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Jury gets first of cases claiming welding fume hazards M.R. KROPKO Associated Press CLEVELAND - A jury will begin deliberating Wednesday in a case that could set precedent for thousands of cases, filed nationally and consolidated here, that allege welding fumes cause neurological disorders, including Parkinson's disease. Ernesto G. Solis, 57, claims years of exposure to welding fumes at his job as a civilian maintenance worker at a Navy base in Corpus Christi, Texas, damaged his health because of exposure to manganese within welding rods. Scientific research has been at odds whether such exposure can lead to Parkinson's, a neurological illness diminishes movement and speech. Solis' lawyer, Scott Bickford, told jurors in closing arguments Tuesday that his client suffers from manganese poisoning, which has symptoms similar to Parkinson's. About 3,800 cases are consolidated before U.S. District Judge Kathleen O'Malley. The multidistrict litigation began in 2003, and there have been court decisions in other cases, including at the state level, outside of the consolidated cases. Defendants in the Solis case are Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc., Hobart Bros. Co., TDY Industries Inc. and the ESAB Group, all makers of welding rods. Bickford told the 10-person jury that warning labels on welding rod packages were not sufficient to warn welders of the dangers of welding rods. Defense lawyer Richard Sarver told the jury the evidence shows that Solis does not suffer from a consistent tremor and that his problem is not linked to welding. The jury verdict form asks whether a marketing defect led to Solis becoming ill. "What this case has shown is that manganese causes brain damage. The industry knew about it. Its warnings didn't convey the ultimate danger," Bickford said. He suggested the jury order compensation within a range of $132,000 to about $1.8 million. Solis also is seeking punitive damages. Sarver told the jury the companies shouldn't be punished. He said welding rod packages have sufficient warning labels describing fumes as hazardous. "Mr. Solis knew what he needed to do to avoid fumes, and he did," Sarver said. One recent case in state court in Illinois resulted in a $1 million verdict for a welder. "We are confident that this Cleveland jury will join the overwhelming majority of other juries around the country that have already heard and rejected similar claims," defense spokeswoman Brandy Bergman said. ON THE NET Welding rod litigation: http://www.welding-rod-litigation.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn