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KMID : 0895419990090010056
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Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Enviromental Hygiene
1999 Volume.9 No. 1 p.56 ~ p.72
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Airborne Concentrations of Welding Fume and Metals of Workers Exposed to Welding Fume
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이영자/Lee, Young Ja
김소진/최호춘/김강윤/안선희/박화미/정규철/Kim, So Jin/Choi, Ho Chun/Kim, Kang Yoon/An, Sun Hee/Park, Wha Me/Chang, Kyou Chull
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Abstract
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Airborne concentrations of welding fumes in which 13 different metals such as Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Si, Sn, Ti, and Zn were analyzed were measured at 18 factories including automobile assembly and manufactures, steel heavy industries and shipyards. Air samples were collected by personal sampler at each worker´s worksite(n=339). Blood levels of Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn were also measured from samples taken from 447 welders by atomic absorption spectrometry and compared with control values obtained from 127 non-exposed workers.
The results were as follows ;
1. Among various welding types, CO₂ welding 70.2 % were widely used, shielded metal arc welding(SMAW) 22.1 % came next, and rest of them were metal inert gas(MIG) welding, submerged arc welding(SAW), spot welding(SPOT) and tungsten inert gas(TIG) welding.
2. Welding fume concentration was 0.92 ㎎/㎥(0.02∼15.33 ㎎/㎥) at automobile assembly and manufactures, 4.10 ㎎/㎥(0.02∼70.75 ㎎/㎥) at steel heavy industries and 5.59 ㎎/㎥(0.30∼91.16 ㎎/㎥) at shipyards, respectively, showing significant difference among industry types.
Workers exposed to high concentration of welding fumes above Korean Permissible Exposure Limit(KPEL) amounted to 7.9 % and 12.5 %, in CC₂ welding and in SMAW at automobile assembly and manufactures and 62.7 % in CC₂ welding, and 12.5 % in SMAW at shipyards, and 66.2 % in CC₂ welding and 70.6 % in SMAW at steel heavy industries.
3. Geometric mean of airborne concentration of each metal released from welding fumes was below one 10th of KPEL in all welding types. Percentage of workers, however, exposed to airborne concentration of metals above KPEL amounted to 16.8 % in Mn and 7.6 % in Fe in CC₂ welding; 37.5 % in Cu in SAW. 30 % in Cu in TIG; and 25 % in Pb in SPOT welding. As a whole, 76 Workers(22.4 %) were exposed to high concentration of any of the metals above KPEL.
4. There were differences in airborne concentration of metals such as Al, Cd, Cr, Cu. Fe. Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Si, Sn, Ti and Zn by industry types. These concentrations were higher in shipyards and steel heavy industries than in automobile assembly and manufactures.
Workers exposed to higher concentration of Pb above KPEI. amounted to 7.4 % of workers(7/94) in automobile assembly and manufactures. In shipyards, 19.2 % of workers(19/99) were over-exposed to Mn and 7.1 % (7/99) to Fe above KPEL. In steel heavy industries, 14.4 %(21/146), 7.5 %(11/146) and 13 %(l9/146) were over-exposed to Mn, Fe and Cu, respectively. As a whole, 76 out of 339 workers(22.4 %) were exposed to any of the metals above KPEL.
5. Blood levels of Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn in welders were 0.11 ㎍/100㎖, 0.84 ㎍/㎖, 424.4 ㎍/㎖, 1.26 ㎍/100㎖, 5.01 ㎍/100㎖ and 5.68 ㎍/㎖, respectively, in contrast to 0.09 ㎍/l00㎖, 0.70 ㎍/㎖, 477.2 ㎍/㎖, 0.73 ㎍/100㎖, 3.14 ㎍/l00㎖ and 6.15 ㎍/㎖, in non-exposed control groups, showing significantly higher values in welders but Fe and Zn.
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