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Osha breathing zone manual#
OSHA wishes to clarify that welding fume is to be measured in the breathing zone of the welder the specific details of the appropriate positioning of the sampler should be determined on the basis of guidance in the Field Operations Manual (OSHA 1984). 3-860), were of the opinion that OSHA’s discussion of welding fumes in the NPRM was not clear with regard to whether the limit applied to exposure samples taken inside or outside of the welding helmet. 9-155 to 9-156), and the American Welding Society (Ex. Several commenters, the American Iron and Steel Institute (Exs. In addition to fume fever, exposure to welding fume may damage the small airways, causing interstitial pneumonia (Abraham 1983). Recovery usually requires one or two days of time away from work. This disorder, which results from exposure to freshly formed metal fume, results in the appearance of delayed, flu-like symptoms, including dyspnea, coughing, pains in muscles and joints, fever, and chills. It has been estimated that 30 to 40 percent of all welders have experienced metal fume fever at some time (Abraham 1983, in Environmental and Occupational Medicine, W.N. 634).Įxcessive exposure to welding fume can cause a variety of disorders, most notably metal fume fever. Eighteen different substances, including fluoride, manganese, silicon, titanium, and sodium and potassium silicates, have been measured in the fumes resulting from the welding of mild steel (ACGIH 1986/Ex. Aluminum welding may generate fumes consisting of fluorine, arsenic, copper, silicon, and beryllium (NIOSH 1975h and American Welding Society 1974, both as cited in ACGIH 1986/Ex. The welding of iron metals may give off fumes of manganese, silicate, and various organic binders. Welding fumes consist of metallic oxides generated by the heating of metal being welded, the welding rod, or its coatings.Īlthough these types of welding generally produce fumes consisting of aluminum, iron, or zinc oxides, other toxic gases may also be produced in large amounts (Ferry and Ginther 1952/Ex. This limit applies to the total fume concentration generated during the welding of iron, mild steel, or aluminum the fumes generated by the welding of stainless steel, cadmium, or lead-coated steel, or other metals such as copper, nickel, or chrome are considerably more toxic and shall be kept at or below the levels required by their respective PELs. OSHA proposed an 8-hour TWA of 5 mg/m 3 for these fumes this limit is established in the final rule. The ACGIH has set an 8-hour TWA of 5 mg/m 3 for these welding fumes, measured as total particulate in the welder’s breathing zone. OSHA formerly had no limit for exposure to welding fumes, which are defined as fumes that are generated by the manual metal arc or oxy-acetylene welding of iron, mild steel, or aluminum. Circuit Court of Appeals and the limits are not currently in force.ĬAS: None Chemical Formula: Not available Additionally, this research identified the possible factors which could contribute to breathing zone concentration variations.OSHA comments from the JanuFinal Rule on Air Contaminants Project extracted from 54FR2332 et. This research revealed that the chest sampler provides a consistent relationship to the concentrations measured at the nose for a given job category. Styrene air concentrations detected at the nose were significantly different than those concentrations detected at the other three locations and represented 90 percent, 84 percent, and 76 percent of the left lapel, right lapel, and chest samplers, respectively.
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Two job classes were studied: the spray gun operators and the rolling and tucking operators. An extensive field investigation in a boat manufacturing plant was conducted where styrene air concentrations were measured by mounting four 3M one-stage diffusion samplers around the worker's breathing zone.
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It has been generally assumed that vapor is uniformly mixed in the breathing zone therefore, samplers are placed on either lapel or on the chest of the worker. This zone is considered to have an airborne chemical concentration equivalent to the concentration breathed by the worker.
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Breathing zone samples are used to estimate worker exposure to airborne contaminants by collecting air from a vaguely defined zone surrounding the head.