Trace-element concentrations in blood samples from welders of stainless steel or aluminium and a reference group.

The concentrations of 17 trace elements (e.g., copper, cobalt, iron, manganese, chromium, silicon and magnesium) were determined in whole blood samples of 81 persons working with different welding methods on stainless steel or aluminium and 68 nonwelders. Inorganic spark source mass spectrometry was used for the chemical analyses. The data were analyzed by the SIMCA method for pattern recognition (discriminant analysis). No differences were found between the five groups, either in the average levels of the trace elements or in the correlation structures between the trace elements. Thus no blood concentration data on the analyzed elements and collected from a single person contained any information with respect to exposure to the welding fumes investigated.