A recent study by the Institute for Occupational and Social Medicine in Germany has found that only a small amount of exposure to welding fumes can affect lung functionality.
In this study, the effect of short-term exposure to welding fumes emitted by different welding techniques on workers was investigated.
During the three-fold crossover study, six welders reportedly used three different welding techniques for three hours.
Before and after welding, blood and urine samples were collected to perform biomonitoring of metals. Breath condensate was also collected to assess inflammatory reactions, and lung function measurements were performed.
According to the study, welding led to a significant increase of chromium and nickel in blood and urine and of nitrate and nitrite in exhaled breath condensate.
These increases were reportedly higher for manual metal arc welding with alloyed material (MAW-a). Several lung function parameters decreased after welding, and this decrease was significantly higher after MAW-a.