Parkinson's Disease, Manganese Lawsuit Issues & Welding Rod Litigation in the News

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2004 Health Effects Institute Studies Neurotoxicity of Excessive Manganese

A Health Effects Institute (HEI) report labeled Manganese Toxicokinetics at the Blood-Brain Barrier outlines findings in a recent study that link exposure to high levels of manganese to neurotoxic symptoms such as those found in Parkinson's disease. The study focuses on the use of manganese in the fuel additive MMT, which is designed to increase octane efficiency of fuels used in vehicles. Investigators expressed concern that the use of manganese as an additive in products that release the element into the environment in concentrated levels causes detrimental health effects in humans. Read more about this study.

2003 Welder Awarded $1 Million in Manganese Lawsuit

Larry Elam, of Collinsville, Missouri, was first diagnosed with Parkinson's disease shortly after noticing his hands and face trembling and twitching in 1995. He was 57. Now at 66, he admittedly doesn't go outside very much because he doesn't like to "put on a display," referring to his now uncontrollable shaking movements. Elam was a welder by trade for nearly 30 years at Union Electric. As part of his welding rod litigation case, Elam told jury members that the inhalation of manganese in welding rod fumes during his career contributed to his case of Parkinson's disease. The jury agreed with him and awarded Elam a winning verdict in this manganese lawsuit. Read more about this story.

2003 University of Washington Study Links Iron & Manganese to Parkinson's Disease

University of Washington School of Medicine researchers have found that high levels of consumption of both iron and manganese together leads to a greater risk of getting Parkinson's disease than expected. People who have diets high in both iron and manganese are 1.9 times more likely to have Parkinson's disease than those with lower levels in their diets. The study showed the likelihood of Parkinson's disease to be particularly high in people who ate a diet high in these minerals and took daily multivitamin supplements. Researchers also say that more examination is needed to shed light on the connection between manganese, iron, and Parkinson's disease. Read the rest of article.

2001 Welding Rod Fumes May Lead to Parkinson's Disease

Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri have discovered that welding may lead to earlier incidence of Parkinson's disease. In a study involving 15 professional welders, researchers found that they developed the signs of Parkinson's disease approximately 15 years earlier than the average person. By comparing the professional welders to typical Parkinson's disease patients, the researchers determined that there were no clinical differences (with regards to symptoms and/or their severity) between the welders and the PD patients. Both groups responded to the drug Levodopa. Although the researchers say that their research does not prove that occupational welding rod usage causes Parkinson's disease, they nonetheless theorize that it may be responsible. Findings such as these have lead to many welding rod litigation cases across the country. Read more about this article.

2000 University of California Study Links Manganese to Parkinson's Disease

A study conducted by the University of California, Santa Cruz, suggests that exposure to relatively low levels of the mineral manganese over a long period of time is linked to symptoms that parallel those of Parkinson's disease. Also, those with Parkinson's disease were noted to have exacerbated symptoms when exposed to manganese after contracting the disease. The study emphasizes the value of results showing the effect of toxic substances such as manganese, on the more sensitive subset of a given population who is suggested to be at risk of exposure. Read more.

1997 Welder with Parkinson's Disease Awarded Workers' Compensation

Jim Sartain, a former California welder, has been awarded workers' compensation benefits for developing Parkinson's disease while working with welding rod fumes and manganese. As part of his welding rod litigation claim, Sartain said he wore a welder's hood but was not provided with respiratory protective gear. As a direct result, Sartain now has a form of Parkinson's disease and has trouble speaking and walking. The decision ended a 9-year manganese lawsuit for the 61 year-old welder. Sartain will receive $83,000 in back benefits, a pension, and lifelong Medicare. Read the excerpted article.

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