What Are Welding Fumes?

Welding Fumes

Welding fumes are toxic metal fumes produced during welding operations. They usually have different compositions, depending on the metals that are used for welding, and for this reason they contain several contaminants.

Which fumes and gases are produced during welding?

Fumes

• Aluminum
• Beryllium
• Cadmium Oxides
• Chromium
• Copper
• Fluorides
• Iron Oxide
• Lead
• Manganese
• Molybdenum
• Nickel
• Vanadium
• Zinc Oxides

Gases

• Carbon Monoxide
• Hydrogen Fluoride
• Nitrogen Oxide
• Ozone

How can welding fumes and gases enter my body?

Welding fumes enter our body through the lungs, that is, we inhale them together with the air we breathe.

How can welding fumes affect your health?

Exposure to different types of welding fumes produce different health effects. If over the years you breathe in gases, fumes, and vapors in large quantities, your health will suffer.

• irritation of the eyes, nose, and chest
• coughing
• shortness of breath
• bronchitis
• fluid in the lungs (edema)
• Inflammation of the lungs (pneumonitis)
• Loss of appetite
• cramps
• nausea / vomiting

Some short-term health effects are:

• chronic lung problems (bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, emphysema, silicosis, siderosis)
• lung cancer
• cancer of the larynx
• cancer of the urinary tract

Other health problems that may be related to welding fumes are:

• skin diseases
• hearing loss
• gastritis, ulcers of the stomach
• kidney damage
• heart disease