Estimation of inhalation exposure to metals among welders of a steel company using MEASE model as a screening tool for estimates of occupational exposure

Abstract

Introduction: Metals estimation assessment of substance exposure (MEASE) is tier1 tool to estimation exposures. The aim of present study was estimation of exposure to welding fumes using MEASE model and comparison of the results with NIOSH7300. Materials and methods: The metals including Cu, Fe, Ca, Al, Mg, Mn, K and Na in the MIG, MAG and SMAW welding were measured by NIOSH7300. Estimation of the metals' values was performed by MEASE (version1.02.01). Data analysis were done by SPSS21 using Student's t-test, One-WayANOVA and Spearman's correlation. Results and discussion: There was agreement between measured and estimated values in different metal fumes and welding processes (r = 0.131 to 0.933). A significant strong correlation was found between measured and estimated levels for Mg(r = 0.933; P = 0.001), Ca(r = 0.896; P = 0.001), K(r = 0.805; P = 0.001), Na(r = 0.716; P = 0.001), and Al(r = 0.756; P = 0.032). There was a significant strong correlation between measured and estimated values for SMAW(r = 0.708; P = 0.003) and MIG(r = 0.635; P = 0.036). The results showed that most of the estimated values were below the measured values (P < 0.05), except for Ca in MIG welding. The authors observed that the MEASE model cannot be wholly successfully applied for inhalation exposure assessment in occupational surveys.