Last updated in June 2024
We have been a pioneer in North America, providing welding fume extraction solutions since the 1980s. In this blog post, you will find the exposure limits in New Brunswick for some of the most common hazardous metals and gases found in welding fume.
Fumes are formed when a metal is heated above its boiling point, and its vapors condense into very fine particles. Their size ranges from 0.005 to 20 µm, but most are smaller than 1 µm and may deposit throughout the respiratory system.
The fume composition depends on the material being welded, the electrode, the coatings, the flux, and the shielding gas, among other things. Air sampling is usually necessary to know which hazardous and regulated substances are in your working environment. But getting information on the composition of metals, gases, and consumables used in the welding process is usually a good start.
What particulates are potentially dangerous in welding fume?
Here is a list of some dangerous metals and gases commonly found in welding fume that will be covered on this page:
- Aluminum (learn more about aluminum welding fume)
- Antimony
- Arsenic
- Beryllium
- Cadmium
- Chromium
- Cobalt
- Copper
- Iron oxide
- Lead
- Manganese (learn more about manganese in welding fumes)
- Molybdenum
- Nickel
- Silver
- Tin
- Titanium dioxide
- Vanadium
- Zinc
- Argon
- Carbon Dioxide
- Carbon Monoxide
- Helium
- Hydrogen Fluoride
- Nitric Oxide
- Nitrogen
- Nitrogen Dioxide
- Ozone
- Phosgene
New Brunswick Occupational Health and Safety Act – Welding Fume
In New Brunswick, companies must follow the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Welding regulations can be found in chapter XVIII (Welding, Cutting, and Soldering), Indoor Air Quality is chapter III and exposure limits are defined in chapter I (Interpretation). Here is some information to know.
“Occupational Exposure Limit means, except with respect to lead sulfide, formaldehyde, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen dioxide, and any other air contaminant for which the Commission sets an exposure limit, a threshold limit value adopted by the ACGIH and set out in the ACGIH publication entitled 2016 Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances and Physical Agents and Biological Exposure Indices.”
“An employer shall ensure that an employee is protected from the effects of harmful fumes and gases or particles emitted from welding, cutting, burning or soldering operations by providing a local exhaust system close to the source of the fumes, gases or particles in an indoor welding, cutting, burning or soldering area, monitoring the exposure level of employees to harmful fumes and gases or particles emitted from welding, cutting, burning or soldering operations to ensure that the level of concentration of air contaminants does not exceed the occupational exposure limits, and monitoring the work areas in proximity to the welding, cutting, burning or soldering area to ensure that the level of concentration of air contaminants does not exceed the occupational exposure limits.”
“An employer shall ensure that a local exhaust ventilation system is designed so that under normal work conditions an employee’s breathing zone is not located between the source of contamination and the exhaust uptake.”
Regarding general ventilation, although not explicitly stated, the general consensus is that a minimum of 4 air changes per hour is required for industrial buildings, including those with welding operations. In confined spaces, the minimum recommended is 10 air changes per hour, though 20 or more may be necessary.
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ACGIH – Threshold Limit Values for Welding Fume, Metals, and Gases
Threshold Limit Values (TLV) are copyrighted by ACGIH and cannot be reproduced on other websites. To learn more about the 2016 ACGIH TLVs, contact WorkSafeNB.
Eventually, the latest Occupational Exposure Limits recommended by the ACGIH could be adopted. You will find the links to the relevant pages on their website below.
ACGIH has not published a recommendation regarding welding fumes in general. Therefore, they fall under the Particulates Not Otherwise Regulated category. The ACGIH recommendation, in this case, is a TLV-TWA of 3mg/m3 for respirable particles and 10mg/m3 for inhalable particles.
- Aluminum
- Antimony
- Arsenic
- Beryllium
- Cadmium
- Chromium
- Cobalt
- Copper
- Iron Oxide
- Lead
- Manganese
- Molybdenum
- Nickel
- Silver
- Tin, organic
- Tin oxide & inorganic
- Titanium
- Vanadium
- Zinc Oxide
- Argon*
- Carbon Dioxide
- Carbon Monoxide
- Helium*
- Hydrogen Fluoride
- Nitric Oxide
- Nitrogen*
- Nitrogen Dioxide
- Ozone
- Phosgene
* A concentration limit is not included because available oxygen is the limiting factor.
Health risks associated with breathing welding fumes
According to OSHA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and the CNESST (Quebec), breathing welding fumes could cause the following health effects:
- Eye, nose, and throat irritation
- Dizziness and nausea
- Breathing difficulties that could lead to suffocation or asphyxiation
- Metal fume fever
- Lung damage and various types of cancer
- Stomach ulcers
- Kidney damage
- Nervous system damage
- Manganism
- Chest pain
- Asthma
- Bleedings
- Dermatitis or eczema
- Kidney disease
- Bone and joint disorders
- Siderosis (iron oxide in lung tissue after inhalation)
- Stannosis (tin oxide in lung tissue after inhalation)
- Anthracosis (poisoning after inhalation of carbon dust)
- Berylliosis (poisoning after inhalation of beryllium dust)
- Accumulation of fluid in the lungs
These are good reasons to protect welders, meet the standards, and even extract pollutants as efficiently as possible. Welding fume extractors will be the best way to do so.
To learn more about welding fume regulations in another Canadian province or territory, feel free to use one of the links below to be directed to our article on the subject:
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Manitoba
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Northwest Territories
- Nova Scotia
- Nunavut
- Ontario
- Prince Edward Island
- Quebec
- Saskatchewan
- Yukon
3 Ways to Take a First Step Towards a Fume-Free Environment
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3 – Contact Us
We would be pleased to help you protect your welders and comply with current standards. We travel everywhere in Canada and the United States for free demos.
1-800-922-2522
info@henlex.com
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