Alterations in Welding Process Parameters Change Particle Characteristics and Influence Lung Responses

Details

• Personal Author:
  Antonini JM ; Chapman RS ; Chen BT ; Cumpston JL ; Frazer DG ; Keane M ; Leonard K ; Moseley A ; Roberts, Jennifer R. ; Schwegler-Berry D ; Sriram K ; Stone S
• Description:
  Rationale: Arc welding processes generate complex aerosols of fine and ultrafine particulates that may be composed of hazardous metals, such as Mn, Cr, and Ni. The goal of the project was to determine if alterations in process parameters change the physical and chemical properties of generated welding fume (WF) and thus influence lung responses. Methods: Stainless steel WF was generated during spray welding at a standard voltage setting of 25V or at a higher voltage (HV) of 30V. Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed by inhalation to 40 mg/m3 of each WF x 3 hr/d x 3 or 10 d. Control rats were exposed to filtered air. WF was collected in the rats' breathing zone, and particle morphology, size, and composition were determined by electron microscopy, MOUDI and SMPS size classifiers, and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy, respectively. Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed on exposed rats at 1, 7, 21, and 42 days after exposure to assess lung injury and inflammation. Results: Collected WF was arranged as chain-like agglomerates of nanometer-sized primary particles and morphologically did not appear different when comparing WF generated at the different voltages. However, HV welding produced a greater number of ultrafine-sized particles. Fe, Mn, Cr, and Ni were the predominant metals in each WF with HV welding producing particles comprised of higher amounts of Mn and lower levels of Ni. In regards to lung responses, exposure to HV WF induced a significant increase in lung injury and inflammation early (1 day) after exposure which quickly subsided by 7 days, whereas exposure to the WF generated at 25V led to a delayed pneumotoxic response that was elevated at 7 days compared to HV WF and persisted for 21 days after exposure. By 42 days, lung injury and inflammation had returned to control levels, regardless of voltage. Conclusions: A modest increase in voltage during welding increased the number of ultrafine-sized WF particles, affected WF elemental composition, and altered the lung toxicity profile. These findings illustrate the influence of particle size and composition on lung responses and may ultimately help develop effective personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as, educate and protect welders from adverse health effects. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Dust Environmental Monitoring Hazardous Substances Inhalation Exposure Irritants Laboratories Lung Lung Diseases Metals Occupational Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Particulate Matter Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Hypersensitivity Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Safety Welding

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• Keywords:
  Airborne-particles Biological-effects Biological-monitoring Dust-exposure Dust-inhalation Dust-particles Exposure-assessment Exposure-levels Exposure-methods Fumes Inhalants Inhalation-studies Laboratory-animals Laboratory-techniques Laboratory-testing Lung-disease Lung-disorders Lung-irritants Metallic-dusts Metallic-fumes Occupational-diseases Occupational-exposure Occupational-hazards Occupational-health Occupational-respiratory-disease Particle-aerodynamics Particulate-dust Personal-protection Personal-protective-equipment Protective-equipment Protective-measures Pulmonary-congestion Pulmonary-disorders Pulmonary-function Pulmonary-system Pulmonary-system-disorders Respirable-dust Respiration Respiratory-hypersensitivity Respiratory-infections Respiratory-irritants Respiratory-rate Respiratory-system-disorders Risk-analysis Statistical-analysis Toxic-effects Toxic-vapors Welders Welders-lung Welding-industry Work-analysis Work-operations Work-performance Work-practices Worker-health Worker-motivation

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• ISSN:
  1073-449X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  181
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20037106
• Citation:
  Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2010 May; 181(Meeting Abstracts):A1746
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• NORA Priority Area:
  Manufacturing
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
• Supplement:
  Meeting Abstracts
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:701bc951d82d8995779ab91b9c474175a7f776e761e58e86ec02f4ebbe019355d5e5e23cee2aa53b7c145556f6a19c5aa796772f0d6ec562c72dfb4cc2bcd751
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/188259/cdc_188259_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 17.25 KB ]