What Is Metal Fume Fever? How To Prevent It?
An acute allergic condition, the metal fume fever, has been seen to impact most people involved directly or indirectly with welding, soldering, and other such metal manufacturing processes that release harmful fumes and gas. When in contact with such harmful substances for an extended period of time, both direct workers, and others in the vicinity, can experience a whole lot of health problems. One such acute health issue observed is metal fume fever.
What is metal fume fever?
Metal fume fever is a health issue that is caused by the inhalation of toxic fumes that are released when certain metals are cut, joined, melted, and welded, using sources of electricity or heat. It is a flu-like illness that causes symptoms like fever, chills, fatigue, cough, wheezing, tightness in the chest, nausea, dizziness, weakness, muscle aches, gastrointestinal pain, headache, and a lot more. The most common cause of metal fume fever is zinc oxide, the inhalation of which can provoke a number of clinical responses, accompanied by changes in composition of bronchoalveolar fluid, including early increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines, inflammatory marker, and recruitment of inflammatory cells in the lungs. However, other metals like steel, copper, magnesium, and cadmium have also shown to emit toxic fumes. The symptoms start to appear several hours after exposure, typically some 3 to 10 hours after heavy exposure.
How can metal fume fever be prevented?
Why even think of getting metal fume fever cured, when there are ways to prevent it beforehand!? If you take steps to prevent such hazards to occur in the first place, you’ll be saving on a lot – the lives of your workers, the well-being of their families, and the environment of your workplace, which in turn will bring better profit for your business. Preventing metal fume fever begins with ending exposure to harmful and toxic fumes and gases. And this, can be done by the use of efficient and effective fume extraction.
What is a fume extraction system?
Fume extraction systems are special systems designed to combat the health hazards that industrial machine operators are faced with every day. Ranging in welding booths to extraction arms, there are a wide range of solutions available, but one particular ideal solution for almost every kind of protection is Powertech Pollution Controls’ Fumekiller. This special welding fume extractor is a high-efficiency two-stage electrostatic precipitator that is designed and developed for the capture and control of fumes, mist, smoke, and fine dust. What makes this fume extractor unique is its washable and re-usable filter modules that reduce the maintenance and running costs of the system, as compared to conventional mechanical filters. Also, the system incorporates many unique safety features like limit switches, motor protection, and high voltage fault trip circuitry, which enables safe, reliable, and efficient functioning. The Fumekiller thus contributes to a safer and healthier work environment, where toxic airborne pollutants are removed, efficiently and cost-effectively. What’s more? This effective extractor system can be used in a variety of applications like welding, heat treatment, oil quenching, annealing, soldering, wave soldering, dip tinning, wire drawing, die casting, rubber curing, and much more!