes, gases, radi
4、ation, and noise generated during various arc welding processes. Section 1 summarizes recent studies of the occupational exposures, while Section 2 contains information related to the human health effects of exposure to byprod- ucts of welding operations. Section 3 discusses studies of the effects o
5、f welding emissions on aboratory animals and in vitro cell systems. Referenced materials are available from Biomedical Toxicology Associates. Prepared for Safety and Health Committee American Welding Society 550 N. W. LeJeune Road, P.O. Box 351040 Miami, Florida 33 135 AWS EWH-7 87 m 0784265 0005245
6、 O W w International Standard Book Number: 0-87 17 1-344-6 American Welding Society, 550 N.W. LeJeune Road, P.O. Box 351040, Miami, Florida, 33135 O 1990 by American Welding Society. All ri.ghts reserved Printed in the United States of America Y This report is published as a service and convenience
7、to the welding industry and is the product of an inde- pendent contractor (Biomedical Associates) which is solely responsible for its contents. The materials in this report have not been independently reviewed or verified and are offered only as information. AWS assumes no responsibility for any cla
8、ims that may arise from the use of this information. Users should make indepen- dent investigations to determine the applicability of this information for their purposes. m Personnel AWS Safety and Health Commitfee K. L. Brown, Chairman K. A. Lyttle, 1st Vice Chairman R. J. Simonton, 2nd Vice Chairm
9、an M. E. Kennebeck, Jr., Secretary O. J. Fisher* J. F. Hinrichs D. G. Howden FK S. Howes A. F. Manz M. T Neu G. R. Spies, Jr.* M. J. Vasquez iii The Lincoln Electric Company Union Carbide Corporation INCO Alloy International, Incorporated American Welding Society Consultant A. O. Smith Corporation O
10、hio State University National Electrical Manufacturers Association A. F. Manz Associates Caterpillar Tractor Company Consult ant General Motors Corporation * Advisor AWS EWH-7 87 W 07842b5 O005247 4 W Foreword (This Foreword is not a part of Effects of Weldingon Health F/II , but is included for inf
11、ormational purposes only.) This literature review was prepared for the Safety and Health Committee of the American Welding Society to provide an assessment of current information concerning the effects of welding on health, as well as to aid in the formulation and design of research projects in this
12、 area, as part of an ongoing program sponsored by the Committee. Previous work consists of the reports Effects of Welding on Health (I through VI) each covering approximately 18 months to two years. Conclusions based on this review and recommendations for further research are presented in the introd
13、uctory portions of the report, Referenced materials are available from Biomedical Toxicology Associates. iv a Comparative Listing - Welding Processes Explanatory Note: Terms used in the technical literature sometimes do not correspond to those recom- mended by AWS in its publication ANSIIAWS A3.0, S
14、tandard Welding Terms and Definitions. Accordingly, the following list may aid the reader in identifying the process in use. EWH - VI1 Gas or Flame Cutting Gas Welding MAG MIG, GMA MMA, SMA TIG Wire Preferred AWS Term (OC) Oxygen Cutting (OFW Oxyfuel Gas Welding (GMAW) (GMAW) Gas Metal Arc Welding (
15、SMAW) Shielded Metal Arc Welding (GTAW) Gas Tungsten Arc Welding or (OFC) Oxyfuel Gas Cutting or (OAW) Oxyacetylene Welding - (with specified shielding gas) Electrode V AWS EWH-7 9 W 07842b5 O005249 W , Acknowledgments Funds for this project were provided by the American Welding Society. The America
16、n Welding Society gratefully acknowledges the.financia1 support of the program by industry contributions. Supporting Organizations Air Products and Chemicals, Incorporated Airco Welding Products Allis-Chalmers Alloy Rods Division, The Chemetron Corporation AWS Detroit Section AWS New Orleans Section
17、 Arcos Corporation The Binkley Company Caterpillar Tractor Company Chicago Bridge and Iron Company Grove Manufacturing Company, Division of Kidde, Incorporated General Electric Company The Heil Company Hobart Brothers Company INCO Alloys International Lincoln Electric Company Miller Electric Manufac
18、turing Company National-Standard Company A.O. Smith Corporation Teledyne-McKay, Incorporated Trinity Industries, Incorporated Tmck Trailer Manufacturers Association Walker Stainless Equipment Company Weld Tooling Corporation Many other organizations have also made contributions to support the ongoin
19、g program from May 1979 to the present. vi AWS EWH-7 87 W 0784265 0005250 4 . Table of Contents Page No . Personnel . Foreword . ComparativeListing . Acknowledgments . ListofTables . LstofFigures . Introduction . ExecutveSummary . TechnicalSummary . Conclusions . Section One . The Exposure 1 . Fumes
20、 1.1 Effects of Electrode Composition 1.2 Chromium . 1.3 Nickel . 1.4 AnalyticalMethods . 1.6 Particles . 1.5 Analysis of Metals in Biological Tissue 2 . Ozone 3 . Electromagnetic Radiation 4 . Production Coatings . 5 . Noise . 6 . Hygiene and Work Practices . 6.1 Accidents 6.2 Clothing . 6.3 Protec
21、tiveGear., 6.4 Training . Section Two . Effects of Welding on Human Health 7 . Respiratory Tract 7.1 Alveolar Macrophages . 7.2 Estimation of Retained Particles in the Lungs 7.3 Pulmonary Function and Bronchitis 7.4 Acute Respiratory Tract Disease - Case Report 7.5 Production Coatings iii iv vi ix i
22、x 1 3 5 12 V 15 16 16 16 16 17 17 19 19 20 20 21 21 23 23 24 24 24 25 26 29 30 vii AWS EWH-7 7 m 07842b5 0005251 b m 8 . Cncer 8.1 Epidemiologic Studies . 8.2 Metal Carcinogens . 8.3 Screening for Cancer 9 . MetalFumeFever . 10 . Effects on the Ear and Hearing . 11 . Effects on the Eye and Vision .
23、12 . Effects on the Nervous System 13 . Effectson theskin . 14 . Sensitivity to Fume Components 15 . Effects n the Musculoskeletal System 16 . Effects on the Urogenital nact 17 . Effects on the Teeth and Oral Cavity . 18 . Effects on the Voice 19 . Biological Monitoring 19.1 Aluminum 19.2 Manganese
24、. 19.3 Chromium . 19.4 Analytical Methods . Section Three . Investigations in Animals and Cell Cultures 20.AnimalStudies . 20.1 Inflammation and Fibrosis . 20.2 Clearance 20.3 Toxicity 20.4 Allergic Sensitivity . 20.5 BiochemicalStudies 20.6 Barium 21 . In Vitro Studies . 21.1 Bacterial Assays . 2 1
25、.2 Mammalian Cell Studies . 21.3 Hyperbaric Pressure Refrences 30 30 33 34 34 35 35 37 37 37 38 38 39 40 40 40 40 40 41 41 41 42 44 45 45 45 46 46 46 48 49 viii List of Tables Page No. 18 20 GMAW, or both, of Stainless Steel . 42 43 Table 1 - Morphology and Chemistry of the Major Particle Population
26、s in Welding Fumes. 2 - Permissible Exposure for UV Light From Diverse Welding Processes ; . 3 - Chromium Concentrations in Erythrocytes, Plasma and Urine of Welders Using SMAW or 4 - Toxicity of Welding Fumes in Rats List of Figures Figure Page No. 1 - Ozone Concentratlari ani Arcing Time During GM
27、AW of Alumdurn . 17 2 - The A-weighted Sound Pressure Measured With a Stationary Microphone and Transient Recorder . 22 3 - Effect of Laundering on the UV Transmission Through Fabrics used in Work Clothing . , , . , . 23 4 - Alveolar Macrophage (AM) Counts in 9 Nonsmoking and 11 Smoking Welders at a
28、 Ship- Buildingyard . 25 5 - Amounts of Iron, Chromium and Nickel in Rat Lungs after Intratracheal Instillation of Activated Fumes Generated by SMAW and GMAW of Stainless Steel 44 6 - Effects of Fumes Generated by SMAW of Stainless Steel 47 ix AWS EWH-7 87 0784265 0005253 T _ Introduction The health
29、 of workers in the welding environment is a major concern of the American Welding Society. To stay abreast of this subject, the health literature is periodically reviewed and published in the report Effects of Welding on Health. Six volumes have been published to date; the first covered data publish
30、ed before 1978, while the latter five covered time periods between 1978 and December 1985. The current report includes information published between January 1986 and December 1987. It should be read in conjunction with the previous volumes for a comprehensive treatment of the literature on the Effec
31、ts of Welding on Health. Included in this volume are studies of the characteristics of welding emissions that may have an impact on control technologies necessary to protect the welder (Section i). In keeping with previous volumes, the health studies are organized according to the affected organ sys
32、tem. The respiratory tract, the primary route of exposure to welding emissions, is also a major target organ of many components of these emissions. Acute (e.g., metal fume fever, cadmium poisoning) as well as potential chronic respiratory effects (e.g.,emphysema, cancer) of welding emissions are of
33、concern. However, chronic effects are not as well defined or understood, and the risk of cancer from these exposures has not been clearly established. Continued research in the form of epidemiologic studies, investigations with laboratory animals, and in vitro geootoxicity studies will help to resol
34、ve this question. 1 Executive Summary The Respiratory Tract Much of the recent research performed on the health effects of welding involved the respiratory tract. Of major concern was whether exposure to welding emissions induces conditions such as re- duction in pulmonary function, bronchitis, and
