I want to commend you on the article "Nothing Says Healthy Living Like a Breath of Fresh Air" [The FABRICATOR~R, August 2005, page 42]. Author Mike Harris gave an excellent primer on the health effects of exposure to welding fumes, sources of fumes, exposure limits, and proactive measures that can be taken to protect welders. He can be forgiven for stopping short of stating the obvious, so I will: Companies need to take the issue of welding fumes seriously as a matter of their own financial protection. (Can you spell asbestos?) In his discussion of hazard prevention and control, Mr. Harris can also be forgiven for omitting another, more subtle measure that can help reduce exposure-changing the material being welded. This can't always be done, but in the case of welding low-carbon, flat-rolled, pickled and oiled sheet, something important can be done: Switch to a clean, oil-free low-carbon steel.
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