Evaluation of biological monitoring among stainless steel welders

Abstract

Ten manual metal arc (MMA) high alloy stainless steel (SS) welders were studied during one week and the concentrations of chromium (Cr) and nickel (Ni) were determined in their urine and blood. Stationary and personal air samples were collected from the immediate work environment; they covered the entire work period. Spot urine samples were collected during the follow-up period. Whole blood and plasma samples were taken from the workers before and after one shift, and the retention rate of magnetic dust in the lungs was estimated with magnetopneumography. On the basis of the results, indices of short-term exposure to Cr and Ni were evaluated. Urinary Cr and Ni concentrations (corrected to creatinine) reflect both the body burden caused by long-term and short-term exposure to easily soluble fractions of these metals. The results indicated that the use of Cr and Ni urinary analyses as indices of short-term exposure is not as dependable as previously assumed. The Cr and Ni concentrations in whole blood and plasma did not correlate with the measured exposure, but the daily mean increase in the Cr concentration reflected exposure to total Cr and Cr(VI) very well. The large variation in the Cr concentration of the morning urine (0.01-2.7 mumol/1) and blood (0.05-1.43 mumol/1) indicated large personal variations of body burden among the exposed welders. The retention rate of magnetic dust in the lungs correlated well (P less than 0.01) with the daily mean increase of Cr in blood. Very good correlations (P less than 0.001) were found between the retention rate of magnetic dust and the personal air samples of Cr and Cr(VI).

Relation between various chromium compounds and some other elements in fumes from manual metal arc stainless steel welding.

“…This was determined from regression lines y = kx + k. Participation ofparticular Cr forms in relation to total Cr was determined in the same way ( fig 6, table 4). The relations presented indicate that participation of particular Cr forms compared with total Cr content in all samples determined (samples exceeding the sensitivity of the method) was similar (table 4) Our studies, performed in detail for the first time in Polish industry, indicated that the TWA (8 Also, the presence of some other processes applied in the vicinity affects the chemical composition of the background: under certain conditions, the background may significantly affect the fumes collected in the breathing zone, although usually the background concentration of fumes measured with stationary samplers constitutes about one tenth of that found in the breathing zone.6 17 Relations exist between concentrations of elements in fumes and distance from the welding area. The results of our studies indicate that MMA/SS fumes and their elements are usually more concentrated in Table 2 the breathing zone than in the workplaces.…”

Evaluation of the genetic alterations in direct and indirect exposures of hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] in leather tanning industry workers North Arcot District, South India

“…To assess the Cr exposure and uptake, biological monitoring has been used in addition to air monitoring and since 1960s, urinary Cr has been considered as a valid indicator of recent Cr exposure (Linderberg and Vesterberg 1983;Rahkonen et al 1983;Welinder et al 1983;McAughey et al 1988;IARC 1990). In total Cr exposure due to air, the DE subjects show 0.101 ± 0.003 mg/m 3 , which was higher compared to IE subjects and controls.…”

Occupational health risks among the workers employed in leather tanneries at Kanpur

“…Our study confirms the earlier reports that the biological levels of chromium (in urine and blood) are good indicators of the exposure level of chromium at the work place. [28–30] Thus, air and biological monitoring can effectively be used for assessing the external and internal exposure to chromium and associated health risks among the exposed human population in epidemiological health surveys. [20]…”