Exposure assessment of aluminum arc welding radiation.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the non-ionizing radiation (NIR) exposure, especially optical radiation levels, and potential health hazard from aluminum arc welding processes based on the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) method. The irradiance from the optical radiation emissions can be calculated with various biological effective parameters [i.e., S(lambda), B(lambda), R(lambda)] for NIR hazard assessments. The aluminum arc welding processing scatters bright light with NIR emission including ultraviolet radiation (UVR), visible, and infrared spectra. The UVR effective irradiance (Eeff) has a mean value of 1,100 microW cm at 100 cm distance from the arc spot. The maximum allowance time (tmax) is 2.79 s according to the ACGIH guideline. Blue-light hazard effective irradiance (EBlue) has a mean value of 1840 microW cm (300-700 nm) at 100 cm with a tmax of 5.45 s exposure allowance. Retinal thermal hazard effective calculation shows mean values of 320 mW cm(-2) sr(-1) and 25.4 mW (cm-2) (380-875 nm) for LRetina (spectral radiance) and ERetina (spectral irradiance), respectively. From this study, the NIR measurement from welding optical radiation emissions has been established to evaluate separate types of hazards to the eye and skin simultaneously. The NIR exposure assessment can be applied to other optical emissions from industrial sources. The data from welding assessment strongly suggest employees involved in aluminum welding processing must be fitted with appropriate personal protection devices such as masks and gloves to prevent serious injuries of the skin and eyes upon intense optical exposure.
Peng
Chiung-yu
CY
Graduate Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Kaohsiung Medical Univeristy, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Lan
Cheng-hang
CH
Juang
Yow-jer
YJ
Tsao
Ta-ho
TH
Dai
Yu-tung
YT
Liu
Hung-hsin
HH
Chen
Chiou-jong
CJ
D000535:Aluminum; D007259:Infrared Rays; D008669:Metallurgy; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011874:Radiometry / Q000379:methods*; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013624:Taiwan; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D014896:Welding
D000535:Aluminum