The health of welders / by A.T. Doig and L.N. Duguid.

  • Great Britain. HM Factory Inspectorate
Date:
1951
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The health of welders / by A.T. Doig and L.N. Duguid. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    53. In 1941 Waniek again described his findings and cited an illustrated case in detail. The man suffered from irritability, nervousness, sweating, headaches, sickness, loss of hair and loss of weight. On examination he was found to be thin, pale, rather pigmented, with a fine tremor and pronounced dermographism. Basal metabolism was increased and liver dysfunction was indicated by galactose tolerance test. This man was not a welder. He was a crane driver in a large welding shop for only 10 months, and one is inclined to think that the symptoms have been attributed to welding fumes on very slight evidence indeed. 54. Kny (1942) confirms the findings of Talienberg and Waniek des- cribing under the term “ welder’s disease” symptoms of anorexia, bulimia, spasmodic gastric pain, nausea, lassitude, nervous irritability, restlessness, excessive sweating, palpitation, falling out of the hair, insomnia and giddiness and occasionally decreased libido. The symptoms appear to be most severe and frequent in welders longest employed and in those employed in the “ Arcatom ” process in which wolfram electrodes are used. Evidence of liver dysfunction was provided by liver function tests which showed in some cases galactosuria, urobilinogenuria, porphyrinuria, positive Takata Ara reaction and adrenalin sensitivity. No relation was found between liver dysfunction and basal metabolism, and the blood picture was normal. Gramer (1942) found an increase of urobilinogen in the urine in 8.3% of 455 electric welders and de Laet & Wiser (1939) theoretically implicate the liver on the basis of their blood findings. Britton & Walsh say that clinical transient jaundice may arise, quoting an unpublished communication from G. A. Abbott relating to acetylene welders. This is attributed to phosphine which may be present in small amounts as an impurity of acetylene, and which is very toxic. J. Adler Herzmark (1939) describes chronic hepatic lesions in a worker engaged in zinc metallisation inside a large but ill- ventilated tank, which supervened on acute effects similar to gassing. The exact cause was not definitely established but phosphine, hydrogen sulphide, carbon monoxide and perhaps zinc were ail considered under suspicion. 55. v. Haam & Groom (1941) produced liver damage in their experi- mental animals exposed to electric arc fumes of much higher concentration than met with in industry but as has been stated they were not impressed with the toxicity of welding products and assume the harmlessness of the fumes at industrial concentrations. McQuiddy et al (1938a) noted fatty changes in the livers of guinea pigs exposed to undiluted carbon arc fumes but these were associated with inflammatory changes in the respiratory tracts. The continental observers stress the toxity of heavy metals on the liver and attribute the changes they describe to the metallic products of the fumes. Tallenberg’s animal experiments, however, were negative (1937). It is also interesting to note that Cappell (1930) found that, with intravenous injection of colloidal iron no ill-effects followed massive accumulation of iron in the liver cells. (e¢) ENDOCRINE SYSTEM 56. Waniek’s findings in regard to symptoms of hyperthyroidism have been described above (under Liver). As far as I know there is no confirm- ation of thyroid dysfunction by any other observers. The question of the effect on the parathyroids has only once been raised in my knowledge. In connection with an electric welder aged 43 with chronic tetany it was asked in the J. Am. Med. Ass. (1945) whether the rays given off from the arc could have produced the effect. The answer very fully given stated that this would not be possible from the rays. The possi-
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