Is Galvanized Steel Poisonous?

A. Hi Kiram. I can't say much about the safety of galvanizing and other zinc materials that isn't already said in the "FAQs & TUTORIAL" introduction. Kids have been shinnying up and down galvanized poles for generations without any well-known danger warnings. Considering the multiple serious hazards kids face in parking lots I personally wouldn't worry about it.

This is not to say there has never ever in this big world been a single report of a problem from handling galvanized materials though; for example -->

Luck & Regards,

A. Hi Katalina. Why "lots of concerns"? Who is telling you to worry about this, and what are they saying? Please google "zinc in soil" to learn that the amount can vary tremendously without having any effect, but if it's too low farmers deliberately spread zinc on their fields, and it's almost never high enough to stunt plant growth.

As for it's direct effect on people, third-world and off-the-grid people have collected rainwater from zinc-coated roofs for a long time, and farm animals (some of which are far more sensitive to zinc poisoning than humans) have been eating and drinking out of zinc-coated troughs for a very long time as well.

Luck & Regards,

"All things are poison and nothing (is) without poison; only the dose makes that a thing is no poison." -- Paracelsus (1493-1541)

A. Hi, Dominic.

Galvanized steel is steel with a zinc coating for corrosion protection. Just as a baby aspirin a day is a healthy regimen for millions, whereas a baby eating a bottle of aspirin is a medical emergency, so too with zinc.

Zinc is most certainly not poisonous! Rather, it is an essential nutrient ["Zinc is an essential mineral that is naturally present in some foods, added to others, and available as a dietary supplement" -- nih.gov]. Cold prevention tablets and nasal sprays are zinc, and it's included in multivitamins.

When you say "work with", is it your job or your hobby? Do you mean you weld it or you just bend and cut it? If you weld galvanized metal, the coating vaporizes, and inhaling clouds of this vaporized zinc can certainly give you "metal fume fever" and possibly worse. Further, there might be very small amounts of lead and hexavalent chromium in/on the articles, and these are poisons.

If you can flesh out your question with a bit more detail about how you "work with" it, we may be able to help! Thanks.

A. Dominic,

Is galvanized steel poisonous, you ask. YES, ABSOLUTELY, Don't whatever you do eat it! The harmful effects of its specific gravity on your stomach lining are enormous. It can't be digested. Mind you, you could make up a nice stew by dissolving it in acid but gastronomically this is not Cordon Bleu cooking ... and also poisonous. As long as you don't eat it, or lead, or copper, or aluminum or any metal, you should lead a normal life.

A. How is it you "work with" galvanized steel? If you merely bend it, cut it, shear it, punch it, or roll form it; you shouldn't be in any danger. However, if you are welding it, the welding fumes are dangerous.

The galvanize coating will not be absorbed, by your skin. However, it could have a thin coating of rust preventive oil. Some people have allergic reactions to the oil. You should be wearing gloves. If the gloves get saturated with oil, get new gloves. You could also put protective cream, on your hands. Wash your hands before eating.

If you are not self employed, your company should have a material safety data sheet, for your galvanized materials.

Never eat or drink, from any galvanized product. You could get zinc poisoning. But you shouldn't be doing this, at work or home.

I also believe "lead" has been removed from all galvanize coatings. The EPA forced galvanize producers to remove the small amount of lead which was in the zinc coating.

I have also "worked with" galvanize products for 25 years. It's not something which I believe is dangerous to my health.

Good Luck,

A. Heather,

A good website for MSDS sheets is siri.org/msds^ ^{(ed. note 10/6/2017: apparently no longer on line)}. This site provides free MSDS information. There are other sites too if you use any web search engine like google.

Your brother is probably fine. The most hazardous chemicals he would be working with are probably concentrated acids and hexavalent chromium. Both of these are reasonably safe to work with if proper care is taken. He should be able to ask his boss for hazard information. In the U.S., we have the Hazards Communications Act in which providing this information to workers is a legal requirement. I would imagine that Australia might have a similar law.

If I were you, I would be more concerned about the safety procedures at his facility than the specific chemicals. Workplaces need to be concerned about things like railings, good ventilation, first aid kits, eyewashes, safety showers, housekeeping, and chemical handling training. If his management is responsible and concerned about safety, then I would not worry.

A. I looked up zinc poisoning on WebMD and it is poisonous. Heather, you need to let your brother know that inhaling the fumes of galvanized steel will screw you up. I was welding pipes of galvanized steel and I thought I had a major onset of the flu. If he works with it for a living the company he works for is required to let him know all of the risks and preventative measures.

A. Yes, that seems like the metal flu, similar symptoms to the flu, but caused by exposure to the fumes.

A. Hello,

I stumbled onto your question while researching the exact topic of welding galvanized surfaces. In my research, I've found that in addition to the numerous common welding fumes that are harmful to inhale, galvanized metals give off zinc oxide when heated. Zinc oxide causes metal fume fever. Good ventilation is the key to welding! Don't breathe all those metals- your body can handle quite a lot, but it's best to minimize your health risks.

A. If you are welding galvanized then you are at a great risk of getting what is called welding fume fever, the symptoms of this are identical to flu but very rarely last longer than 48 hours. If this happens to you once, then think about getting a better extraction system because if this is a common problem then the harm done to you will get worse as time goes on. The body can only take so much before it starts to fail. Also I would recommend that you do some research on the production of Ozone when welding galvanized and other metals such as stainless steel and aluminium.

A. Hi, Wayne. We now have at least six threads about that subject on-line here; so please try the search engine. You didn't say whether you are the safety director for your company or an employee doing the welding. If the former, you have some work in front of you; if the latter, ask your employer for the MSDS and related safety information. Good luck.

A. Hi, Jamie. I think that "metal fume fever" is a good "canary in the coal mine". If you are prudently wearing an air pack and you are suffering no metal fume fever episodes, I would not expect long term problems. However, your employer should somehow offer you access to an industrial hygienist or a doctor. Remember that these public comments are offered by people in the metal finishing industry and users, but generally not industrial hygienists or doctors.

Regards,

Please clarify that for me, Shawn. Where are these fluorides coming from in the topic of this discussion? Fluorine is an element; it cannot be generated from any chemical reaction; that is, it cannot be released unless it was present in the first place. There is certainly no fluoride in the galvanizing, so please clarify what situation you are alluding to, and what material has fluorine in or on it -- some welding rods maybe? Thanks!

Regards,