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Hey Dave,
Yes, I guess you would better do so.
By the way - 4043 was the filler-alloy I have used alike.
Anyway, what Kix has "scratched on" is - from my point of view - a serious topic and a very good post.
Welding can "create pleasure" - by all means - but one should not forget that we have to do with metallic fumes, substances, particles and superfine particles which can - in worst case - damage health.
I have followed an interesting discussion exactly one week ago on a joint-workshop of IIW Commissions II (Arc Welding and Filler Metals) and VIII (Health and Safety). There David Jordan - the speaker - coming from the UK's Nickel Institute and certainly an outstanding expert in the field of health and safety in welding, spoke about the:
"Conformity To Exposure Limits For Welding Fumes"
A truly great presentation and very detailed in regard to the existing national and international specifications, standards and threshold values for different hazardous substances in arc-welding. The United States OSHA Standards for hexavalent Chromium were also been discussed as the threshold values for Nickel and others.
I attended this discussion togehther with a greatly appreciated colleague of mine, being an expert in the area of EMF (Electromagnetic Field)-Research. This can be - as you surely can imagine - a tough, i.e. extremely intricate, topic in arc- and resistance-welding, and currently there are also efforts accomplished to international standardize the thresholds for the height of eventually existing EMF influences.
But we agreed both, to comprehend and correctly interpret the hazardous substances being generated by the arc is surely similar to the complexity of comprehending the influence of EMF in arc- and resistance welding. This is, what makes their maximum-value-standardization so difficult and thus to achieve a kind of "generalization" for all substances-risks, at least as far as the experts stated.
My personal quintessence from this mentioned discussion was at that time: Use your personal protective equipment as far as this may be possible and prove thus your very own responsibility against your own human body and health and don't wait until the national institutions and responsible experts will find a way to reduce these important issues to a common denominator.
One of the experts has broken it down to one sentence and I hope to remember well when trying to subsequently quote him correctly:
"The best measuring-method, the lowest threshold value and the most honourable intention to protect the welders health means nothing, when the welder himself does not use his personal protection equipment which is one of the crucial factors in health and safety in welding."
So far my humble input.
My best regards to you and all the other appreciated colleagues,
Stephan