OH Consultant

Metal Fume Monitoring

Multi-element metal fume and dust speciation analysis

Current WES
Varies by metal

What Is Metal Fume Monitoring?

Metal fume monitoring measures worker exposure to individual metal species generated during welding, grinding, smelting, machining, and thermal cutting of metal alloys. Many metals have severely reduced WEL values — manganese drops from 1 to 0.02 mg/m³, nickel from 1 to 0.01 mg/m³.

Multi-element analysis by ICP-MS allows a single sample to be screened for 20+ metals simultaneously, providing comprehensive exposure profiles. This approach is more cost-effective than individual metal analyses and captures unexpected exposures from alloy compositions.

How Is It Done?

Personal sampling via MCE or PVC filter in IOM cassette. Acid digestion followed by ICP-MS multi-element analysis (NIOSH 7300). Cr(VI) by NIOSH 7605.

When You Need This

  • +Welding, brazing, or thermal cutting of alloy steels
  • +Smelting, casting, and foundry operations
  • +Grinding and machining metal components
  • +WEL transition assessment for multiple metals
  • +Health surveillance support for metal-exposed workers

Relevant Standards

NIOSH 7300NIOSH 7605OSHA ID-215AS 3640

Common Industries

Related Monitoring

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