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more_legal_areas welding-rodThe use of a plastic welding rod may pose a threat to human health when proper safety measures are not taken by employers and workers in industries that use this type of welding material. Many metal welding rod materials contain a hazardous chemical called manganese which can cause serious damage to a number of bodily systems. While plastic welding rod materials may not contain manganese, there are other harmful chemicals that may be present in plastic welding rod materials. Health hazards can also be posed by the dangers inherent to the plastic welding process, including a lack of proper safety protocol.
Arguably the most dangerous types of plastic welding rod materials are those that contain PVC or Polyvinyl Chloride. This is the second largest commodity plastic produced in the world. The United States alone produces fourteen billion pounds of PVC every year. Seventy-five percent of all the PVC produced goes into making pipes and plastic welding rods. PVC plastic welding rod and other materials are most harmful when burned or heated because this releases toxic fumes into the air.
PVC plastic welding rod materials are composed of any number of harmful chemicals. Dioxins found in plastic welding rod materials are an extremely hazardous by-product of PVC production that can cause damage to the human reproductive, developmental, immunological, and hormonal systems. Phthalates are a PVC plastic welding rod chemical that can cause reproductive, liver, and kidney damage. Ethylene dichloride is a carcinogen that may be found in PVC plastic welding rod materials. Lead, chlorine, cadmium, antimony, organochlorides, and other injurious chemical compounds may also be present in PVC and other plastic welding rod materials.
There are safer alternatives to PVC plastics that make good plastic welding rod materials. Those with fewer additives and by-products are often much safer than PVC and similar plastic welding rod constituents. There are at least a dozen types of plastic that can be used to make plastic welding rods.
If you work in an industry that involves plastic welding rod use, there are a number of safety precautions you can take in order to prevent physical injury. Many of these precautions are also the responsibility of an employer. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that all materials used in a workplace have a Material Safety Data Sheet on-site which provides important information including hazardous chemical components.
Employees have the right to access this information to determine if the plastic welding rod materials they use contain dangerous compounds. There are also a number of safety measures that can be taken in order to mitigate potential injuries when working with a plastic welding rod. Proper and adequate environment ventilation and personal protective gear can be employed to reduce the likelihood that a worker will inhale dangerous plastic welding rod fumes.