INTRODUCTION: This study examined whether cognitive symptoms and health-related quality of life can be affected by welding fume exposure.
METHOD: Participants consisted of welders (n = 40) and welder assistants (n = 25) from welding units as the exposed group, and office workers (n = 44) as the non-exposed group. All participants were studied using ambient air monitoring and two types of questionnaires: the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) and the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36).
RESULTS: Welders and welder assistants were exposed to higher concentrations of all airborne metals than office employees, except for aluminum and chromium (p < 0.05). Mean (95% confidence interval) CFQ score was higher in welders (26.42 (12.74)) compared with welder assistants (22.68 (14.37)) and the non-exposed group (21.38 (8.75)), although these differences were not statistically significant. Mean total score of the SF-36 significantly differed among the three groups (p < 0.05) and welders had the lowest score (M (SD) = 54.84 (17.88)). The relationships between total CFQ score and the measured concentration of nickel at peak work rate was significant for welders.
CONCLUSION: Cognitive symptoms and health-related quality of life were not related to the measures of welding fume exposure and further research should be performed to find other influencing factors.