Many veteran railroad men spent the majority of their careers performing welding on the job. Hundreds of Carmen, Boilmakers, Machinists, Trackmen and various other crafts spent significant time welding without adequate protection.

Recent medical and industrial reports point strongly to the likelihood that a lifetime of exposure to welding fumes can cause or accelerate the onset of Parkinson’s Disease, or more properly, Parkinson’s-like symptoms. A 2001 study from a leading university in St. Louis demonstrated that career welders developed Parkinson’s-like symptoms at a much younger age than non-welders. Follow up medical studies on welders are scheduled for publication later this year.

The toxic culprit in welding fumes appears to be Manganese. Manganese is a naturally occurring metal that is a component in both steel and welding robs, and has been the focus of recent lawsuits against the welding rod industry. Nearly 90% of all Manganese mined each year is used in the production of steel, where it is alloyed with steel to increase strength and resilience. Virtually all welding rods contain Manganese, with “hard facing” rods containing greater quantities than rods designed for welding “mild” steel.

Manganese exposure from welding activities is highest in workers who weld every day; and even higher in those who welded in confined spaces, such as car bodies, tanks, and boilers, without adequate ventilation or protection. “Hard facing” welding rods (higher in Manganese content) were used on the railroad in jobs requiring high density strength such as track welding, car bolsters, draft gears and other welds requiring surface “build up.”

Excessive Manganese exposure may cause neurological symptoms such as tremor, impaired coordination, speech difficulties and awkward gait. Our office is currently handling several cases of this nature. We recommend immediate investigation if you, or someone you know:

1. Spent a large portion of their career as a railroad welder; and
2. Was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease or a similar serious neurological problem at a relatively young age.

 

Read the 2001 St. Louis Manganese article.

Contact Roven-Kaplan, LLP