WEL Substance Profile

Welding Fume — Workplace Exposure Limit

CAS: Not applicable (complex mixture) | Notation: Inhalable fraction, carcinogen (IARC Group 1 since 2017)

Current WES

mg/m³

New WEL (Dec 2026)

mg/m³

Change

-80%

reduction

Health Effects

Welding fume was reclassified as a Group 1 carcinogen by IARC in 2017 based on sufficient evidence of causing lung cancer in humans. The reclassification applied to all welding fume regardless of the base metal or process, meaning that even mild steel welding generates carcinogenic fume. Beyond lung cancer, welding fume exposure causes metal fume fever (an acute flu-like illness from zinc, copper, or magnesium fume), occupational asthma from chromium and nickel components in stainless steel fume, manganism from manganese-containing fume, siderosis (iron deposition in the lungs), and chronic bronchitis. The composition of welding fume varies with the welding process, consumable, base metal, and shielding gas, making it a complex and variable exposure that requires comprehensive control strategies rather than substance-specific approaches.

Where Exposure Occurs

MIG welding of carbon steel, stainless steel, and aluminiumTIG welding in fabrication and maintenance operationsStick (SMAW) welding in construction and field weldingFlux-cored arc welding in structural steel fabricationOxy-fuel cutting and gouging operationsRobotic welding cells where workers enter for setup and maintenance

What to Do Now

01Conduct personal air monitoring for total welding fume at all manual and semi-automatic welding workstations. The reduction from 5 to 1 mg/m³ means that the majority of welding operations without local exhaust ventilation will exceed the new limit. Monitoring should be conducted during representative production conditions to capture typical exposure levels.

02Install local exhaust ventilation with source capture on all fixed welding bays. On-torch extraction systems, extraction arms with self-supporting hoods, and downdraft tables are effective engineering controls. The extraction system must capture fume within the worker's breathing zone before it is inhaled. General workshop ventilation alone is insufficient to achieve the 1 mg/m³ limit for most welding processes.

03Implement mandatory RPE for all welding tasks where engineering controls alone cannot reduce exposure below 1 mg/m³. For field welding and maintenance welding where fixed extraction is not feasible, powered air-purifying respirators with welding helmet integration provide both respiratory and face protection. All RPE must be fit-tested and maintained in accordance with AS/NZS 1715.

04Establish a health surveillance program for all welders including baseline and periodic lung function testing, chest imaging, and respiratory symptom questionnaires. Given the IARC Group 1 carcinogen classification, health surveillance is mandatory and must be conducted by a registered medical practitioner. Results must be recorded and retained for 40 years.

05Review welding procedures to minimise fume generation. Lower-fume welding consumables are available for most applications. Pulsed MIG and pulsed TIG processes generate less fume than conventional short-circuit transfer. Optimising voltage, wire feed speed, and shielding gas composition can reduce fume generation rates by 30 to 50 per cent without affecting weld quality.

Monitoring Method

Personal air sampling using a calibrated pump at 2 L/min with a 37mm mixed cellulose ester or PVC filter in an IOM inhalable sampler. Gravimetric analysis for total fume mass. Where speciation is required to assess individual metal components such as manganese, chromium, or nickel, the same filter can be analysed by ICP-MS after acid digestion.

Affected Industries

Metal Fabrication →Construction →Auto Body →

Comply with the New Welding Fume Limit

EHS Atlas tracks welding fume monitoring data, manages health surveillance schedules, and documents extraction system maintenance — creating the audit trail regulators expect.