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AFRICA: Probe Into Poisonous Welding Rods January 28, 2004 By Henri Du Plessis Cape Town's ship repair industry is the focus of a US-led legal investigation into the liability of the producers of welding rods that can cause a disease resembling Parkinson's disease in welders. Welders who have had long-term exposure to the fumes created while doing arc welding are said to be at risk of neurological problems due to manganese poisoning. Most standard welding rods used in arc welding contain a large percentage of manganese, and scientific studies have tied these rods to neurological problems often associated with Parkinson's disease. Now a US law firm has joined forces with a firm in Cape Town to investigate whether welders who fell victim to manganese poisoning in South Africa could be linked to a series of class action suits in the US, as lawyers prepare cases against American welding rod manufacturers. At the heart of the local investigation is the ship repair industry, where investigators believe most of the South African victims will be found. US attorney Billy Phillips, representing the New Orleans law firm Sibley, is in Cape Town to investigate whether US- made welding rods have caused manganese poisoning, or manganism, among local welders and whether the local cases could be taken up in the class action suits. Phillips said possible actions were not aimed at engineering and welding firms, but at the producers of the welding rods. "The makers of these rods knew the dangers, but failed to adequately warn the users of their products. "The only way to prevent manganism is to wear a full breathing apparatus while welding with these rods, but this was never made known to the industry or their employees. Where warnings had been printed on packaging, they were completely inadequate." Phillips said he had linked up with local attorney Jacqui Sohn on the case. Advertisements calling on welders who believed they were suffering from symptoms akin to Parkinson's disease had been placed in daily newspapers. Sohn said while rods made locally and brands from Japan and Botswana, were widely used in this country, products imported from the US were also common. "We first want to investigate the US connection and piggy-back our cases on the American class action," she said, "then we will begin to look at products from elsewhere." "We are especially looking for older welders who can tell us about the 1970s and 1980s," Sohn said. One difference between manganism and Parkinson's is that the victim develops tremors, or shaking, when trying to do something with his hands, according to a study by Drs Barry Levy and William Nassetta published in the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health last year. Parkinson's causes shaking while the sufferer is at rest. Levy and Nassetta said manganism had three progressive stages, the first producing symptoms such as weakness, lethargy, sexual dysfunction, anorexia and headaches. The second stage followed continued exposure and led to psychological disturbances such as impaired memory and judgment, anxiety and sometimes psychotic manifestations, such as hallucinations. The third stage was severe, with an impairment of voluntary movement, tremor or shaking, rigidity, impaired co- ordination and a mask-like face. Early manganism might be reversible when exposure to the welding fumes is stopped, but many victims were permanently disabled, the study concluded. Sohn said welders who showed symptoms should contact her on 082 820 6867 or 083 442 8663. "We have had a large response, but we have to stress that this is only an investigation so far," she said. SOURCE: Cape Argus, Africa http://www.capeargus.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=49&fArticleId=335862 Reference: Jury Awards $1 Million In Welder's Suit http://neuro-mancer.mgh.harvard.edu/ubb/Forum71/HTML/009080.html * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn