Welding is considered one of the important sources of contamination of working environment by heavy metals as well as other noxious substances. Many epidemiological studies confirmed the association between welding and different types of health damage. In the present study we made immunological examinations of subjects exposed to the risk of welding stainless steel (19 men, means age 33 years, 52 % smokers, mean number of years in welding 15.9). From the working environment single samples of the atmosphere were collected and analyzed for the contents of selected metals (chromium, nickel, manganese) and the content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The assessed concentrations had only fractions of the maximum acceptable concentration. The concentrations of total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons varied between 458.4 and 881.4 ng/m 3 . The authors assessed immunoglobulin levels (IgG, IgA, IgM, IgE), C3 and C4 constituents of complement, beta-2-microglobu- lin, interleukin (IL-1beta), neopterin, transferrin, alpha-1-antitrypsin, alpha-2-macroglobulin, haptoglobin, orosomucoid, prealbu- min, ceruloplasmin and CRP in serum and also lyzozyme and secretory IgA in saliva and the number of phagocytizing cells in whole blood. The investigated group of men exposed to risk of welding was compared with a group of healthy donors which served as control (30-100 men for different immune parameters, mean age 38 years). In the group of welders, as compared with controls, elevated values of C3 complement were found (p< 0.001), total IgE (p< 0.05), beta-2-microglobulin (p< 0.05), neopterin (p< 0.001), IL-1beta (p< 0.01), orosomucoid (p< 0.01) and CRP (p< 0.001). Reduced values in exposed subjects were found in the following: IgG (p< 0.05), IgM (p< 0.001), transferrin (p< 0.001), alpha-1-antitrypsin (p <0.001), alpha-2-macroglobulin (p< 0.001), haptoglobin (p< 0.01), ceruplasmin (p <0.001) and in the number of phagocytizing cells (p< 0.05).

        Key words: work exposure, immunological methods, welding workshop