Welding Rod Injuries

Welding Rod Injury Attorney

Manganism is a chronic disorder of the central nervous system. The symptoms of manganism are similar to Parkinson’s Disease and may include tremors, shakes, weakness, slow and clumsy movements, difficulty breathing, loss of coordination, and slurred speech.

Manganism is caused by exposure to high levels of manganese. Manganese is a naturally occurring substance found in many types of rock. Pure manganese is a silver-colored metal, somewhat like iron in its physical and chemical properties. Manganese does not occur in the environment as pure metal. Rather, it occurs combined with other chemicals such as oxygen, sulfur, and chlorine. These compounds are solids that do not evaporate. However, small dust particles of the solid material can become suspended in the air. Some manganese compounds can dissolve in water, and low levels of these compounds are normally present in lakes, streams, and the ocean. Manganese can change from one compound to another (either by natural processes or by man’s activities), but it does not break down or disappear in the environment. Welding rods consist of metal coated with or containing manganese, zinc, cadmium, chromium, copper, fluoride, lead, or vanadium because the resulting fumes can cause a condition commonly known as metal fume fever. This condition may be more serious than the name metal fume fever or welders sickness or welders disease, it may be early stages of Parkinson’s Disease or Manganism.

Where does Magnese come from? 

Rocks containing high levels of manganese compounds are mined and used to produce manganese metal. This manganese metal is mixed with iron to make various types of steel. Some manganese compounds are used in the production of batteries, as an ingredient in some ceramics, pesticides, fertilizers, and dietary supplements.

Miners, welders, pesticides workers, and fertilizer workers, making certain types of batteries, ceramic workers, and workers in steel production are at risk for manganism.

If you live near a hazardous waste site, you could be exposed to manganese in soil or water or manganese-containing dust particles in the air. If you get manganese-contaminated soil or water on your skin, very little will enter your body. If you swallow manganese in water or soil, most of the manganese is excreted in the feces. However, about 3-5 percent is usually taken up and kept in the body. If you breathe air containing manganese dust, many of the dust particles will be trapped in your lungs. Some of the manganese in these particles may then dissolve in the lungs and enter the blood. The exact amount that does this is not known. Particles that do not dissolve will be carried in a sticky layer of mucus out of the lungs to the throat, where they will be swallowed into the stomach.

Because manganese is a regular part of the human body, the body normally controls the amount that is taken up and kept. For example, if large amounts are eaten in the diet, the amount that is taken up in the body becomes smaller. If too much does enter the body, the excess is usually removed in the feces. Therefore, the total amount of manganese in the body usually tends to stay about the same, even when exposure rates are higher or lower than usual. However, if too much manganese is taken in, the body may not be able to adjust for the added amount.

MANGANESE – WELDING FUMES

Too much manganese, however, can cause serious illness. Although there are some differences between different kinds of manganese, most manganese compounds seem to cause the same effects. Manganese miners or steelworkers exposed to high levels of manganese dust in the air may have mental and emotional disturbances, and their body movements may become slow and clumsy. This combination of symptoms is a disease called manganism. Workers usually do not develop symptoms of manganism unless they have been exposed for many months or years. Manganism occurs because too much manganese injures a part of the brain that helps control body movements. Some of the symptoms of manganism can be reduced by medical treatment, but brain injury is permanent. There are reports that patients have developed symptoms several years after exposure to manganese had ceased. Manganism is a permanently disabling disease for which there is no cure.

MANGANISM – PRIMARY SYMPTOMS – WELDING ROD FUMES

  • Tremors or Shakes     
  • Slowed movement
  •  Decreased hand agility
  •  Depression
  •  Difficulty walking
  •  Distorted facial expression
  •  Increased irritability
  •  Joint pain
  •  Loss of equilibrium (balance)
  •  Loss of short term memory Sinus problems
  •  Slowed movement
  •  Slurred speech or slow speech
  •  Stiffness in arm and leg muscles
  •  Sudden and/or severe mood changes
  •  Tremors

PARKINSON’S DISEASE – SYMPTOMS

  • Tremors ( arms, legs, head, neck, and face)
  • Rigidity (increased stiffness in the muscles)
  • Pain, especially in the arms and shoulders
  • The slowness of movement
  • Poor balance. Particularly during abrupt movement
  • Repeated falls due to loss of balance and fainting or lightheadedness
  • Walking problems
  • Dizziness
  • Sleep disturbances
  • Stooped posture
  • Depression
  • Problems with speech, breathing and swallowing
  • Short, shuffling steps 
  • Difficulty turning.

Welding Rod Injury Lawyer

If you believe that you or a loved one has been exposed to manganese or welding rod fumes or other heavy metal-containing fumes, dust or substances and have been diagnosed with manganism or Parkinson’s Disease, then you may have a potential cause of action against the manufacturers of these products.

If you or a loved one is suffering from a welding rod injury, we want to hear your story. David P. Willis is board certified as a personal injury trial law specialist. We’ve put in a lot of effort to get the best results for our clients, and we’ll do the same for you and your loved ones. Call us at 713-654-4040 or 1-800-883-9858.  

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