Welding Fumes: A New Group 1 Carcinogen

Details

• Personal Author:
  Andrews, Ronnee N. ; Antonini JM ; Battelli LA ; Cumpston A ; Cumpston J ; Erdely A ; Falcone LM ; Kashon M ; McKinney W ; Meighan T ; Salmen R ; Stone S ; Zeidler-Erdely PC
• Description:
  Welding fumes were recently classified as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) based on strong epidemiological evidence and limited evidence in animals. It is estimated that 11 million workers worldwide weld full-time, and an additional 110 million have had some type of welding-related exposure. Welding exposures are complex because of the diversity of welding modalities used in the workplace; these modalities include exposures to non-carcinogenic and/or carcinogenic metal containing fumes. The objective of this study was to determine which welding fumes and their component metals are the most toxic and have the greatest tumorigenic potential. Male A/J mice received intraperitoneal injections of corn oil or the initiator 3-methylcholanthrene (MCA;10 microg/g) and one week later were exposed by whole body inhalation to air or gas metal arc-stainless steel (GMA-SS) or GMA-mild steel (MS) welding aerosols for 4 h/d x 4 d/w x 8-9 w at a target concentration of 40 mg/m3. Lung nodules were enumerated at 30 weeks post-initiation. GMA-SS and GMA-MS fumes significantly promoted lung tumor multiplicity in A/J mice initiated with MCA (16.11 +/- 1.18; 21.86 +/- 1.50, respectively) compared to MCA/air-exposed mice (7.93 +/- 0.82; 8.34 +/- 0.59, respectively). Oropharyngeal aspiration of GMA-SS and its component metals showed that GMA-SS fume was more pneumotoxic than the individual components. Component Fe2O3 was the most toxic and also the only metal to promote lung tumors in A/J mice. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that inhalation of GMA-SS and GMA-MS welding fume as well as Fe2O3 promote lung tumor formation in vivo and provides support for the epidemiology that shows welders, using mild and/or stainless steel, are at an increased risk for lung cancer. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Carcinogens Environmental Exposure Epidemiology Hazardous Substances Laboratories Lung Lung Diseases Metals Neoplasms Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Toxicology Welding

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• Keywords:
  Anthracenes Arc Welding Cancer Exposure Assessment Exposure Levels Fumes Gas Welders Hazard Communication Hazard Identification Hazardous Materials Inhalation In Vivo Study Iron Oxide Dust And Fume Iron Oxides Laboratory Animals Laboratory Testing Lung Cancer Lung Cells Lung Tissue Methyl Compounds Occupational Exposure Risk Factors Stainless Steel Toxic Fumes Tumorigenesis Tumors Welders Welding Fumes

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• ISSN:
  1096-6080
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 6 ; Texas ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division ; OD - Office of the Director ; DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  251-252
• Volume:
  162
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20051187
• Citation:
  Toxicologist 2018 Mar; 162(1):251-252
• CAS Registry Number:
  3-Methylcholanthrene (CAS RN 56-49-5) ; Iron oxide (Fe2O3) (CAS RN 1309-37-1) ; Stainless Steel (CAS RN 12597-68-1)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• NORA Priority Area:
  Manufacturing
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  The Toxicologist. Society of Toxicology 57th Annual Meeting and ToxExpo, March 11-15, 2018, San Antonio, Texas
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2791d8ffa012fc6f48055322201e2a85376deed99b7a26751d668c3e35907b954f0a9b6074062866fce31ccbe4ed47b37ef71968fa2dab528ae9f80a19e0a384
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/211272/cdc_211272_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 848.70 KB ]