Advanced search
176
Views
5
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Articles

Heavy metals found in the breathing zone, toenails and lung function of welders working in an air-conditioned welding workplace

ORCID Icon, , , &
Pages 646-651
Accepted author version posted online: 29 Aug 2017
Published online: 22 Sep 2017

Welding operations are rarely conducted in an air-conditioned room. However, a company would set its welding operations in an air-conditioned room to maintain the humidity level needed to reduce hydrogen cracks in the specimen being welded. This study intended to assess the exposure to metal elements in the welders' breathing zone and toenail samples. Heavy metal concentration was analysed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The lung function test was also conducted and analysed using statistical approaches. Chromium and manganese concentrations in the breathing zone exceeded the permissible exposure limit stipulated by Malaysian regulations. A similar trend was obtained in the concentration of heavy metals in the breathing zone air sampling and in the welders' toenails. Although there was no statistically significant decrease in the lung function of welders, it is suggested that exposure control through engineering and administrative approaches should be considered for workplace safety and health improvement.

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the cooperation given by the company management and all of the welders who took part in this study.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. This research has permission from the respondents and also approval of the IIUM Research Ethics Committee (IREC) that operates in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, International Conference of Harmonization Good Clinical Practice Guidelines (ICH-GCP), Malaysia Good Clinical Practice Guidelines and Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) International Ethical Guidelines.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education under the Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) [grant number 1539].

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
EUR 47.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
EUR 135.00 Add to cart

Purchase access via tokens

  • Choose from packages of 10, 20, and 30 tokens
  • Can use on articles across multiple libraries & subject collections
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded & printed
From EUR 400.00
per package
Learn more
* Local tax will be added as applicable
 

Related research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.