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‘Concerning’: Study finds 90% of welders exposed to carcinogens
Experts fear the fumes could become the new asbestos or silica after research uncovered the issue’s true scale, with GPs urged to help educate their patients.
A study found 90% of welders are exposed to ‘welding fume’.
A respiratory expert says GPs play a crucial role in educating their patients on the dangers of carcinogens at work, after an alarming study revealed that most welders are at risk.
Already, public health experts have drawn comparisons to the danger of asbestos or silica exposure, with scientists raising significant concerns about workplace safety and the tradies at risk.
The joint University of Sydney and Curtin University study found as many as 46,000 Australian welders are exposed to high levels of dangerous, potentially cancer-causing fumes at work.
It also said there are not enough workplace safety measures currently to protect them.
‘The lack of use of these controls by Australian welders is concerning and needs to be a focus of attention by regulators and companies,’ the study concluded.
Dr Kerry Hancock, Chair of RACGP Specific Interests Respiratory Medicine, said GPs must be aware of this new finding and its implications for general practice and patient education.
‘There are Australian, in this case, workers exposed to welding fumes, who are putting themselves at risk of significant respiratory disease, including lung cancer, by inadequate controls in their workplaces,’ she told newsGP.
‘Although it is imperative that workplaces implement effective controls to protect workers and health monitoring, it is expected that GPs have a general awareness of hazards in a patient’s environment, including their work environment, as part of holistic person-centred care.’
For the study, researchers recruited 634 workers and employers involved in welding in Australia and quizzed them about their work tasks, working environment, and safety measures implemented.
Alarmingly, they found 91% of welders are exposed to ‘welding fume’, a mixture of fine particles and gases produced when a metal is heated above its boiling point, which is a known carcinogen in humans.
They added that it is also highly likely other carcinogenic metals are present, such as hexavalent chromium, a common contaminant that arises during welding, as well as stainless steel and nickel.
It was revealed that two thirds of respondents welded in restricted spaces and almost half worked in confined spaces.
Additionally, 86% reported leaning over the welding area while working and putting their breathing zone directly above the fume source.
Exposure was more likely to be high among respondents who worked in mining or construction, or those from rural areas.
With this knowledge in mind, Dr Hancock said GPs can play a key role in assessing patients’ risk.
‘Occupational screening questions can be incorporated into the patient history to identify potential exposures in the workplace and what protective measures are in place … and to also elicit information that may be contributing to the patients’ symptoms,’ she said.
‘GPs have a very important role to emphasise to their patients the importance of adhering to recommended protective controls, if available, and assisting with advocacy on their behalf if the workplace controls are inadequate.’
Dr Hancock said these occupational screening questions can include:
- What kind of work do you do?
- How do you do your work?
- Are your symptoms better at home or worse when you are work?
- Are you now or have you previously been exposed to dust, fumes, chemicals, radiation, infectious diseases, or loud noise at your workplace?
- Do you think your health problems are related to your work? Why?
- Do other workers have similar symptoms associated with the same exposure?
The research comes amid tough new rules aimed at preventing silicosis cases, with
around 10,390 Australians predicted to develop lung cancer in their lifetime as a direct result of the dust.
As of 1 July, the manufacture, supply, processing and installation of engineered stone benchtops, panels, and slabs has been banned.
Public Health Association Chief Executive Terry Slevin said the study revealed serious health risks which must be reduced.
‘We have seen strong action to reduce the health problems linked to asbestos and silica – this is another example where Australia’s health and safety legislation must be put to work to protect our tens of thousands of welders,’ he said.
‘This study demands every professional welder in Australia be supplied with upgraded protective equipment to make their work as safe as humanly possible.
‘We have the technology, now we need to ensure it is mandatory to use it in our workplaces.’
The researchers confirmed a future study will examine more precise levels of exposure to welding fume and the use of control measures in workplaces.
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