Journal of Occupational and Environmetal Medicine. Vol. 56, Iss. 1, January 2014
Relationship Between Welding Fume Concentration and Systemic Inflammation After Controlled Exposure of Human Subjects With Welding Fumes From Metal Inert Gas Brazing of Zinc-Coated Materials
Riassunto
Objectives: It has been shown that exposure of subjects to emissions from a metal inert gas (MIG) brazing process of zinc-coated material led to an increase of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in the blood. In this study, the no-observed-effect level (NOEL) for such emissions was assessed.
Methods: Twelve healthy subjects were exposed for 6 hours to different concentrations of MIG brazing fumes under controlled conditions. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein was measured in the blood.
Results: For welding fumes containing 1.20 and 1.50 mg m−3 zinc, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein was increased the day after exposure. For 0.90 mg m−3 zinc, no increase was detected.
Conclusions: These data indicate that the no-observed-effect level for emissions from a MIG brazing process of zinc-coated material in respect to systemic inflammation is found for welding fumes with zinc concentrations between 0.90 and 1.20 mg m−3.