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LINKING PEOPLE, JOINING NATIONS
confirmed the previous findings of C-VIII that there was an inherent
excess risk of cancer in welders, although the evidence of links to the
fume or its constituents was not strong, and that the work environment
was likely to increase that risk. As before, exposure to asbestos from
sources other than welding and tobacco were causative effects that
also contributed significantly to that risk.
There were still a number of unknowns and a
need to undertake further research into likely causes,
particularly the health effects of ultrafine particles. This
research received greater impetus with the holding
of an International Seminar on the
Exposure to
Ultrafine Particles in Welding Fume
in Hannover, Germany in February
2009. One researcher who was prominent in the organisation of the seminar,
which was held in conjunction with a C-VIII Intermediate Meeting, was
Spiegel-Ciobanu, a national delegate to C-VIII for many years, who was
instrumental in preparing a best practice document on the exposure of
welders to nitrous oxides that could cause serious eye and nose irritation
as well as respiratory tract infections. The work of Spiegel-Ciobanu and
the Scientific Committee on Occupational Exposure Limit Values (SCOEL),
under the auspices of the European Commission, was of primary interest to
the welding community and researchers, as were the recommendations to
limit or eliminate exposure to nitrogen oxide in fumes and to substantially
decrease exposure limits for welders in workplaces.
46
This topic resulted in considerable debate and discussion by C-VIII on international
trends in the reduction of exposure limits in welding fume and the significant number of
constituents in this fume. This was particularly true since 2001 when The Netherlands
mounted a concerted campaign against a proposed increase in exposure limits. From this
point on, under the guidance of Dr David Jordan (UK), the importance of emissions and
the identification of hazardous substances in the fume remained a constant focus of the
activities of C-VIII.
47
This was especially true for oxy-acetylene and plasma processes,
all of which were elements of the best practice statement prepared by Spiegel-Ciobanu
for eventual publication by IIW and the
Fume Data Sheets
that were issued by IIW for
consideration and advice to the welding community.
From an operational point of view C-VIII was to take an increasing interest in the
education and training of personnel in health, safety and the environment and formed a
joint working group with Commission XIV
Education and Training
(C-XIV) to progress
this further. The IIW IAB had provided further oxygen for this initiative since it had been
Vilia Elena Spiegel-Ciobanu