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Welder’s Anthrax
In July, OSHA published a hazard alert for welder’s anthrax, a new form of severe pneumonia. The disease was described in March 2022 in the journal Pathogens. Information from the paper and a related post on the NIOSH Science Blog appears below. Read more in NewsWatch.
From “Welder’s Anthrax: A Review of an Occupational Disease”:
“Evidence suggests that the inhalation of ferrous and other metal fumes in the workplace may predisposeworkers to lung infections. The mechanisms associated with the immunosuppressive effects of metal fumes after inhalation are mostly unknown. Theories have included that metal fumes (or iron) act as a growth nutrient for bacteria, enhance the binding of bacteria to lung tissues, or impair immune responses in the lung through oxidative stress.”
![img_102023-BTN.jpg](/image/11772587.1695339545000/img_102023-BTN.webp)
SOURCES
NIOSH Science Blog: “Welder’s Anthrax” (April 2022).
OSHA: Welder’s Anthrax Hazard Alert (PDF, July 2023).
Pathogens: “Welder’s Anthrax: A Review of an Occupational Disease” (March 2022).
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