| This web site provides information on the very hot topic of Welding Rod Lawsuits. The text from the web site is from a pre-publication article from law firm owning the site linked below:
A Madison County, Illinois jury recently awarded $1 million dollars to a 65 year old former welder named Larry Elam who claimed his exposure to manganese in welding fumes caused him to develop a central nervous system disorder that affects movement and coordination. Although the medical profession had known since the 1830’s that exposure to toxic levels of manganese is a health hazard this case was the first major legal victory for welders who have been battling rod makers and employers for decades over the issue of welding fume induced illnesses.
Welding is the process of joining metals by electric arc or flame with a filler material.The process of welding causes the release of concentrated particulate fumes and gases which contain a number of elements including fluorine (F), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), calcium (Ca), sulfur (S), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni) and manganese (Mn). Many of these gases, including manganese, cause known health hazards when ingested by humans. Furthermore, these potentially dangerous gases may be odorless and invisible to the naked eye.
While traditionally, occupational exposure of manganese had been limited to mining and alloy production, the Elam case and recent medical studies have brought to the public’s attention that for decades, welders were unknowingly breathing disease inducing manganese fumes. To make matters worse, many of these welders were working in confined spaces and indoors with little or no safety or ventilation equipment. The combination of inadequate ventilation coupled with the close proximately of the welder’s nose and mouth to manganese laced welding fumes often results in the inhalation of toxic levels of manganese, with sometimes devastating side effects.
While there are a number of documented health problems attributed to the inhalation of welding fumes,one of the most serious potential injuries is an irreversible parkinsonian-like syndrome. This condition, first described by J. Couper in 1837, is characterized by fixed gaze, bradykinesia, postural difficulties, rigidity, tremor, dystonia and decreased metal status. This syndrome has been termed “Manganism”. Additional symptoms of this disease include tremors, shakes, loss of balance, slowed movement, walking problems, impotence, slurred speech, extreme drowsiness and nighttime leg cramps. For years, welders have been misdiagnosed as suffering from Parkinson’s disease (Lou Gehrig’s disease) or MS (Multiple Sclerosis) because the similarities between the symptoms.
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