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Hello! My name is Mac. On behalf of expertvillage.com, I would like to continue our discussion on
shielded metal arc welding or stick welding it is commonly referred to. One other thing
that a welder needs to be aware of is that the fumes that come off of the welding arc
can sometimes be toxic. A welder needs to be very careful about what he welds on. For
instance welding on old painted steel can pose a problem if the paint was lead based.
The smoke will contain vaporized lead and can cause lead poisoning. Inhaling it can
be very toxic to a welder. Also welding on some of the newer types of paints like chromium
paints, chromate paints can also cause toxic fumes. Something that is very important is
that a welder should never weld on galvanized steel, unless you grind the galvanize off,
you can get a poisoning from it called fume fever. What happens is the zinc boils out
of the galvanize comes up into the air as a zinc gas, you inhale it and it can make
you feel very sick. It is almost like a bad case of flu. So be very careful about that.
Try to ventilate the fumes away from you or wear the appropriate mask. Welding fumes as
a whole are not dreadfully toxic, but they can become very concentrated in closed areas.
It is best to have a supply of fresh air if you can, fans, blowers, etc. Try to get the
fumes out of the area, supply fresh air to yourself or wear the appropriate breathing
masks under your helmet. There are some that are available to try and limit your exposure
so that you don’t end up making yourself sick.