HOW DO WELDING FUMES FIT INTO YOUR EMISSIONS INVENTORY?

摘要

IF your company makes welded tube or pipe or uses welding in its fabrication processes, you might have noticed a change over the last couple of years in how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regards welding fumes. Welding processes that warranted only mild concern in the past have become sources of great concern recently. The welding processes haven't changed; the way EPA inspectors regard them has changed. Many permitting authorities used to regard welding fumes as either minimal or controlled if the facility had health and safety systems to protect the workers. In recent years, though, many permit reviewers have changed their tune and have begun using the EPA's AP-42, "Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors." Although this document is the most commonly used and widely accepted tool for estimating air emissions, it's not detailed in its coverage of welding and cutting processes. Chapter 12, Section 19, which addresses electric arc welding, has not been updated (other than a correction of a typographical error) since it was published in January 1995. This means that your local EPA inspector is likely relying on a document that, while thorough in many topics, isn't well-suited to modern or current welding techniques.