A survey shows precautions are not being taken to minimise exposure to fumes that cause cancer and respiratory illness.
Australian welders are being exposed to cancer and serious respiratory illness, and many are not wearing protective equipment, new research shows.
Research from Curtin University in Western Australia and the University of Sydney has found that 90% of welders included in the survey were exposed to “welding fume” – a mix of gases and fine particles produced in the heating of metal above boiling point.
Of the 634 participants, 76% were exposed to a high level of fumes and carcinogenic metals, particularly hexavalent chromium and nickel.
“Welding fume exposure has been associated with various adverse health effects, including cancer, respiratory disease, neurological disorders and reproductive effects,” study lead Dr Renee Carey – who was involved in exposing the silicosis risk to stonecutters from engineered stone – said in a press release.
Co-author Professor Tim Driscoll from Sydney University told media that working conditions made the problem worse. Two-thirds of welders worked in restricted spaces and half said they worked in confined spaces. Nine in 10 reported leaning over their work, directly inhaling the fumes.
“Despite this, only 19% of study participants said their workplace had some form of mechanical ventilation, such as a welding booth or exhaust hoods,” Professor Driscoll told the press.
Furthermore, two-thirds of those working in non-ventilated areas said they did not wear an air-supplied welding helmet.
Safe Work Australia lists several health complications from exposure to hexavalent chromium compounds. These include effects on the skin and mucous membranes – sensitisation and allergic contact dermatitis, ulcerations and nasal septum perforation; respiratory system – irritation, allergic asthma, COPD and lung cancer; gastrointestinal – abdominal pain, duodenal ulcers, gastritis and stomach cramps; kidney – renal tube damage; and liver – hepatic necrosis.
And they advise that nickel exposure can result in allergic contact dermatitis, asthma, nasopharynx and lung cancer, inflammation, bronchitis, rhinitis and sinusitis in addition to acute effects like nausea, vomiting, weakness, headaches, rash and itching of the fingers, hands and forearms.
Dr Kerry Hancock, RACGP chair of respiratory medicine, told TMR that GPs needed a general awareness of their patients’ work environment.
“Occupational screening questions can be incorporated into the patient history to identify potential exposures in the workplace and what protective measures are in place, such as effective ventilation and respiratory protection, and to also elicit information that may be contributing to the patients’ symptoms,” Dr Hancock said.
Suggested questions include:
- What kind of work do you do? How do you do your work?
- Are your symptoms better at home or worse when you are work?
- Are you now or have you previously been exposed to dust, fumes, chemicals, radiation, infectious diseases, or loud noise at your workplace?
- Do you think your health problems are related to your work? Why?
- Do other workers have similar symptoms associated with the same exposure?
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“If many Australian workplaces in which there is exposure to welding fume are without effective mechanical ventilation and workers are also not using effective respiratory protection, then GPs have a very important role to emphasise to their patients the importance of adhering to recommended protective controls, if available, and assisting with advocacy on their behalf if the workplace controls are inadequate,” Dr Hancock said.
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 2024, online 21 July
