Exposure Assessment of Welders to Extremely Low Frequency Magnetic Fields

Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the patterns of exposure of welders to strong magnetic fields for extended periods of time on the basis of their daily activities as recorded in a logbook. Methods: Male workers whose main job is welding, specifically seven welders occupied with gas tungsten arc welding(GTAW), two performing shielded metal arc welding(SMAW), and ten engaged in gas metal arc welding(GMAW), were measured in terms of the degree to which they were exposed to extremely low frequency(ELF) magnetic fields over 24 hours by using an electromagnetic field meter(EMF meter), as well as based on a daily activity log. Results: The welders were exposed to $1.25{\pm}4.95{\mu}T$ of magnetic field per day on average. For those who spent more than half a day-735.26 minutes, or 51.1% of the day-at work, the figure averages $3.88{\pm}8.85{\mu}T$ with a maximum value of $221.28{\mu}T$. The subject welders spent $338.14{\pm}154.95$ minutes per day at home. During their stays at home, they were exposed to an average of $0.17{\pm}0.06{\mu}T$ with a maximum value of $3.50{\mu}T$. The maximum exposure of $221.28{\mu}T$ occurred when welders performed GMAW. The average exposure reached its highest at $17.71{\pm}6.96{\mu}T$ when conducting SMAW. Magnetic field exposure also depends upon posture: welders who sat while welding were exposed five times more than those who stood during work, and this difference is statistically significant. As for the relationship between distance from the welding power supply and maximum magnetic field exposure, maximum magnetic field exposure decreases as the distance increases. The average magnetic field exposure, in the meantime, showed no significant difference depending on distance. Conclusions: The following were observed through this study: 1) welders, while conducting jobs, are exposed to magnetic fields not only from the welding machine, but also from the surrounding base material due to the current flowing between the welding machine and base material, meaning that they are continuously exposed to a magnetic field; and 2) welders are more exposed to magnetic fields while they sit at a job compared to when they stand up.

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