Size distribution and estimated respiratory deposition of total chromium, hexavalent chromium, manganese, and nickel in gas metal arc welding fume aerosols

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cena LG ; Chen BT ; Chisholm WP ; Cumpston A ; Keane MJ
• Description:
  Welders are exposed to fumes containing Mn from mild steel and Cr, Cr(VI), Mn and Ni from stainless steel. These metals have been associated with adverse health effects ranging from asthma, neurological diseases, and lung cancer. A laboratory study was conducted to determine the mass of total Cr, Cr(VI), Mn and Ni in 15 size fractions for fumes generated from gas-metal arc welding of mild and stainless steel. Samples were collected using a multiple orifice uniform deposition impactor (MOUDI) and Nano MOUDI with polyvinyl chloride filters on each stage. The filters were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for total Cr, Mn and Ni and by ion chromatography for Cr(VI). Limits of detection and quantitation were experimentally calculated and percent recoveries were measured from samples spiked with metals in solution and from dry certified welding fume reference material. The fraction of Cr(VI) in total Cr was estimated by calculating the ratio of Cr(VI) to total Cr mass for each particle size range. The percentage of each metal expected to deposit in the head airways, tracheobronchial region and alveolar region were also estimated according to respiratory deposition models. The weight percent of Mn in mild steel welding fumes was 9.2% (+6.8%). For stainless steel welding fumes, the weight percentages were 8.4% (+5.4%) for total Cr, 12.2% (+6.5%) for Mn, 2.1% (+1.5%) for Ni and 0.5% (+0.4%) for Cr(VI). All metals in both steel types presented a submicron fraction between 0.04 and 0.6 um. In addition to this fraction, total Cr and Ni also presented a fraction <0.03 um, indicating a multimodal size distribution. On average 6% of the Cr was found in the Cr(VI) valence state. Particle size did not appear to affect the contribution of Cr(VI) relative to total Cr as there was no statistical difference between the smallest and largest mean Cr(VI) to total Cr mass ratio (p-value=0.19). The predicted total respiratory deposition for the investigated metal particles was approximately 20%. The sites of principal deposition were the head airways (7-10%) and the alveolar region (8-9%). For Cr(VI), the estimated deposition was highest in the alveolar region (8.8%). [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Asthma Asthma, Occupational Hazardous Substances Lung Lung Diseases Metals Neoplasms Nervous System Nervous System Diseases Occupational Health Particulate Matter Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Welding

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• Keywords:
  Arc-welding Bronchial-asthma Exposure-levels Fumes Health-hazards Lung-cancer Metallic-compounds Neurological-diseases Particulates Risk-factors Statistical-analysis Steel-compounds Welders

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• ISSN:
  0278-6826
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• 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:
  48
• Issue:
  12
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20045380
• Citation:
  Aerosol Sci Technol 2014 Dec; 48(12):1254-1263
• Contact Point Address:
  Lorenzo G. Cena, Health Effects Laboratory Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, WV 26508
• Email:
  lcena@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Chromium (CAS RN 7440-47-3) ; Chromium(6+) (CAS RN 18540-29-9) ; Manganese (CAS RN 7439-96-5) ; Nickel (CAS RN 7440-02-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Aerosol Science and Technology
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d66b7d4de6144239d54c2abec996c89c967499cfd47c7473f676f1ccd948f2d8925b80d8162fb772a256db9192e4ede439c85acc1495a86cea21e3189fe3231a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/200825/cdc_200825_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 260.33 KB ]