Fume Metal Fever Sec.2

HOW TO AVOID THE HAZARD
• Keep your head out of the fumes.
• Do not breathe fumes.
• Use enough ventilation, exhaust at the arc,or both, to keep fumes and gases from
your breathing zone and the general area.
• If adequacy of the ventilation or exhaust is uncertain, have your exposure measured
and compared to the Threshold Limit Values (TLV) in the Material Safety Data Sheet
(MSDS) for the galvanized material.
• Never take chances with welding fumes. If none of this is adequate or practical,
wear an approved respirator, air–supplied or otherwise, that adequately removes the
fumes from your breathing zone.Page 2 Fact Sheet No. 25 – 1/02

RESPIRATORS
Good safe practices recommend using engineering controls, such as local exhaust
and/or general ventilation, to reduce the exposure level to zinc oxide fumes. However, there are times when such practices and controls are not feasible, or are in the process of being installed, or are down during periods of failure. Then respirators are needed. Respirators are often used for operations in confined spaces, such as tanks or closed vessels, and in emergency situations. Always use only respirators that are approved by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) or by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).