TESTING & CONSULTING SERVICES
WELDING METAL / FUME TESTING
The welding process produces visible smoke that contains harmful metal fume and gas by-products. Welding fumes are a complex mixture of metallic oxides, silicates and fluorides. Fumes are formed when a metal is heated above its boiling point and its vapors condense into very fine, particles (solid particulates). Welding fumes generally contain particles from the electrode and the material being welded.
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Creating Safe & Healthy Working Spaces Through Testing & Monitoring
Experience & Expertise
Count on SR Quality Monitoring to provide you with timely, professional expertise in all our occupational and industrial hygiene testing services. We’re Here to help.
Fabrication Shops
Let us help you test, monitor, and develop mitigation options for ventilation and potentially harmful fume evacuation.
Enclosed Spaces
Let us help you test, monitor, and develop mitigation options for ventilation and potentially harmful fume evacuation from enclosed spaces like tanks, structures, and other confined spaces.
Outdoor Welding
Outdoor welding in poorly ventilated areas can also pose a health hazard. We can assess and test the potential risks based on localized testing and monitoring.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Welding & Metal Fume Testing & Monitoring
Know your base material and check the Safety Data Sheet (SDS). The suppliers of welding materials must provide an SDS or equivalent documentation identifying the hazardous materials, if any, used in welding and cutting products.
Yes, the composition of welding fumes is determined by the metals in the material being welded, the composition of the electrode, coatings, and other factors such as:
- Fluxes containing silica or fluoride produce amorphous silica, metallic silicates, and fluoride fumes.
- Fumes from mild steel welding contain mostly iron with small amounts of additive metals (chromium, nickel, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, titanium, cobalt, copper, etc.).
- Stainless steels can have larger amounts of chromium, including hexavalent chromium, or nickel in the fume and lesser amounts of iron.
- Nickel alloys have much more nickel in the fume and very little iron.
Vapors or fumes can come from coatings and residues on the metal being welded. Some ingredients in coatings can have toxic effects. These ingredients include:
- metal working fluids, oils, and rust inhibitors
- zinc on galvanized steel (vaporizes to produce zinc oxide fume)
- cadmium plating
- chromates
- vapors from paints and solvents
- lead oxide primer paints
- plastic coatings
