RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 101 Biological effects of copper and zinc containing welding fumes after controlled exposure of humans JF Occupational and Environmental Medicine JO Occup Environ Med FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd SP A510 OP A511 DO 10.1136/oemed-2018-ICOHabstracts.1447 VO 75 IS Suppl 2 A1 P Brand A1 M Gube A1 A Markert A1 R Baumann A1 B Gerhards A1 T Kraus YR 2018 UL http://oem.bmj.com/content/75/Suppl_2/A510.4.abstract AB Introduction Copper and zinc containing welding fumes are suspected to induce inflammatory reactions, which, in humans, may result in metal fume fever. In a series of studies, early reactions of such welding fumes were investigated.Methods Exposures were performed in the Aachen Workplace Simulation Lab. 15 healthy male subjects were exposed for 6 hours to average welding fume mass concentrations up to 2.5 mg m-3. Welding fumes resulted from Metal-Inert-Gas brazing of zinc coated steel using copper welding wire or resistance spot welding of zinc-coated steel. Inflammatory markers were measured in the blood or in nasal secretions prior to exposure, directly after or 24–29 hours after exposure.Results The main results of these studies were:exposure to zinc and copper containing welding fumes lead to an asymptomatic inflammatory reaction as shown by an increase of blood C–reactive–Protein (CRP).Ultrafine resistance spot welding particles with similar composition and number concentration but lower mass concentration do not induce such reactions.Both, copper and zinc are individually able to induce such inflammation reactions. However, copper seems to have a higher potential for this induction.The inflammatory reaction is also reflected by an increase of Serum Amyloid A (SAA) and Interleukin 6 in the blood and by an increase of Interferon–λ and CRP in nasal secretions.Discussion Since increases of CRP, SAA, and IL-6 indicate an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, exposure to zinc and copper containing welding fumes may have to be considered for the prevention of work related cardiovascular disease. Future studies should investigate, if the observed inflammatory reaction persists after repeated exposure