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PubMed1992

Lack of renal changes in stainless steel welders exposed to chromium and nickel.

Biochemical markers of kidney damage were examined in 52 male stainless steel welders (manual metal arc welding) exposed to chromium and nickel. No difference was found in the mean urinary excretion of total proteins, albumin, protein 1, transferrin, retinol-binding protein, lactate dehydrogenase, lysozyme, or beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase in a comparison with matched referents. Beta 2-microglobulin was slightly increased in those welders with a urinary chromium concentration of greater than 64.5 nmol.mmol-1 creatinine. The prevalences of abnormal values did not differ from those observed in the reference group. No correlation was found between the concentrations of chromium or nickel in urine and that of proteins or enzymes. No consistent or clinically significant renal impairment was revealed among the stainless steel welders exposed to a chromium air concentration slightly above the current threshold limit value of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists for water-soluble hexavalent chromium compounds (50 micrograms.m-3).

Acute Kidney Injury↗
PubMed1989

Incidence of cancer among welders and other workers in a Norwegian shipyard.

The incidence of cancer among 4778 male shipyard workers, including 783 mild steel welders, was investigated in a historical cohort study. The workers had been employed for at least three months between 1 January 1946 and 31 March 1977. The incidence of cancer was observed from 1 January 1953 through 1986. The loss during follow-up was only 0.9%. There were 53 observed cases of lung cancer in the whole cohort versus 31.3 expected on the basis of the national rates for men. There was an increased incidence of lung cancer among the welders, with seven observed cases versus 3.2 expected. Twenty-two cases of bladder cancer were observed versus 15.2 expected. Two malignant mesotheliomas had occurred (0.7 expected). Smoking was likely to be a confounder in the present study. Due to concomitant exposure to asbestos, the results are inconclusive concerning the possible relationship between exposure to welding fumes and lung cancer.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMed1985

Respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function among welders working with aluminum, stainless steel and railroad tracks.

Sixty-four aluminum welders, 46 stainless steel welders, and 149 railroad track welders were investigated regarding respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function (forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 s). Referents consisted of nonwelding industrial workers and railroad workers. All groups of welders showed a higher frequency of chronic bronchitis symptoms than their respective referents. Respiratory symptoms were related to ozone concentrations in welders working with aluminum. In stainless steel and railroad track welders respiratory symptoms were related to chromium exposure rather than to total particle exposure. The pulmonary function was not affected in any of the welding groups studied.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Ten-year update on mortality among mild-steel welders.

OBJECTIVES: This study is an update on the lung cancer risk of mild-steel welders with no asbestos exposure using a cohort of nonwelders for comparison. METHODS: The subjects came from three United States (US) plants that manufactured heavy equipment. The follow-up was extended from 1988 to 1998. The welders were not exposed to asbestos (typical of shipyard welders) or to chromium or nickel (present in stainless steel). RESULTS: There were 108 lung cancer deaths among the welders and 128 such deaths among the nonwelders (double the previous number of lung cancer deaths). The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) for lung cancer was 1.46 [95% confidence interval (95% CI 1.20-1.76] for the welders and 1.18 (95% CI 0.98-1.40) for the nonwelders, both in comparison with the US general population. Direct comparison between the welders and nonwelders yielded a rate ratio of 1.22 (95% CI 0.93-1.59). Analyses using a 15-year lag time did not differ greatly from those of an unlagged analysis. There were no marked trends for lung cancer risk by duration of exposure or latency. Evidence from cross-sectional data from a sample of the cohort indicated that the welders smoked somewhat more than the US population and more than the nonwelders. An approximate adjustment of the rate ratios for possible confounding by smoking suggested that smoking may have accounted for about half of the excess lung cancer observed among the welders versus that of either reference population. CONCLUSIONS These data provide suggestive but not conclusive evidence of a modest lung cancer risk from mild-steel welding.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Fatal cadmium-fume pneumonitis.

