Exposure to welding fumes increases the risk of lung and kidney cancers [Image: RichLegg on iStock]
Occupational health expert David McBride looks at the hazards of welding, focusing on exposure to fumes that are now known to be carcinogenic to humans
References
1. IARC Working Group on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Welding, molybdenum trioxide, and indium tin oxide. Lyon (FR): International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2018.
2. Honaryar MK, Lunn RM, Luce D, et al. Welding fumes and lung cancer: a meta-analysis of case-control and cohort studies. Occup Environ Med 2019;76(6):422–31.
3. WorkSafe. Workplace Exposure Standard (WES) review: Welding fume. September 2021. https://www.worksafe.govt.nz/laws-and-regulations/consultations/wes-and-bei-proposed-changes-2021/
4. WorkSafe. Workplace exposure standards and biological exposure indices. November 2021. https://www.worksafe.govt.nz/topic-and-industry/monitoring/exposure-standards-and-biological-exposure-indices/
5. Galarneau JM, Beach J, Cherry N. Urinary metals as a marker of exposure in men and women in the welding and electrical trades: A Canadian cohort study. Ann Work Expo Health 2022:wxac005.
6. Toren K, Blanc PD, Naidoo RN, et al. Occupational exposure to dust and to fumes, work as a welder and invasive pneumococcal disease risk. Occup Environ Med 2020;77(2):57–63.
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