Are you welding your life away?  

Occupation as a welder has long been associated with an increase in the risk of lung cancer. This could be as high as 25%–40%  

A study ⁽¹⁾ of 2,197 male incident lung cancer cases and 2,295 controls from Romania, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom from 1998 to 2001 was undertaken. Information on risk factors was collected through face-to-face interviews. Experts assessed exposure to 70 agents, and risk estimates were adjusted for smoking and occupational exposures.  Information on risk factors was collected through face-to-face interviews. Experts assessed exposure to 70 agents, and risk estimates were adjusted for smoking and occupational exposures.  

The results of the study do not show a clear and increased risk of lung cancer linked to occupational exposure to gas and/or arc welding fumes among medium/heavy smokers, constituting about 75% of our study subjects. However, the results do indicate an increased risk due to both gas and arc welding fumes among never and mild smokers, and the risks are higher among those subjects with higher cumulative exposure. 

In a new study published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine,⁽²⁾ the French researchers found the dose-response relationship between regular welding and lung cancer was exacerbated when the work surface was covered in paint, grease or cleaning chemicals like acid or gasoline. 

Based on a survey of 2276 male workers who regularly welded, the study found "a frequency of welding over five per cent of working time was associated with a 70 per cent increase in the risk of lung cancer", and that the risk increased with duration of welding activity. 

The questionnaire also explored the prevalence of substances like paint and grease on welding surfaces, as well as the method used to clean surfaces. 

Welders who only cleaned their surfaces with chemicals had a higher risk of lung cancer compared to those who mechanically cleaned them, with the highest risk observed for workers cleaning with acid, followed by gasoline. 

Similarly, the risk of lung cancer increased when work surfaces were covered in paint, grease or other substances, and where welders only used gas welders over arc welders. 

The risks were doubled for workers who started welding more than 35 years before the study for a duration of at least 10 years. 

The study found there was no substantial risk among occasional welders. 

(1)   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3544431/ 

(2) http://oem.bmj.com/content/early/2016/02/10/oemed-2015-102964.abstract