A 38-year-old man developed acute respiratory distress several hours after welding cadmium-plated drums without taking precautions against the inhalation of fumes. His respiratory distress worsened over the ensuing three and a half days, and he died. Histological examination of the lungs showed changes of acute cadmium-fume pneumonitis, and chemical analysis of lungs and liver provided confirmatory evidence of considerable absorption of cadmium, of the order previously recorded as causing death. This case is reported so as to renew awareness of this condition, as the cause of the illness was not diagnosed during life.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Looking into the future: materials and joining technology.

To improve existing products and create new ones manufacturers of medical devices need to consider the latest technology and materials. This review of recent developments in joining techniques describes alternative joining processes and how to establish best practice when working with adhesives and welding.

Adhesives↗
PubMed2000

[Evaluation of occupational exposure of copper welders].

Exposure of MMA/Plasma/Cu welders to fumes and soluble and insoluble Cu was assessed. Mean weighted concentrations of dusts/fumes and copper compounds at the welders' breathing zone were: 3.1 mg/m3 (0.7-7.6 mg/m3) for fumes; 0.08 mg/m3 (0.02-0.17 mg/m3) for soluble Cu; and 0.39 mg/m3 (0.08-0.76 mg/m3) for insoluble Cu. Correlation was found between the concentration of Cu compounds and fume/dust concentrations (r = 0.55 MMA/Plasma/Cu; r = 0.93 MMA/Cu). The mean percentage of copper in fumes/dusts was 17 (9.5-28.5%). Our results show that copper welding may pose a hazard to the welders' health. The index of combined exposure to determined agents was 1.2 (0.3-2.6), including soluble Cu (0.8) and insoluble Cu (0.4). The proportion of respirable fraction of fumes and their components varied between 40-80%. The background concentrations of the components (about 6 times lower than those in the welders' breathing zone) did not exceed the MAC value.

Copper↗
PubMed2000

Risk assessment of manganese.

The concentration of manganese was determined in the work environment of eight enterprises by welding and metal processing (198 samples) as well as in biological samples (blood, hair) of workers (180 samples). Industrially exposed individuals had significantly higher levels of manganese in blood and hair than the control group--7.6 times higher in blood and 3.2 times higher in hair. Neurobehavioral examination was performed by physician and specific questionnaire (Q16) containing 16 "yes" or "no" items relating to neuropsychiatric symptoms. It is possible to use the level of manganese in biosamples as the indicator of health risk by occupationally exposed individuals.

Hair↗
PubMed2000

Changes in work practice after a respiratory health survey among welders in New Zealand.

AIMS: To assess changes in work practice among eight New Zealand engineering sites, following a study of occupational respiratory symptoms in welders two years previously. METHODS: In 1996, we found that an acute decrease in lung function was more common in welders working without local exhaust ventilation. Findings were reported back to management, study participants and the media. Two years later we re-visited the eight welding sites. RESULTS: Of the eight engineering sites, two had local exhaust ventilation present in both Study 1 and Study 2, one site had installed local exhaust ventilation in part of the site since Study 1 and one site had moved to larger premises. The remaining four sites had no exhaust ventilation or change to the workplace between studies. Five welders (12.8%) used respiratory protection in both Study 1 and Study 2, seven welders (18%) used respiratory protection in Study 1 but not Study 2, four welders (10.3%) did not have respiratory protection in Study 1 but did in Study 2 and nine welders (23.1%) did not use respiratory protection at all in Study 1 or Study 2. CONCLUSION: Further effort is required to ensure that such studies lead to significant improvements in the work environment.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMed2000

[The structure of occupational morbidity in electric welders].

Among 6 nosologic entities of occupational diseases diagnosed in 323 electric welders of Moscow suburb, the most frequent one was pneumoconiosis caused by welding aerosol, then neurosensory deafness, chronic toxic dust bronchitis and chronic manganese intoxication. Malignancies located especially in larynx and lungs appeared important among concurrent diseases that could be considered occupational.