35、emphysema. Essential to this question is whether pulmonary impairments are associated with expo- sure to specific component(s) of welding emissions and the identification of welding electrodes that produce less hazardous emissions. Rounded opacities or shadows are frequently ob- served in chest X-ra
36、ys of welders. These opacities represent deposits of fume particles in the respira- tory tract and are not usually associated with loss of pulmonary function. Larger and coalescent shadows reflect fibrotic processes and do not usu- ally result from welding exposures. X-ray shadows often regress afte
37、r welding exposure ceases. Arecent study by Desmeules and Tardif indicated that the continued progression of X-ray opacities after weld- ing exposures ceased is associated with exposure to lung irritants from sources other than welding (Ref. 33). Some investigators have reported that a mild re- duct
38、ion in pulmonary function accompanies the appearance of nodular shadows in X-rays. How- ever, there are reports to the contrary and other in- vestigators consider pneumoconiosis in welders to be a benign condition. The literature shows many disparities among the results of lung function tests in wel
39、ders. During this report period, deficits in pulmonary function among welders were reported in two studies, while two others found no correla- tion between welding exposures and abnormalities in pulmonary function. These disparities may result from the use of tests that measure the function of those
40、 parts of the respiratory tract least likely to be affected by welding fumes. Other disparities arise from studies of heterogeneous populations. The quantities and chemical characteristics of gaseous and particulate components of welding emissions vary widely with the welding method. Since the ef- f
41、ects on the respiratory tract can be expected to vary as well, it is important to correlate observed effects on the respiratory tract with the welding method used. Cancer Thirteen new cancer .epidemiology studies were conducted which included welders among the study populations. In most of these, th
42、e inclusion of weld- ers was incidental and little information could be obtained about the duration of exposure, type of welding process used, or possible important non- welding exposures. Only one study specifically ex- amined a cohort of welders; no excess cancer of any type was found among the 30
43、00 welders examined (Ref. 25). Of the eight studies which evaluated lung cancer rates, four found a significant association be- tween welding and lung cancer. In three of these, exposures to carcinogens from nonwelding pro- cesses could not be ruled out (Refs. 90, 152, 158, 161, and 162). An elevate
44、d risk for leukemia was noted in a ship- yard study performed by F. B. Stern (Ref. 169). In contrast, R. M. Stern found no association between welding exposures and leukemia in his analysis of 15 epidemiologic studies which considered the inci- dence of leukemia in welders (Ref. 170). Similarly, an
45、elevated risk for brain tumors was found by Mc- Laughlin in a population-based study in Sweden (Ref. 97), but no brain tumors were identified in a death- certificate study by Thomas in the U.S. (Ref. 175), or in a case-control study conducted by Olin in Sweden (Ref. 123). Isolated studies reported e
46、le- vated risks for cancer of the kidney (Refs. 158 and 161), gastrointestinal tract (Ref. 141), nasal sinus (Ref. 52), and pancreas (Ref. 109). 3 AWS EWH-7 87 = 07842b5 0005255 3 4 A major argument supporting the probability of an increased cancer risk in some welders is the pres- ence of nickel an
47、d hexavalent chromium in fumes from some welding processes. The mechanism of action of metal carcinogens remains unknown and is an important area for further research. Epidemio- logic studies differ widely in their conclusions con- cerning the cancer risk of welders. Most of the 13 cancer epidemiolo
48、gy studies reviewed in this vol- ume of Effects of Welding on Health were of general populations, making it difficult to rule out non- welding exposures. More carefully controlled stud- ies of welding populations are critically needed to help understand the risk of cancer in welders. Stud- ies of la
49、rge populations of welders, in which expo- sures to specific welding processes can be carefully delineated are necessary to provide a much needed answer to the question of whether exposures to spe- cific fumes account for the elevated cancer risk ob- served among some welding populations. Effects on the Urogenital Tract With the exception of cadmium-induced kidney damage, kidney disease is not generally associated with welding. This was confirmed by two epidemio- logic studies which found no relationship between welding and the incidence of chronic kidney disease (Refs. 51 and
