Just wanted to pass this along...

[JamesG]

We found out today that my Dad has Parkinson's disease. He got tested for two reasons. First one was that we started noticing his left hand starting to shake all of the time. The other reason, and this is what I'm wanting to pass along to you guys is that the railroad (where he and I both work) put a letter out from a group of laywers handling a class action lawsuit against all of the makers of welding rods. Now this has been known by the people who make them since 1937. They admitted that the toxic fumes from any type of arc welding can cause severe nuralogical problems including Parkinson's. It's states in this letter we recieved that if you have had at 54 hours of exposure to these fume, and this includes just bieng in the vicinity of these fumes, you more than likely have some dmage. I'v only been around for about 10 years, but my Dad's been doing it for about 35 years.

Anyway, I just thought I'd pass this along to ya'll. I know that a lot of us younger kats do alot of welding, but alots of us have Dads who have been doing it for a lot longer and if you catch it soon enough, like we hope we have with my Dad, then your chances of treating it are better and easier.

[briggs&strattonChev]

wow, im sorry to hear that

thats scary, would it work to use the same masks used to paint with when you stick weld I wonder?

thanks for the heads up

Briggs

[Deyomatic]

Good information to pass along...BTTT

[Crease]

I wish you and your dad the best of luck. Thanks for passing along the info, I had no idea.

[JamesG]

Thanks guys.

Thats why I'm putting this on here because alot of people don't know and they don't want us to know.

I don't mean to scare anyone, but this is serious stuff and it hit home this time.

Thanks again guys.
I found this article on this tuff. I really hope that ya'll to read it. It explains it better than I can.

web page (http://www.zimmreed.com/FSL5CS/Custom/Fight4MikeStory.htm)

[Phil Stevens]

Sorry to hear that about your dad, thanks for the info. I will more careful in future, although it might already be too late http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

[**DONOTDELETE**]

1Low - Hey man. My thoughts are with you man. I lost my grandfather 2 weeks ago. He raised me. Was my father for the most part. He'd been fighting cancer and fell asleep at the wheel on his way home from radiation treatments.

So I know how scary this all can be. Spend as much time with him as you can. Sounds like he's ok and will do fine. But even without problems the time goes by faster than anyone recognizes.

Keep us updated.

[thirtytwo]

sorry to hear about your dad ,thanks for the info

[JamesG]

Thanks a million guys. It means alot, really. He's going to be ok. Just going to have the shakes a little, but they are putting him on the newest medicine. It jsut came out and is supposed to be really good. This actually may be a blessing because after he went to the doctor he said he wanted to check him for sleep apnea and he has it. I think the welding fumes cause's that as well. Luckyily they caought that because when they tested him he stoped breathing 36 times in and eight hour sleeping period. That causes you to have a stroke or heart attack.........

Anyway, thanks again you all.

[Spitfire1776]

Really sorry to hear that man. All the best out to your dad, and I hope it avoids you.

My question on the article. Do you think the author and studies are coming at it from the perspective of arc welding being stick welding(which a lot of people I've learned identify it as), or encompassing all forms or arc generated welding processes - MIG, TIG,....?

[Mutt]

[ QUOTE ]
Really sorry to hear that man. All the best out to your dad, and I hope it avoids you.

My question on the article. Do you think the author and studies are coming at it from the perspective of arc welding being stick welding(which a lot of people I've learned identify it as), or encompassing all forms or arc generated welding processes - MIG, TIG,....?

[/ QUOTE ]

Stick welding - doesn't mention gasless wire welding, and mig and tig wire don't have the coating.

http://www.1800theeagle.com/welding_rods/index.htm

[Farmer]

I am sorry to hear about your dad, I'll say a prayer for your family. Also, thank you for passing on this important imformation!
John

[RileyRacing]

Sorry bout your dad. I had a scare with mine recently too, so I know what you're going thru. Good info about the welding stuff too, My brother quit welding when he started coughing up stuff... went into "chef-ing". http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Hang in there.

Jay

[Smokin Joe]

54 hours? Hell I did more than that just taking the class in High School back in 68/69. Lessee, 3 hrs per day, 9 months for the school year. Yup, I'm phuqued. I knew school was killing me, but damn...

Too bad we didn't know back in the day what we know now. Every time one of those lists of stuff that kills you comes out I seem to fit it.

Asbestos: Check
Arc Welding: Check
Berrilium Copper: Check
Microwave radiation: Check
Smoking: Check
etc.... Check

[Jester]

Really sorry to hear that Kat best of luck to him in the future.

[Fast Elvis]

My best wishes go out to your dad and the whole family!...and thanks for the update.

[JamesG]

Thank you for your kind thought's guys.

Yea to answer the question about which ones cause's it I believe stick was the only one.

And about the hours, It only take about a weeks worth, eight hours or so a day, to huff enough of that crap to mess yourself up.

As far as the law suite goes, I could'nt give two shit less about that. It might be nice to get some change out of those sorry ass corporations that have known about this for the last 67 years, but nothing will ever give my Father his health back..........

As far as my health I feel pretty good. There are more things that are on that list that a person can get from the toxic fumes, and I will get a copy of it in a day or two so I cant post more info on it. My concern is that I want to know if anything that you have breathed can be passed on through child birth. Not that I'm too concerned about me but for my four year litle boy. I want to find an answer on that question. Let's hope not, if so I will be REALLY pissed.

[Morrisman]

I'm sorry to hear of your fathers illness. Hope he comes good, and hang in there as new cures are found every day for old illnesses.

People don't realise just how much smoke and fumes pours off their welding rod, until they've watched somebody else do it. That shit goes everywhere, inside your helmet and lungs too, but you rarely realise it when you're doing it.
Paul

[momentumfoto]

Wow man... that is terrible and I am sorry to hear your pain. I have Lyme Disease and tell everyone to be carefull when in the woods... just so they know what is out there. This is good info for all those rod welders out there so be carefull.

Diseases suck!

bp

[Curly]

[ QUOTE ]
My concern is that I want to know if anything that you have breathed can be passed on through child birth. Not that I'm too concerned about me but for my four year litle boy. I want to find an answer on that question. Let's hope not, if so I will be REALLY pissed.

[/ QUOTE ]

The key word to look for when you do your research is Teratogen.

A teratogen is anything that can cross the placental barrier and cause harm to the child in any of it's stages of development.

I doubt very much if this is going to affect your child unless it can mutate YOUR DNA sequence. This is what is passed on by your "Little Swimmers". When it comes to the DNA...1/2 comes from you and 1/2 from mom.

The thing to really watch is what the mother does. Dad smokes... has no effect on baby (unless dad smokes infront of mom and then the following apply) This is why secondhand smoke has become such an issue lately. Mom smokes and 1,000's of chemical substances go to work insde mom and cross the placental barrier and directly to baby.

Here are just two of many examples:
1. Heart rate increases in both mom and baby (developing heart under stress).
2.Mom uses lung space to hold smoke equals less oxygen absorbtion for mom and less to baby (brain needs that O2).

I think that if you to breath the welding fumes it will ony hurt you. If your wife was to breath same fumes during pregnancy it could damage both unborn child and the mother with more damage being done to the child than the mother.

The babies are usually born premature or have a low birth weight.

Many mothers tell you that they smoked and their baby is just fine but there is evedince that many of the problems do not arise until later in life...such as attention defecit disorder.

On to your Dad...sorry to hear about the diagnosis. If there is a ray of sunshine in this it has to be that if there ever is a "good" time to be diagnosed with Parkinson's it is now. The advancement that drug companies have made in the last 10 years is great. The advancments in surgical procedures is astounding. Caught early enough docs can slow the progression down to a managble point.

[JamesG]

They have my Dad on the exact same medicine that Michael J. Fox is on and it's helped him tremendously. He had it so badly that he had to stop acting for awhile but now that he's on this new stuff he's slowly getting back into it.

[48_HEMI]

the products that I use daily when they came on the market in 1974 they carried two pages of warning. then they changed to fine print
for precautions write to
p.o. box u812
bumfuck mississippi http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I have all the symtoms (I wish we had spellcheck) but hate to see my lawyer buy a bigger house http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[JamesG]

I'v been doing some more home work on this stuff for my Dad on the Net since he's Net-illiterate and I was incorrect on the year they have know about this. It's not 1937, it was 1837. For 150 years The makers of welding rods have known about this and in just recent years have they started putting warning labels on the box's of rods. The only problem is that One, they never told anyone of this warning and they made the print so small a person would need a microscope to read it. If any of you have'nt already I want you to go out in your shop and look for this warning. It's really nansty stuff that manganese can cause.

Heres a small article I found on the Net.....

For over a hundred and fifty years, manganese has been medically recognized as toxic to the brain and central nervous system. Exposure to heavy concentrations of these fumes for as little as three months may produce a progressive condition, referred to as Manganism. Manganism is also referred to as manganese poisoning, and manganese-induced Parkinsonism. In 1963, a toxicologist by the name of Dr. Irving Sax published a book which noted that manganese “affects the nervous system and can cause paralysis to a degree which may be disabling” and that “widespread... exposure occurs in electric arc welding since most welding rod coatings contain manganese.”
Parkinsonism is a disabling neurological disorder associated with the following symptoms:

1. Tremors of the arms and hands;

2. Loss of balance

3. Excessive periods of time with little or no blinking, or facial expressions;

4. Drooling;

5. Slow, unsteady and decreased movement;

6. Stiffness in arms;

7. Akinesia

8. Stiffness in legs;

9. Gait changes, including “shuffling of feet” and rigidity in arms;

10. Loss of balance

11. Fixed gaze - Excessive periods of time with little or no blinking, or facial expressions;

12. Drooling;

13. Impaired reflexes;

14. Bradykinesia


I do apologize to anyone that might have read any or all of this and it's bummed out or even scared you. The fact is, this stuff has been know about for way too long now and it piss's me off knowing that if they would have simply came forth and told people about this earlier and maybe even stopped useing manganese guys like my Dad would'nt be getting these death sentences. But once again, I'm not on here to stirr up anything or whatever, I feel now that this has happened to my family and it did'nt have to, I now have another mission in life...and thats simply informing people about this being that is could have been avoidable. Thanks everone for reading my rambling and even more so for the kind thoughts and prayers. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif