U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE 


CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL 


NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH 


CINC INNATI, OHfO 45226 


HEALTH HAZARD EVALUATION DETERMINATION 

REPORT NO . 77-24-366 

KAISER MARINE FACILITY 


VALLEJO , CALIFORNIA 


MARCH 1977 

I. TOXICITY DETERMINATION 

Based upon the work practices observed and the conditions at the job site 

at the tin-.:! of the NIOSH investigation on January 5, 1977, it has been 

determined that welding fumes probably do not represent a health hazard 

to the approximately l1 machinists who have potential exposures. ·This determination is based upon the best judgment of t he NIOSH 

investigator since the welding job which precipitated the off kial request had been completed prior to NIOSH's visit and could not be dupli cat ed. 

I I. DISTRIBUTION AND AVAI.LABILITY Of DETERMINATION REPORT 

Copies of thi's Deterniinatton Report are currently available llpon request 

from NIOSH, Division of Technical Services, Information and Dissemination 

Section, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226. After 90 days the 

report will be available through the National Technical Information Service 

(NTIS), Springfield, Virginia. Infonnation regarding its availability through NTIS can be obtained from NIOSH, Publications Office at the Cin

cinnati address . 

Copies of this report have been sent to: 

a) Kaiser Marine (Kaiser Steel Corporation) b) Authorized Representative of Employees c) Cal/OSHA 

d) U.S . Department of labor - Region IX 

e) NIOSH - Region IX 

For the purposes of informing the approximately 11 °affected 11 employees, the employer shall 11 post 11 the Determination Report for a period of 30 

calendar days in a prominent place(s) near where exposed employees work. 

III . INTRODUCTION 

• 

Section 20(a)(6) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, 29 U.S.C. 

669(a)(6), authorizes the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, 

­
Page 2 - Health Hazard Evaluation Determination Report No. 77-24 

following a written request by any employer or authorized representative of employees, to determine whether any substance normally found in the 

place of employment has potentially toxic effects in such concentrations 

as used or found. 

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH} received 

such a request from an employee representative concerning the possibility of a health hazard due to welding fl.Mles from arc welding on zinc-plated 

or painted steel in confined ~reas. 

IV. HEALTH HAZARD EVALUATION 

A. Plant process - Conditions of use 

The Kaiser Marine facility is part of the Kaiser Steel Corporation which 

employs about 200 workers who are represented by 15 separate unions. This 

hazard evaluation was requested by a representative of a local of the International Association .of Machinists which represents approximately 11 mechanics. 

The Kaiser facility is involved in construction of sea-going vessels of all 

types . The alleged health hazard involved welding fumes generated while 

welders worked inside the "colU11J1s" of a hugh Oil Exploratory Drilling Rig. 

Welding on paint-coated steel and ztnc-plated (galvanized) steel was supposedly being conducted without adequate ventilation and safeguards. 

B. Evaluation Methods 

Since the Drilling Rig was almost complete, welding had ceased in the columns. 

Therefore, it was impossible to document the rrechanics' exposure to welding 

ftmJes when they had entered the columns. It was decided during the opening conference that the best possible course of action was to tour the columns 

and note the safeguards against excess build-up of welding fumes, the type 

of metal welded, and whether any conditions could result in excess welding 

fume concentrations in the work area. Also, it was agreed that the presence of complaints by workers would be noted. 

C. Evaluation Criteria 

a. Envi ronmenta1 

Welding fumes cannot be classified simply as a single substance since the 

composition of the fumes will vary with the process. The American Con­ ference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists' (ACGIH} Threshold Limit 

Value (TLV) for welding fumes is 5 mg/m3 determined as a time-weighted 

average. The TLV is for total particulate only and may be superceded by the TLV's for individual more toxic substances if generated in the welding 

fume. In general, most welding, even with minimal ventilation will not 

produce exposures inside the welding helmet above 5 mg/m3 llJ. 

1 

ACGIH: Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances and Physical 

Agents in the Workroom Environment for 1976, · pp. 44-45 •. 
Page 3 - Health Hazard Evaluation Determination Report No. 77-24 

At Kaiser Marine, the main type of welding is shielded carbon arc welding. Some of the Comnon health hazards which may be associated with 

a re welding under adverse conditions a re: 

a) Ozone 

b) Oxides of Nitrogen c) Fumes of gases from the electrode coatings or fluxes 

d) Fumes of any coatings (zinc, lead, cadmium, etc.) used on the 

metal being welded. 

b. Medical Criteria 

The best indication of excess welding fume exposure is the presence of 

signs and symptoms among the welders. These signs and symptoms will 

vary with the particular contaminant. Ozone and the oxides of nitrogen 

are upper respiratory tract irritants. Zinc oxide overexposure may result 

in transient flu-like symptoms. Inhalation of h"igh concentrations of other 

metallic fumes is more serious and may result in the appearance tf the signs 

or symptoms of the well-defined syndromes of the particular metal fume hazard. 

D. Evaluation Results and Discussion 

As noted previously, welding in the columns had terminated and it was im­ possible to detennine the mechanics' actual exposures to welding fumes. 

A walk-thru survey of the Drilling Rig was done on January 5, 1977. The 

following areas of the platfonn were surveyed: Mudhouse, Drill Deck, 

Crew's Quarters (first and second 1evels), Switchgear Room, Engine Room, 

Sack Room, and Emergency Compressor Room. Welding was being done in these 

areas but no significant build-up of welding fumes was observed. Many of 

these areas had openings to the outside and large exhaust fans. W1th 

natural ventilation from the prevailing winds , fumes were minimal in these 

areas. 

Column A-1 was also surveyed and is one of four identical columns. The 

column is divided into 35-foot sections and has a diameter of 30 feet. 

Mechanical ventilati on was provided to draw air from the bottom of the 

column and out the top. Additionally, portable exhaust fans which removed fu~s to the outside were provided to welders. These controls 

seemed adequate to take care of welding fume build-up in the column. 

The majority of welding was done on carbon steel with standard welding rods. The only welding on galvanized steel was at the base of each 

ladder in each section of the column . Thuss welding on galvanized steel 

was extremely minimal . No welding on paint-coated steel was done in any of the columns • 
Page 4 - Health Hazard Evaluation Determination Report No. 77-24 

The presence of signs or symptoms of welding fume exposure was apparently nonexistent among the 11 mechanics now employed at Kaiser according to the 

business representative of the machinist's union. The four employees who 

had initiated the request were no longer employed at the company and their 

health effects could not be substantiated. Also, no complaints of adverse 

effects have been reported to the company by the approximately 80 welders. 

E. Conclusions 

Based on the work practices observed and the type of welding being done, 

it was determined that welding fumes probably do not represent a health 

hazard. The conditions of welding in the column, however, could not be 

duplieated and conclusions were based on visual observations. Also, 

nechanics do not weld but rotate in and out of areas where welding is 

done . Therefore, without monitoring mechanics during actual exposures, envi ronmenta 1 levels could not be determined. 

V. RECOMMENDATIONS 

In spite of the fact that a health hazard could not be found, welding fumes can be a potential hazard. Therefore, management should continue 

its current program of ventilation controls when welding is being done 

and should obtain a copy of a NIOSH Criteria Document on welding which 

is to be published this year. This document wi !l contain NfOSH's recommended standard and work practices for welding operations . 

VI. AUTHORSHIP AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

Report Prepared By: Melvin T. Okawa 

Regional Industrial Hygienist NIOSH, Region IX 

San Francisco, California 

Originating Office: Jerome P. Fl escht; Acting Chief 

Hazard Evaluation and 

Technical Assistance Branch 

Cincinnati, Ohio