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Welding Rods Lawsuits .com
An Illinois jury recently awarded $1 million to a welder who developed a Parkinson's-like disease called Manganism, from years of breathing manganese welding rod fumes.
In Larry Elam's case, the jury ruled that welding-rod manufacturers are responsible for failing to warn him about serious health risks. Elam, 65, of Collinsville, Ill., said he used rods made and sold by major companies across the country, including Lincoln Electric Co. in Cleveland. The companies argued that there is no link between welding and Parkinson's.
Attorneys for welders say workers suffered neurological damage from welding rod fumes that contain manganese, which stabilizes and hardens the weld. In documents, the attorneys said the fumes can lead to brain damage.
By definition, welding is the process of joining two metal parts by melting the parts at the joint and filling the space with molten metal. More than 500,000 men and women are employed in welding and welding related occupations in the United States. An estimated 200,000 welders are retired, creating a potential pool of 700,000 people who were exposed to manganese on a daily basis. "Of this pool of 700,000 welders, if 5-10% were potential victims of manganism or Parkinson's Disease then the potential pool of injured, disabled, impaired, ill people would be 35,000 human beings on the low end of the estimate and 70,000 humans, who have been wrongfully robbed of their health, at the high end of the estimate.
Studies have linked occupational exposure to welding fumes and manganese fumes to serious respiratory issues: pneumonitis, chronic obstructive respiratory disease; neurological diseases: manganism and Parkinson's Disease, and reproductive effects: lower sperm count and decreased testosterone levels.
The reason that welding rod fumes and manganese poisoning have caused such outrage is due to the fact that the harmful neurological effects of manganese have been widely known for more than a century. There are more than 80 different types of welding operations, including brazing, thermal cutting, and gauging, in commercial use. In welding and similar operations, such as brazing, thermal cutting, and gauging, the most frequently used method for generating heat is obtained either from an electric arc or a gas-oxygen flame.
The merging and combing of metals causes such intense heat that metals become ambient, airborne, entering the lungs and traveling in the blood stream to the brain. The welding fume is formed by the vaporization and recondensation of metallic elements upon cooling in ambient air. The amount of the emissions generated can vary substantially from process to process but the manganese is constant. The elemental composition of the fume varies with the electrode and work piece composition. Hazardous metals listed in the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments that have been detected in welding fume include manganese, nickel, chromium, cobalt and lead. Additionally, the hexavalent form of chrome (Chrome +6) is also found in some welding fume emissions.
The emissions of toxic air contaminants during welding have traumatic adverse human health impacts and cannot be allowed to continue when almost all welding rod injuries are 100% preventable. If you or someone you know has been injured as a result of welding rod fumes, you should contact an attorney immediately. Click Here, for a free, no obligation consultation from an experienced personal injury attorney or fill out the form provided below.
*1. Welding Rod Fumes and Manganese (Mn) Fumes are commonly referred to as Manganese Dioxide whose chemical formula is MnO2. Manganese is also referred to as pyrolusite.
*2. It should be noted as well that welders and people in the welding profession are not the only citizens that are on a regular basis exposed to manganese. Miners and people who work in the mining industry are often times exposed to manganese dust and fumes in greater concentration due to poor ventilation and should also take extreme safety precautions.
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