Regulations and Exposure Limits for Welding Fumes in Quebec

As an industry leader in North America, we’ve been supplying welding fume extraction solutions since the 1980s. This blog post will outline the exposure limits in Quebec for some of the most prevalent hazardous metals and gases in welding fumes.

Fumes occur when a metal is heated past its boiling point, and its vapors solidify into very fine particles. These particles are sized from 0.005 to 20 µm, with most being less than 1 µm, and can deposit throughout the respiratory system.

The makeup of the fume hinges on factors such as the material being welded, the electrode, the coatings, the flux, and the shielding gas, among others. Air sampling is generally required to identify the hazardous and regulated substances present in your work environment. Still, gathering details about the metals, gases, and consumables utilized in the welding process can be a beneficial initial step.

Which particulates in welding fumes might be potentially harmful?

This is an overview of some harmful metals and gases typically found in welding fumes that we’ll delve into on this page:

Aluminum (learn more about aluminum welding fume)
Antimony
Arsenic
Beryllium
Cadmium
Chromium
Cobalt
Copper
Iron oxide
Lead
Manganese (learn more about manganese in welding fumes)
Molybdenum
Nickel
Silver
Tin
Titanium dioxide
Vanadium
Zinc
Argon
Carbon Dioxide
Carbon Monoxide
Helium
Hydrogen Fluoride
Nitric Oxide
Nitrogen
Nitrogen Dioxide
Ozone
Phosgene

Quebec Regulation Respecting Occupational Health and Safety – Welding Fume

In Quebec, businesses must adhere to the Regulation respecting occupational health and safety. The Permissible Exposure Values (PEV) for gases, dust, fumes, vapors, or mists in the work environment are detailed in Schedule I. Chapter 107 mandates the use of fume extractors for welding tasks.

“Local ventilation: Any localized source at a stationary workstation that emits dusts, gases, fumes, vapours or mists shall be equipped with a local exhaust ventilation system for trapping the dusts, gases, fumes, vapours or mists at their source.”

Division V introduces the table for permissible exposure values, stating: “No worker in an establishment shall be exposed to a concentration of airborne oxygen below 19.5% in volume at normal atmospheric pressure; gases, fumes, vapours, dusts or mists, beyond the limits provided for in Schedule I.”

An important note is included in Schedule I.

“EXCURSION LIMITS: These limits apply to substances which do not have a short-term exposure value. Provided the time-weighted average exposure value is not exceeded, excursions in exposure levels may exceed 3 times that value for a cumulative period not exceeding a total of 30 minutes during a workday. Notwithstanding the foregoing, none of those excursions in exposure levels may exceed 5 times the time-weighted average exposure value during any length of time whatsoever.”

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Quebec – Permissible Exposure Values for Welding Fume, Metals, and Gases

Based on the Regulation Respecting Occupational Health and Safety, the following PEVs in Quebec apply to welding fumes and some of their components.

The abbreviations used in the tables below:

TWAEV: The time-weighted average concentration for an 8-hour workday and a 40-hour workweek
STEV: Short-Term Exposure Value (maximum time-weighted average concentration for 15 minutes, no more than four times per day, with at least 60 minutes in between)
C: Ceiling (concentration never to be exceeded)
(i): Inhalable dust (smaller than 100 µm)
(r): Respirable dust (smaller than 4 µm)
(t): Total dust

PEV	TWAEV	STEV
Welding Fumes	5mg/m3	None

PEV	TWAEV	STEV
Aluminum	5mg/m3	None
Antimony	0.5mg/m3	None
Arsenic*	0.01mg/m3	None
Beryllium*	0.15µg/m3	None
Cadmium	25µg/m3	None
Chromium metal & (III)	0.5mg/m3	None
Chromium (VI)*	0.01mg/m3	None
Cobalt	0.02mg/m3	None
Copper	0.2mg/m3	None
Iron Oxide	5mg/m3	None
Lead	0.05mg/m3	None
Manganese	0.2mg/m3(t)	None
Molybdenum	3mg/m3(r) 10mg/m3(i)	None
Nickel	1.5mg/m3(i)	None
Silver	0.1mg/m3	None
Tin metal & oxide	2mg/m3	None
Titanium dioxide	10mg/m3(t)	None
Vanadium pentoxide	0.05mg/m3(i)	None
Zinc oxide	2mg/m3(r)	10mg/m3(r)

*Cannot be recirculated

PEV	TWAEV	STEV	C
Argon*	None	None	None
Carbon Dioxide	5,000ppm	30,000ppm	None
Carbon Monoxide	35ppm	200ppm	None
Helium*	None	None	None
Hydrogen Fluoride**	None	None	3ppm
Nitric Oxide	25ppm	None	None
Nitrogen*	None	None	None
Nitrogen Dioxide	3ppm	None	None
Ozone**	None	None	0.1ppm
Phosgene	0.1ppm	None	None

*Simple asphyxiant: a concentration limit is not included because available oxygen is the limiting factor.
**Cannot be recirculated

It’s important to remember that according to the regulations: “Provided the time-weighted average exposure value is not exceeded, excursions in exposure levels may exceed 3 times that value for a cumulative period not exceeding a total of 30 minutes during a workday. Notwithstanding the foregoing, none of those excursions in exposure levels may exceed 5 times the time-weighted average exposure value during any length of time whatsoever.”

ACGIH – Threshold Limit Values for Welding Fume, Metals, and Gases

The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) is a key organization that conducts research on hazardous substances and recommends exposure limits. Their suggested Threshold Limit Values (TLV) significantly impact most health and safety organizations in North America and are vital to understand.

Threshold Limit Values are protected under copyright by ACGIH and cannot be copied onto other websites. However, you can find the links to the relevant pages on their website below.

ACGIH hasn’t issued a specific guideline for welding fumes as a whole. Hence, they are classified under the Particulates Not Otherwise Regulated category. In this case, ACGIH’s recommendation is a TLV-TWA of 3mg/m3 for respirable particles and 10mg/m3 for inhalable particles.

* A concentration limit is not included because available oxygen is the limiting factor.

Health risks associated with breathing welding fumes

According to OSHA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and the CNESST, inhaling welding fumes may cause the following health effects:

Irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat
Dizziness and nausea
Breathing complications that could lead to suffocation or asphyxiation
Metal fume fever
Lung injury and various cancer types
Stomach ulcers
Kidney injury
Damage to the nervous system
Manganism
Chest discomfort
Asthma
Bleeding
Dermatitis or eczema
Kidney disease
Bone and joint issues
Siderosis (iron oxide in lung tissue after inhalation)
Stannosis (tin oxide in lung tissue after inhalation)
Anthracosis (poisoning after inhalation of carbon dust)
Berylliosis (poisoning after inhalation of beryllium dust)
Fluid accumulation in the lungs

These issues underscore the importance of protecting welders, complying with standards, and extracting pollutants as effectively as possible. Welding fume extractors will be the best way to do so.

For more information about welding fume regulations in other Canadian provinces or territories, feel free to click on one of the links below to navigate to our relevant article on the subject:

Any Questions?

Feel free to contact us. We will help you protect your workers and comply with welding fumes standards anywhere in the US and Canada.

1-866-800-8421
info@airgomig.com