A lawsuit brought by a former welder who claims that he suffers tremors from exposure to welding fumes has raised a serious and intriguing question: Do welding fumes cause neurological diseases like Parkinson’s, Ernest G. Solis, a 57-year-old Corpus Christi man with Parkinson’s-like symptoms, is seeking unspecified damages from four welding rod makers. His case, which is being heard in a Cleveland federal court, could have implications for 3,800 similar lawsuits around the country.
The question the jury will have to answer is whether or not manganese – a chemical element emitted when welding rods are burned – leads to tremors, poor balance, and difficulty walking and swallowing after high levels of exposure.
“It’s a really hot topic. A lot of people weld and there is manganese in welding rods. Manganese is very bad stuff at very high doses. The problem is defining when doses are high enough to cause a neurological disease,” said Alan Ducatman, chairman of community medicine at West Virginia University.
Manufacturers of welding equipment contend that there is no established link between fumes and Parkinson’s. They further argue that welding rods come in packages with warning labels suggesting that fumes may be hazardous.
James Antonini, a toxicology researcher at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, is leading a study examining the effects of welding-type fumes on rats to try to determine if there is in fact a link the fumes and neurological diseases.
However, Dr. Edward Baker, director of the North Carolina Institute of Public Health and lead witness in Solis’ case, argued that extensive research has already established a link between manganese fumes emitted from welding rods and neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s.
According to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, nearly 1 million Americans suffer from the disorder. The foundation says that some of those cases may be caused by welding fumes.
A welder’s risk of exposure depends on the concentration of manganese as well as the size of the working space. Some welders use fans to blow away the potentially toxic fumes while others wear breathing devices.