ArtMetal

Valerie- I have been working almost exclusively with stainless for the last 8 years or so, and I find the safety information about it extremely confusing.
I have been reading a series of articles about it lately in magazines like Practical Welding, and they mostly seem to be written by salesmen for Ventilation systems.

Most of the industrial examples deal with either stick or mig welding stainless- and I never do either. I Tig it exclusively. We also forge it quite a bit. And, unfortunately, grind or sand it from time to time.
I have been unable to find precise info on the dangers of tig welding stainless, and whether or not that creates Hexavelent Chromium? do you know?
Similarly with forging, at red heats, do you know if Hex Chromium is released into the atmosphere, and if that is something to be worried about?
My reading of the subject indicates that breathing fumes is the worst danger, along with breathing dust.
I have had blood tests done recently, with low to normal results in Chromium and Zinc, but again, which tests to have done, what to look for, and what is really dangerous do not seem to be covered in the Osha stuff or any of the articles I have read.
I dont want to endanger myself or my employees, but I know my shop, with adequate ventilation, never looks like the shops described in these articles- we dont have smoke or fumes in the air, at least no visible ones, from either tig welding or forging.

Any idea on what the real dangers are?