[Otto Nobedder]

...Obvoiusly you couldnt set it up close to where actual welding and stuff is going on, but like you said, 50 or 100 feet in the air around the site.

Why not stick a magnet right inside your hood, right in front of your nose, and see how much it accumulates in a day? Just as a personal experiment?

The answer may scare you, especially if there's a lot of grinding near you. In fact, you might just keep the magnet there.

Steve

[kermdawg]

Oh I got a pretty good idea of how much crap I inhale everyday. Im curious as to see if it spreads outside the jobsite, or if it stays neatly contained inside the building.

Honestly though, the magnet on the welding hood isnt the worst of ideas. I wonder if it is worth a shot now.

[Otto Nobedder]

Since we are diverging from Jon's original topic, I'll start a new thread on this subject.

Steve

[kermdawg]

I dunno, Jon might like all the attention his thread is getting. I think its the longest in forum history

[ProjectStardust]

It's all linked together: the main part of the micrometeorites that is reaching Earth are so small that they drift around in the atmosphere (= aerosole particles). Nasa scientists collect micrometeorites from the upper atmosphere by plane. And I remember having read someones estimate on how many micrometeorites each one of us actually will swollow in our sleep during a lifetime - think it was two. The problem with aerosole micrometeorites is that they are so small (~1-20 microns), very difficult to handle. In my own research I've put a limit downwards to 500 micron (half millimeter), which, in comparison, is easy to see and handle.

My old man was a professional welder his whole life, plus chainsmoking, so I worried about his lungs - actually mostly because of the welding, etc. However, now he's 85, and still no problems with his lungs!

[ogorir]

also slightly off-topic, but if you put a soaking wet rag under whatever you're cutting, the slag forms almost perfect hollow spheres about 1/4" in diameter. at least they do cutting 3/8" plate with oxy-acetylene.

[ProjectStardust]

I would love see a few of those! (Address: Jon Larsen, PO Box 5202 Majorstua, 0302 Oslo). This may one of the culprits. Thanks again! This is very, very interesting!