http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosgene

I suggest you read this. Phosgene gas killed 80% of soldiers in WWI chemical attacks. It can kill you. Repeated long term exposure can have this effect as well. Please don't come back with "it was only one time, and a small amount " or some foolishness.Bottom line is don't weld Galvinized material unless you prep properly and have adaquet ventilation or fume extraction. If it makes you sick, that's the first sign to stop.

 

AFAIK the phosgene hazard is mostly from working on metals that were prepared with chlorinated cleaners.

But that doesn't mean it's okay... I don't have a welder and even *I* know inhaling that **** is bad for you!

http://www.anvilfire.com/iForge/tuto...n=safety3/demo

Don't be an idiot

 

^^^THIS.

The big hazard with welding galvanized is metal fume fever. You can get that nasty flu feeling the first time you light it up. Over time it starts taking longer and longer to recover, and eventually you don't recover.

Stainless is every bit as bad, if not worse due to the chromium offgassing.

The marginal "steel" used in things like fenceposts or EMT conduit can make the best welder look like a rookie even without the galvanizing. I've got a shop stool that I had to use a piece of EMT to repair and it drives me batty every time I look at it.

That said, the idea is there and the engineering is there. Get some carbon steel tubing give her a little rework. I wouldn't hesitate to use sch 40 water pipe for something like this either, just make sure it is black and not galvanized.

 

phosgene is not in galvanized metal. It's COCl2 which is made by reacting carbon monoxide and chloride. It was used in as a degreaser a while back but is not anymore.

 

I'm not saying that it's fine to inhale the fumes and that it won't do noting. Lol. It will still make you feel like ****. Sorry, I don't mean to hijack the thread.

 

You should always take a few precautions when welding questionable steel, stainless or any exotic alloys.

A respirator and working outdoors are the simplest things that you can do to protect yourself.

You don't need a PAPR or a high dollar half mask respirator. There are disposable options out there.

Something like this: http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3...4857473&rt=rud

Another thing to watch for even with clean mild steel when MIG or TIG welding is your shielding gas (argon) displacing oxygen. I've gotten a little woozy when running a MIG in an enclosed area. At work we are required to have a sniffer with us any time we so much as strike an arc in a confined space.

 

Yea, I'm gonna be using galvanized steel for my floor board repair and I will be using a 3M 7500 Series respirator. I'm just gonna grind the galvanic coating off the areas I'm Gonna weld. I will also take all my doors off and open hatch for extra ventilation.

 

The CDC has this to say about the subject.

Not life threatening. Just seems to be a bad trip.

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/81-123/pdfs/0675.pdf

 

It is one of those things that builds up in your system over time - the real damage doesn't show up in 99% of people until they've been breathing it for years.

Some people do have a sensitivity to it that causes more acute effects. I've got a friend that'll be down for a week if he's just in the area of us when we're torching bolts.

 

From WeldmyWorld.com

Whenever you are working with galvanized steel it is important that you take the necessary steps when prepping the metal before welding. If you have properly prepped your metal before welding, you will help reduce your exposure to zinc oxide fumes. While prepping the base metal will remove the majority of the zinc from the surface of the metal, the possibility of some galvanizing while welding may occur. A common sign of galvanizing is the appearance of yellowish-green smoke, white powdery particles in the air, and a white residue around the weld. If you are exposed to large quantities of the yellowish-green zinc oxide fumes, you may experience galvanize poisoning, or metal fume fever as it is sometimes called. The severity of your symptoms depends on the amount of time that you were directly exposed to the harmful fumes.

Symptoms of galvanize poisoning can be similar to flu symptoms. The onset of symptoms typically begin shortly after you have been exposed to zinc oxide and may include a mild headache accompanied by nausea. If you have a more severe case of exposure, your symptoms will be consistent to those experienced when you have the flu. A moderate case of exposure will result in symptoms including chills, shaking, a slight fever, vomiting and cold sweats. If you begin to experience any of these symptoms you should immediately stop working and get some fresh air. In severe cases the symptoms may be so bad that you will have to go home until they subside. The most severe cases of galvanize poisoning can result in death. If you feel that your symptoms are worse than anything you may have experienced you should seek medical attention at once.