Safety and Health Fact Sheet No. 25 January 2002  2002 American Welding Society

Zn ZnO

METAL FUME FEVER

OVERVIEW encounter these symptoms, contact a Metal Fume Fever is the name for an illness physician and have a medical examination / that is caused primarily by exposure to zinc evaluation. There is no information in the oxide fume (ZnO) in the workplace. The main literature regarding the effects of long–term cause of this exposure is usually breathing exposure to zinc oxide fumes. the fumes from welding, cutting, or brazing on galvanized metal. Metal Fume Fever is an PERMISSIBLE EXPOSURE LIMIT (PEL) acute allergic condition experienced by The current OSHA standard for zinc oxide many welders during their occupational fume is 5 milligrams of zinc oxide fume per lifetimes. Studies indicate that the most cubic meter of air (mg/m3 ) averaged over an common cause of metal fume fever is eight–hour work shift. NIOSH recommends overexposure to zinc fumes from welding, that the permissible exposure limit be burning, or brazing galvanized steel. Since changed to 5 mg/m3 averaged over a work galvanized steel is more and more common shift of up to 10 hours per day, 40 hours per in industry, the chances of welders having to week, with a Short–Term Exposure Limit work on it are occurring more frequently all (STEL) of 10 mg/m3 averaged over a the time. Other elements, such as copper 15–minute period. Consult the NIOSH and magnesium, may cause similar effects. standard, Criteria Document for Zinc Oxide, listed in the Information Sources for more detailed information. EFFECTS OF OVEREXPOSURE Zinc oxide fumes cause a flu–like illness HOW TO AVOID THE HAZARD called Metal Fume Fever. Symptoms of • Metal Fume Fever include headache, fever, Keep your head out of the fumes. chills, muscle aches, thirst, nausea, vomit- • Do not breathe fumes. ing, chest soreness, fatigue, gastrointestinal pain, weakness, and tiredness. The symp- • Use enough ventilation, exhaust at the arc, toms usually start several hours after or both, to keep fumes and gases from your exposure; the attack may last 6 to 24 hours. breathing zone and the general area. Complete recovery generally occurs without • If adequacy of the ventilation or exhaust is intervention within 24 to 48 hours. Metal uncertain, have your exposure measured Fume Fever is more likely to occur after a and compared to the Threshold Limit period away from the job (after weekends or Values (TLV) in the Material Safety Data vacations). High levels of exposure may Sheet (MSDS) for the galvanized material. cause a metallic or sweet taste in the mouth,

dry and irritated throat, thirst, and coughing at the time of the exposure. Several hours • Never take chances with welding fumes. If after exposure, a low–grade fever (seldom none of this is adequate or practical, wear higher than 102_ F or 39_ C). Then comes an approved respirator, air–supplied or sweating and chills before temperature otherwise, that adequately removes the returns to normal in 1 to 4 hours. If you fumes from your breathing zone.

Fact Sheet No. 25 – 1/02 Page 1 RESPIRATORS • Short–Term Exposure Limit (STEL) Evaluation Good safe practices recommend using engineering controls, such as local exhaust Take the measurements during periods of and/or general ventilation, to reduce the maximum expected concentrations of zinc exposure level to zinc oxide fumes. However, oxide fume. Take a 15–minute sample or a there are times when such practices and series of consecutive samples totaling 15 controls are not feasible, or are in the minutes. Collect the samples in the em- process of being installed, or are down ployee’s breathing zone (air that would most during periods of failure. Then respirators nearly represent that inhaled by the are needed. Respirators are often used for employee). Take a minimum of three operations in confined spaces, such as tanks measurements on one work shift––the or closed vessels, and in emergency highest measurement taken is an estimate of situations. Always use only respirators that the person’s exposure. are approved by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) or by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health SUMMARY (NIOSH). Here are the main points when dealing with galvanized metal: • Metal Fume Fever is the result of overexposure to zinc fumes from welding, cutting, or brazing on galvanized steel. MONITORING AND MEASUREMENT PRO- CEDURES • Metal Fume Fever is a short–term illness with classic flu–like symptoms. • Eight–Hour Exposure Evaluation • The permissible exposure limit (PEL) Exposure measurements are best taken so according to OSHA is 5 milligrams of zinc the eight–hour exposure is based on a single oxide fume per cubic meter of air––always eight–hour sample or on two four–hour monitor and measure your breathing air. samples. Several short–time interval sam- • To avoid the illness, keep your head out of ples (up to 30 minutes) may be used, but are the fumes and do not breathe the fumes. not preferred. The air samples should be Use enough proper ventilation and/or taken by a qualified person using approved exhaust. If uncertain about the ventilation, collection methods and devices. Take the use an approved respirator. samples in the employee’s breathing zone (air that would most nearly represent that • There are no known long–term effects of inhaled by the employee). this disease.

INFORMATION SOURCES National Institute for Occupational Safety American Welding Society (AWS) Study. and Health. Criteria for a Recommended Fumes and Gases in the Welding Envi- Standard – Occupational Exposure to Zinc ronment, available from American Welding Oxide, DHEW, NIOSH Publication No. Society, 550 N.W. LeJeune Road, Miami, FL 76–104; NTIS Publication No. PB–246–693, 33126 available from National Technical Informa- tion Service (NTIS), 5285 Port Royal Road, American Conference of Governmental Springfield, VA 22161. Industrial Hygienists publication, Threshold

Page 2 Fact Sheet No. 25 – 1/02 Limit Values (TLV) for Chemical Substances The following references include the and Physical Agents in the Workroom specific precautionary methods used to Environment, available from American Con- protect against exposure to fumes and ference of Governmental Industrial Hygie- gases: nists (ACGIH), 1330 Kemper Meadow Drive, American National Standards Institute Cincinnati, OH 45240. (ANSI). Safety in Welding, Cutting, and Allied Processes, Z49.1, available from American Occupational Safety and Health Administra- Welding Society, 550 N.W. LeJeune Road, tion (OSHA). Code Of Federal Regula- Miami, FL 33126. tions,Title 29 Labor, Chapter XVII, Parts 1901.1 to 1910.1450, Order No. National Institute for Occupational Safety 869–019–00111–5, available from Superin- and Health (NIOSH). Safety and Health in tendent of Documents, U.S. Government Arc Welding and Gas Welding and Cutting, Printing Office, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, NIOSH Publication No. 78–138, available PA 15250. from National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Robt. Taft Labs, 4676 American Conference of Governmental Columbia Pkwy, Cincinnati, OH 45226. Industrial Hygienists, Documentation of the American National Standards Institute Threshold Limit Values and Biological (ANSI). Method for Sampling Airborne Exposure Indices, available from American Particulates Generated by Welding and Conference of Governmental Industrial Allied Processes, F1.1, available from Hygienists (ACGIH), 1330 Kemper Meadow American Welding Society, 550 N.W. Le- Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45240. Jeune Road, Miami, FL 33126.

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