• "Welders are exposed to many known and suspected carcinogens. An excess lung cancer risk among welders is well established, but whether this is attributable to welding fumes is unclear. . . . Studies that are able to disentangle welding effects from smoking and asbestos exposure are needed." [
PMID 28951802]
• "There is sufficient evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of welding fumes. Welding fumes cause cancer of the lung. . . . . There is sufficient evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of ultraviolet radiation from welding. Ultraviolet radiation from welding causes ocular melanoma. . . . "Studies of risk estimates of occupations which may involve unspecific and infrequent welding (such as pipefitters, plumbers, and solderers), are excluded from this review; the frequency of welding in these occupations is not normally clear, and the groupings are too broad to meaningfully evaluate exposure as a welder. Studies that reported only broad occupational aggregations, combining welding with related occupations, were also excluded as they lack specificity for welding." [IARC Monograph 118]
• See the occupational diseases linked to the following Job Tasks: Arc weld aluminum; Arc weld stainless steel; Decompose chlorinated solvents by UV light or heat from welding; Gas or arc weld on galvanized metal; Gas weld or cut in a confined space; Heat or machine chromium alloys; Heat or machine cobalt alloys; Heat or machine manganese alloys; Heat, machine, or spray lead products; Machine or weld on cadmium-alloyed or cadmium-plated steel; Use manganese-containing welding rods; Weld mild steel; Weld on metal painted with chlorinated polyester paint; and Weld or machine on beryllium-containing alloys.
• "While there is general agreement on acute effects, wide variation is found between the conclusions of studies of long-term effects. . . . It is cardinal rule that 'welders' cannot be regarded as a single homogenous group." [Hendricks, p. 467]
• Do welding fumes have a detrimental effect on lung function? Yes. {PMID 25324483] No. {PMID 25315619] Maybe. [
PMID 28258373]