Would you wear a respirator?

[RichardWDF]

While attending a recent conference on welding safety, I overheard someone remark "...putting people into respirators is a last line of defense." That surprised me, with all the new regs about fumes from welding stainless.

So, what about it? Are repirators too much trouble, or too expensive? Or does the fume removal system in your shop work so well that you don't need a respirator?

[B2N3 Welder]

Richard Most companies around this area that i have worked for have a hard enough time just being willing to supply the disposable 3M type respirators and are definately not going to spend the money on quality fit respirators.As far as fume removal systems go in most shops ) In the real world Those are called overhead doors and if your lucky a 3spd fan. Welding duplex 2205 and 2507 stainlesses is nasty those require a fan on either your left or right (which every you prefer) Ti fumes inconel,monel hastalloy,copper,zirconium,tantalum I dont particularly care to smell either but I cant afford the respirators and the cartridges so it looks like blowing the fumes at someone else is the best alternative.

[weldrwomn]

I do a mostly FCAW gas and self-shielded. There is a ton of smoke, but we have good ventilation. I was asked to try out a 3M respirator designed for welding smoke. I read the directions like a responsible person should, I made sure that I had a good fit, and after about 10 minutes of welding with that stupid thing on, I was so dizzy from lack of air that I had to take the thing off. For some reason, I just couldn't breathe or get enough air through the respirator. I think that I would rather die of long term welding fumes than die of immediate suffocation. :confused:

[hotrodder]

While attending a recent conference on welding safety, I overheard someone remark "...putting people into respirators is a last line of defense." That surprised me, with all the new regs about fumes from welding stainless.

So, what about it? Are repirators too much trouble, or too expensive? Or does the fume removal system in your shop work so well that you don't need a respirator?

respirators are the last line of defense because they only protect the user- anyone else in the vicinity can still be exposed.

if local fume extraction can be used, anyone in the area will be protected.

[lotechman]

A properly fitted mask with pancake filters does an excellent job under your welding helmet. The black rubber units are softer, more comfortable, but a lot more expensive. I have never found them difficult to breath through unless they were clogged. If you have a good fit you cannot smell cigarette smoke or the odourizer from propane or natural gas.
Proper units are very expensive. A separate filtered air supply into a sealed helmet is the best. Racal is one brand. You look like Darth Vader but the bonus is that you can have not only filtered air but cooled air if you purchase the bells and whistles.
On my experience employers are not willing to shell out the bucks for masks as well as new filters every week or more frequently.

[Engloid]

Racal hoods work well, but the ones I used were very bulky and heavy. The speedglass ones are better.

[Burgweld]

I use a 3M 7500 series silicone respirator with the pancake P100 2097 filters while running the various robotic weld stations on our lines and it is comfortable and easy to breath through as long as I don't let the filters get too trashed. If I don't wear it even when I dont think the smoke is too bad my sinus plugs up after work. I buy my cartriges off of ebay, just got 10 pairs for $37 delivered, better than $60+ at the supply store. You can end up with bronchitis, asthma, or siderosis (iron pigmentation of the lungs) after prolonged exposure to welding fumes (even worse things if welding stainless or galvanized as I'm sure everyone knows). I tigged aluminum radiator supports for 8 years and had bronchitis every six months like clockwork. Everyone where I work complains about the smoke and sore throats, but yet don't think it's important enough to spend their own money for protection. Lotechman, I use a Speedglas helmet, but my respirator doesn't fit under it and the disposable ones are uncomfortable and harder to breath through. What hood do you have? I had someone tell me a Optrel Satellite helmet has enough room for one. I would use a Adflo system, but I have to constantly have my helmet up after running a bead to inspect welds in a hurry as it is a assembly line.

[lotechman]

I guess why my mask fits under my helmet is that I don't use autos. I have an older Fibremetal.

[Jonnie Fraz]

respirators are the last line of defense because they only protect the user- anyone else in the vicinity can still be exposed.

if local fume extraction can be used, anyone in the area will be protected.

Somthing else is that truly in order to have someone wear a respirator here in California they need to have a medical evaluation, with a lung stress test, and they need to be cleared by a Doctor to wear the thing. Also the company is supposed to foot the bill.:eek: Now if your company has a bunch of welders or a high turnaround rate you could probilly purchase a nice extractor system.
Just a thought.