Welding fumes and chromium compounds in cell transformation assays

Fumes generated from mild steel and stainless steel welding were collected on paper filters and tested in the BHK and SHE cell transformation assays. Fumes from the manual metal arc welding of stainless steel (MMA/SS) had a toxic and transforming effect attributable to their Cr(VI) content. The fumes from metal inert gas stainless steel (MIG/SS) welding also had a toxic effect but this was 2-3 times greater than that expected from their soluble Cr(VI) content based on the activity of soluble Cr(VI) from pure chromium compounds. When collected in an impinger, the fumes from MIG/SS were found to contain approximately 10 times the soluble Cr(VI) content of samples collected on filters. This additional Cr(VI), when collected in a water impinger, also exhibited a greater toxicity compared with that found for the additional Cr(VI) collected in an impinger filled with growth medium. This comparison implies the presence of a short-lived biologically active Cr(VI) species usually lost in conventional sampling techniques. It also implies that there is a detoxification step associated with the formation of Cr(VI) organic complexes. Relatively insoluble Cr(VI) compounds showed a higher toxic and transforming effect in the BHK assay than could be ascribed to the soluble Cr(VI) content of the medium, indicating the importance of phagocytosis as a pathway for the uptake of Cr(VI) and other toxic substances from particulates.