Abstract
Airborne lead was detected above the permissible exposure limit of 50 µg/m3 during arc gouging of steel in confined spaces. The material being arc gouged had not been previously painted. Engineering controls, analytical error, substrate contamination, and arc-gouging electrodes were examined to determine the source of the lead. Results of a bench-test investigation indicated that the source of the airborne lead appeared to be irregularly distributed lead contamination in the copper cladding of the carbon-cored arc gouging electrodes. Lead may also be present in the carbon cores. Wide variation in results obtained indicated that the potential for lead in confined space atmospheres during arc gouging may not be revealed during short sampling campaigns.