Health risk of occupational exposure in welding processes I. Genotoxic risk.

Abstract

The welding processes belong among the important sources of occupational pollutions. The welding fumes are ranked, according to the classification of IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer), into the group of 2B. In our study we have performed the investigation of twenty men (exposed group) working in the stainless steel welding industrial processes (11 welders and 9 grinders, average age was 31 years, 55% of smokers, average time period of welding occupational exposure was 8 years). The concentrations of chromium (0.557-16.343 mg/m3) and nickel (0.340-10.129 mg/m3) in occupational atmosphere highly exceeded established values of maximum permitted concentrations (0.1 and 1.0 mg/m3, respectively). The concentrations of manganese did not exceed its permitted values. Total concentrations of 12 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in occupational atmosphere varied from 300.9 to 961.2 ng/m3. For purposes of biological monitoring, the levels of chromosomal aberrations were determined in the exposed and control group. Healthy blood donors servedas a control group. People from that group were not occupationally exposed to harmful chemical compounds (20 men, average age was 36 years, 40% of smokers). Increased level of chromosomal aberrations of exposed group brought the evidence about higher genotoxic risk of investigated welding processes.