What Makes Welding Fumes So Toxic?

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What Makes Welding Fumes So Toxic? Welding fume
is among the greatest risks that welders face, as
it poses lots of health issues, even as
dangerous as cancer! The WHOs International
Agency for Research on Cancer classified it as
carcinogenic to humans, underlining that welding
fume protection deserves utmost attention.
What harmful components are contained in welding
fume? Welding fumes are a mixture of gases and
particles that are generated during welding the
most harmful ones being iron oxide, titanium
oxide, magnesium oxide, aluminium oxide,
fluorides, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide,
copper oxide, lead oxide, nickel oxide, and
beryllium oxide. Iron oxide, titanium oxide,
magnesium oxide, and aluminium oxide are harmful
to the lungs and respiratory tract. And, others
like carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, copper
oxide, lead oxide, and fluorides are highly
toxic in nature. How do these harmful components
prove fatal? All the harmful particles in the
welding fumes are absolutely small in size, which
allows them to penetrate deep into the lungs.
This slow deposit goes unnoticed in the
beginning, but as time passes, health problems
become apparent over the years. Or, it may even
take decades for the symptoms to show up, but by
the time, the issue becomes quite treacherous.
The symptoms can begin as mild headache, nausea,
and fever, but they slowly develop into much
dangerous ones over time as the welders are
exposed to high concentrations of welding fume
particles over a longer span of time. Unprotected
long exposure to these
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harmful substances can cause chronic respiratory
tract infections, lung diseases, nervous system
damage, and even cancer of various body
parts! What factors influence these harmful
substances? Several factors influence the volume
of hazardous substances present in welding
fumes, which include the main material, filler
metals in the rod and wire electrode, and the
shielding gas. The welding method used and the
processes involved also have a significant
influence on the harmful substances in the
welding fumes. For instance, manual arc welding
and MIG/MAG welding processes generate more
fumes than TIG welding. And, the lowest health
risk is associated with automated welding
processes that are carried out in suitably
equipped welding cells by robots. How can welding
fume danger be controlled? Anti-glare helmets are
the basic thing every welder must possess.
Further, employing the Cold Metal Transfer
process can also reduce the risk posed by
welding fumes, as this welding process is
characterized by very low heat input and low
amounts of welding spatter thus reduced welding
fumes. Another most significant way to reduce
health-related risks is by installing a welding
fume extractor within the welding premises. What
is a welding fume extractor? A welding fume
extractor is a filtration system that captures
and controls the harmful particles in the
welding fume, eliminating them, and bringing in
clean air into the premises for the workers to
breathe in. For instance, Powertech Pollution
Controls Fumekiller is a high-efficiency
two-stage electrostatic precipitator that is
designed and developed for the capture and
control of fumes, mist, smoke, and fine dust.
The equipment contains an electrostatic filter
that sucks in the particles in the welding fume,
which first enter the pre-filter where large
particles are removed, after which the small
particles are pushed in the electrostatic
module. Here, these particles receive a high
positive charge between a series of parallel
aluminium plates, after which theyre made to
pass through another series of plates that are
negatively charged. Hence, these positively
charged particles get attracted to the negatively
charged plates, and stick to them, while being
adhered even after the filter is turned off. The
clean air is then set out through the outlet
into the premises. This particular welding fume
extractor can be used in a wide range of
applications including welding,
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induction hardening, oil quenching, wire drawing,
annealing, dip tinning, soldering, rubber
curing, die casting, and many others. For more
information, visit https//www.powertechpollution
controls.com/