Catchment Area, Health↗
PubMed2001

Hazard perception and occupational injuries in the welders and lathe machine operators of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence of occupational injuries in the welders and lathe machine operators and their hazard perception. SETTING: This study was conducted in the welders and lathe machine operators working in the welding and metal working shops in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted by two trained health interviewers using uniform questionnaire with both close and open-ended questions. RESULTS: Two hundred and eight welders and 104 lathe machine operators were interviewed. Thirty nine (18.7%) welders and 27 (26%) lathe machine operators reported an injury in the past three months, while 63 (30.3%) welders and 76 (73.8%) lathe machine operators reported sustaining an injury in the past twelve months. However, only half of the welders and 31 (29.8%) lathe machine operators believed that their occupation was hazardous for health. CONCLUSION: For effective public health policy there is a need preventive education and enforcement of safety regulations for the informal occupational sector in Pakistan.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Monitoring of occupational exposure in manufacturing of stainless steel constructions. Part I: Chromium, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel and vanadium in the workplace air of stainless steel welders.

Exposure to workplace airborne pollutants was examined in a group of 20 workers dealing mainly with welding, polishing, drilling and assembling of stainless steel constructions. Airborne particulate matter (APM) collected using both personal and stationary samplers was analyzed by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). Quality assurance procedures of both sampling and analytical stages are described. Of the elements determined, results are presented for chromium, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel and vanadium. The median values of element concentrations exceeded the maximum admissible limits for workplace pollutants only for chromium, while for nickel the limit was exceeded in several individual cases. Sampling of hair, nails, blood, urine and saliva to be used for biological monitoring of the exposed and control groups is also described.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Effect of varying chromophores used in light-activated protein solders on tensile strength and thermal damage profile of repairs.

Clinical adoption of laser tissue welding (LTW) techniques has been beleaguered by problems associated with thermal damage of tissue and insufficient strength of the resulting tissue bond. The magnitude of these problems has been significantly reduced with the incorporation of indocyanine green (ICG)-doped protein solders into the LTW procedure to form a new technique known as laser tissue soldering (LTS). With the addition of ICG, a secondary concern has arisen relating to the potential harmful effects of the degradation products of the chromophore upon thermal denaturation of the protein solder with a laser. In this study, two different food colorings were investigated, including blue #1 and green consisting of yellow #5 and blue #1, as alternative chromophores for use in LTS techniques. Food coloring has been found to have a suitable stability and safety profile for enteral use when heated to temperatures above 200 degrees C; thus, it is a promising candidate chromophore for LTS which typically requires temperatures between 50 degrees C and 100 degrees C. Experimental investigations were conducted to test the tensile strength of ex vivo repairs formed using solders doped with these alternative chromophores in a bovine model. Two commonly used chromophores, ICG and methylene blue (MB), were investigated as a reference. In addition, the temperature rise, depth of thermal coagulation in the protein solder, and the extent of thermal damage in the surrounding tissue were measured. Temperature rise at the solder/tissue interface, and consequently the degree of solder coagulation and collateral tissue thermal damage, was directly related to the penetration depth of laser light in the protein solder. Variation of the chromophore concentration such that the laser light penetrated to a depth approximately equal to half the thickness of the solder resulted in uniform results between each group of chromophores investigated. Optimal tensile strength of repairs was achieved by optimizing laser and solder parameters to obtain a temperature of approximately 65 degrees C at the solder/tissue interface. The two alternative chromophores tested in this study show considerable promise for application in LTS techniques, with equivalent tensile strength to solders doped with ICG or MB, and the potential advantage of eliminating the risks associated with harmful byproducts.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

[A case of rapid development of arc welder's lung during the course of a year].

A 57-year-old man who had worked as a welder for about 40 years was admitted to our hospital. Every year he had had medical examinations in his workplace. On March 17, 1999, there was no finding of pneumoconiosis, but he had worked in a tunnel on a special arc welding project from December 20, 1999 to January 10, 2000. On admission, chest radiography revealed reticular shadows in the middle and lower lung fields. CT scans showed ground-glass opacities in both lungs. Serum iron was high (231 micrograms/dl) and serum ferritin was extremely high (2,309 ng/ml). Many iron particles were detected in the alveoli of the transbronchial biopsy specimen, and also in the sputum. A pathological diagnosis of siderosis was therefore made, and, considering the patient's occupation, the condition was termed arc welder's lung. This rapidly developing case was characterized by reticular shadows on chest radiography.

Disease Progression↗
PubMed1992

Scope and design of the GUSI international research program.

During the 1980s a large new simulated underwater saturation diving system was constructed at GKSS, Geesthacht, Germany. This German Underwater Simulator (GUSI) has performed over 18 trimix (helium, 5% nitrogen, oxygen) dives with 115 divers at depths to 600 m, including 9 to 450 m or deeper for a total of 2672 man-days of saturation and 994 days of welding and other work. From October 1989, an international research program was initiated to permit scientists from other countries to carry out physiologic and medical research during these working dives. The results of the first year's program from 3 dives, GUSI 14, 16, and 17, all to 450 m, are described in this special edition of Undersea Biomedical Research. This brief paper gives the scope, design, and objectives of the program, the dive profiles, and the scientists and projects involved.

Decompression Sickness↗
PubMed1992

[Clinical course of pneumoconiosis after exposure to dust evaluated by the results of ambulatory follow-up].

Results of follow-up and treatment of different pneumoconiosis types in 749 patients are represented. Rational employment combined with individualized treatment stabilize pneumoconiosis in 80.5% of cases with interstitial silicosis, in those with silico - silicosis --85.5% the nodular form in 70.5% and 77.8% of cases respectively. In the patients with the first symptoms of silicotuberculosisis the interstitial and nodular forms of the process stabilized in more than 50% of cases and in more than 60% of silico - silicatosis cases. Active interstitial tuberculosis was revealed in 7.3% of cases, nodular one--in 16.2%. The course of the macronodular pneumoconiosis in 50.2% of cases was unfavourable. 23.2% of patients with pneumoconiosis caused by electric-welding aerosol showed regress of pneumoconiosis in afterdust period.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Chronic lead poisoning like a group pathology. Clinical report of 12 cases].

The objective of this article is to present a series of 12 cases with the chronic lead poisoning produced after a short but intensive professional exposure (in average 12-14 hours per day, 41.6 days) at mineral dust and oxides containing lead (technical revision of a oven and of a furnace network by mechanical and welding operation). After the first case with saturnine colic, all the workers of the same team (n=12) were hospitalised (average time was of 14 days) with clinical examination and by specific toxicological indicators. Particularly, for clinical picture were uncharacteristic and oligosymptomatic complaints. Occupational exposure was augmented by the level of Pb-blood (46.8-286 mg/100 ml are ranges), Pb-urine (221-637 mg/l are ranges), d-aminolevulinic urinary acid (22.9-99.1 mg/l are ranges) and increased urinary coproporphyrins (+ +, + + +) exceeding biological limits and high urinary discharge of lead induced by CaNa2-EDTA treatment. The biological effects of lead intoxication consist in the occurrence of stippled basophilic erythrocytes (2 cases with 46,000/1 mil erythrocytes), the anemia (only 4 cases with haematocrit L 40%) and the liver cytolytic syndrome (the increase of GPT, GOT and of g-GT). These changes and the polyneuropathic syndrome (the decrease of motor and sensitive speed velocity) were judged by toxic combination between ethanol and lead.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Phototoxicity and the cornea.

The cornea is sensitive to the effects of ultraviolet (UV) light and can suffer both acute and chronic toxicity. Ultraviolet keratitis is associated with relatively short exposures to light sources such as welding arcs or tanning lamps. The corneal effects are seen within a few hours following exposure and typically will resolve within 72 hours. Chronic exposure to environmental UV light may lead to a variety of ocular surface abnormalities that rarely resolve in the absence of therapy. Ultraviolet light, while potentially destructive, also can be used therapeutically. Recently, the photoablative properties of the excimer laser have been used in corneal refractive surgery. This laser uses UV light to break chemical bonds and remove tissue. Corneal phototoxicity is a reflection of the sensitivity of the ocular surface to photochemical injury. Fortunately, effective protection in the form of UV-blocking lenses is widely available.

Adult↗