The quantity of radiation depends on a number of things, including the welding current and the shielding gas. There is some research. I can recommend a browse using Google Scholar http://scholar.google.co.uk/ The paper of greatest interest is described here, but I don't know where to get a copy: http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/...amp;identifier=ADA033768 Some data extracted from it are as follows: the (American) daily threshold limit value is reached in the following circumstances... CO2 shield, 90 A, at 10 min when 3 m from the arc, and at 8 hours 20 m from the arc CO2 shield, 200 A, at 10 min 7 m from the arc, and at 8 hours 50 m from the arc. Now, these are not exposures that will give you arc eye, they are to do with the other effects of UV radiation (principally cancers). I cannot imagine that there are very many reliable data on arc eye because a) who is going to volunteer for the experiments? and b) how reliable is the post-incident estimate of exposure when arc eye has occurred? While you may be concerned to avoid arc eye, exposing people knowingly to UV radiation is of concern!

Seems like the sort of rubbish observation you usually get from people who do not weld. Welding at 200A with a CO2 shield gas and flux-cored wire, I reckon on getting ¨arc eye¨ with an unprotected exposure of only a few seconds. I´ve had arc-eye from welders over 3 metres distant. And in any case, there is also a problem with exposure to excess blue light! See how long it takes for the residual image from direct exposure to an electric arc to disappear from view...close your eyes and look!!! http://annhyg.oxfordjour...ontent/54/3/293.full.pdf And look at the emitted spectrum from different welding processes, and intensity: http://www.dguv.de/medie...ission_schweissen_en.pdf

Thanks for all your replies - appreciate it. it looks like I have some reading to do. maybe I will even be able to educate a couple of our 'experts'

Another issue that you must consider with distant exposure to arc welding is that it tends to be in peripheral vision, which is more sensitive to bright lights. Down to the biology of the eye, retinal rods & cones & all that IIRC. OR, at least that is what I was taught, and told by my ophthalmic consultant when I had my eye accident and I was still heavily involved with welding at that time.