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Every metal processor should know these days that welding fumes are harmful.  Yet, one question gets asked over and over again: What are welding fumes exactly? Just looking at the composition gives an indication of what hazards are behind welding fumes and why welding fume extraction is important.

Nitrous gases are often responsible for acute poisoning when welding. They occur during gas welding and arc welding processes. Due to current occupational medicine findings, the occupational exposure limits for nitrous gases were significantly lowered in May 2016.

The quality of an extraction hood is of utmost importance to ensure that welders accept the welding fumes extraction system. Thanks to a special design, the extraction hood with flange requires 40% less repositioning than standard extraction hoods. It is not just the flange that distinguishes it from standard systems. 

Occupational safety during welding is prescribed by law. To this day, however, some companies still use no effective equipment for occupational safety such as extraction plants. We are talking to Marco Baumgärtner about what he finds out when visiting companies, how he conducts conversations and what the trends are. The Area Sales Manager for Southern Germany in interview with KEMPER GmbH.

Wherever welding takes place, an extraction table is normally not far off. It is not just used as a material support, but also ensures the safety of the employees from the large fine dust volumes when operating the cutting plant - seven facts on what makes an effective extraction table.

International cancer researchers determined that welding smoke is carcinogenic, in a recently published article. According to the cancer research agency of the World Health Organization, welding smoke has so far only been classified as possibly carcinogenic. With the new classification, the scientists adapted the estimation of the risks posed by welding smoke on the basis of new findings from several studies.

Welding with additives containing manganese promotes the occurrence of symptoms that are similar to those of Parkinson's disease. The higher the manganese content in the welding fumes, the more marked are the symptoms that arise. These are the findings of a recent study.

Greater awareness about the dangers of welding fumes is needed. Occupational safety is often still poor despite the high risk potential. In this interview, the trained welder Tim Formell describes his experiences as a welder - surely not the general rule, but still a terrible example on how companies gamble with the health of their employees.