Welding Fumes and Parkinson's Disease?

I ran into a friend of mine tonite and I noticed something was really wrong with him. I asked him if he had hurt himself and he told me he just found out last week he has Parkinson's disease. He told me he got it from his job as a welder over the past five years. Apparently the Magnesium Sulfate from the welding rod fumes caused his condition. I was really set back by his overall condition and his poor appearance. His motor skills were noticeibly struggling and walking seemed to be more a challenge than his body wanted to handle. The worst part is he is only 28 years old and there is no chance of reversing the damage done to his brain and central nervous system.
Have any of you had this happen to you or does anyone know more about the short and long term effects of welding fumes? I would like to pass some information on to him about treatments, medications or support groups to help him through accepting his serious condition.
Thanks

 

This is not the first time Ive heard of this. There were some posts about a year ago similar to this. I wish I could help.

 

I saw a story about that on the television a while back. It wasn't Parkinson's but the welding fumes cause a condition that mimics Parkinson's. Use a fan.

 

As of now there is no pinpointed trigger for parkinson's, only theories and a general understanding of the mechanics behind it. They diagnose it by eliminating a list of like 50 other things, and if it's not something on the list, you have parkinsons. That's how pitiful our knowledge base is.

My prayers go out to your friend.


Support stem cell research

 

Just a note, and not to downplay your friends condition which I feel for, as I am a professional welder too....

but the amounts of exposure to magnese needed to cause parkinson like symptoms, or parkinsons itself, has never been pinpointed, and a lot, and I mean a LOT of people weld all their lives and never get any symptoms or have any issues from it.

Our bodies are amazing machines, and like any machine, they react differently given certain conditions. This is a perfect example. So is the guy who gets skin cancer from flash burn after welding for a few years, whereas some of us never seem to have a problem.

I hope your friend gets sorted out. It's a horrible affliction.

I just don't want everyone who reads this that does a little welding to think they will have parkinsons now.

Afterall, tons of people smoke and know what that is PROVEN to do to you.

 

It must be some sort of metal poisoning , I would hope its only temporary

 

My buddy who is kinda locally famous as a hot rod and bike builder got diagnosed with parkinsons disease and his doctor said it was most likely triggered from welding without a respirator for years. He has all of the usual signs like tremors and decreasing peripheral vision. His tremors have gotten worse over the last year, I am not sure about his vision because I haven't had the heart to ask...

 

I do know he welded in costruction and industrial settings with long exposure, many times more than likely in small or confind spaces. I would guess over his five years of welding he could have been exposed to large quanities of harmful fumes.

 

The doctors told him it is permanent and will most likely continue to worsen.

 

Shoulda taken precautions. I wish more employers would be proactive about supporting that idea.

I work at a place that does some SMAW, and if I'm running it, I wear a respirator hood.

We didn't have one when I started. We got one. Why? Because I told my boss I won't weld stainless, SMAW, or galvinzed without one. I will flat out refuse...

 

Do Magnesium Sulfate fumes come from welding galvanized or stainless?
I wasn't possitive but my first reaction was it must be one of those.

 

Always use a welding resperator. 3M makes one that is flat enough to fit under your welding mask.Ask any welding supplier. I get carried away welding in my 2 car garage and once in a while realize from the smoke I didn't have enough ventilation. Open the door dummy! my best friend just died from parkinsons.He built and welded race cars and hot rods for many years.Don't know if welding had anything to do with it but it doesn't hurt to be cautious.

 

Did he do a lot of work on galvanized materail? It's very nasty stuff and even a limited exposure can get you pretty sick.

 

Only in recent years has safety been stressed in the work place. In the 80's when I was cleaning tanks/vessels you went in and cleaned till the heat started to get to you...now if it is over a certain temp you can not even go into them. no more climbing up in tiny vessels to knock the stuck beads out at the top either. You would think common sense would prevail but until someone comes down with something or gets hurt or killed...rules/practices do not change.

My dad died of lung cancer...well he smoked 2 packs a day but the doctor said it was an odd type of lung cancer....we found out years later a good buddy of his died of the same lung cancer. What did they have in common? They were friends, both smoked two packs a day and both worked together for 10+ years doing demo work in the oil fields around Santa Maria in the 60's/70's...I still think the smoking did not help but maybe there was more to it.

 

reposting for the morning crew. Any other information?
thanks

 

I live by the idea that if it produces fumes or smoke..wear something , (anything) to try to minimize breathing it in..a small fan in the shop moving air around or a resperator.
My Family Business used to own a small fab shop making indutrial fabrications..the building was vented, but not very well..(not as good as i would have liked to see it)
The winter time was the worst time , no one wanted toleave a door open because of how cold it would get.
after the first winter of seeing the smoke hang in the shop we went out and bought air supplied welding hoods for the welders, and everyone wore canister type resperators in the shop. We also installed a few more exhaust type fans in the cieling and side walls.
At home in my small shop i work with the door open , and weld close to the door, with a resperator, or a fan. although using a fan when welding with a Mig can be a bitch..because it can blow your shielding gas off your weld and fuck it up.
I also like welding close to the door for another reason..fire prevention, and better lighting.
I got sick as hell one time when i first started a construction job when i was 17..Air arc cutting slag off of stirring lances for the steel mills around here..
I sucked in so much fumes without even knowing it.

 

It has been proven that aluminum fumes destroy brain cells. I would not own a plasma cutter, as the fumes from them are horrible. The plasma arc vaporizes the metal, which can then be absorbed by breathing the fumes. I worked around a plasma cutter and the fumes really lingered in the shop.
Any welding process requires vigilant use of precautionary measures.
Alden

 

Haven't heard about the Parkinson, but my Dad was a stick welder for 25+ years, and fought to get a proper ventilation system installed. He ended up dying of Bladder Cancer and the doctors said it was more than likely from breathing in welding fumes.

 

That other condition you guys are talking about might be Huntingtons Disease. My mother-in-law and wife have it and neither one of them were welders. Its an awful hereditary illness that destroys peoples ability to walk, talk, eat, rendering them eventually a vegetable. The disease progresses differently in different people, which is usually why it is so hard to pinpoint anything about Huntingtons because it affects every person differently. I see people that range in ages of 18 - 70 in the nursing home my mother-in-law is in and even hearing of babies being born with it and immediately showing signs when they are born. Its a awful , awful disease as Parkinsons is as well.

 

There is a Welding Handbook put out by Lincoln in the 30's .... it's great- it goes over all of the risks etc with different materials... including death from welding on a cad plated item. You guys have to be very careful. As I get older, I hear more and more and am just starting to protect myself. This is a great thread- lets try to keep it going for the younger folks who may not have been exposed to the information yet! Keep the prayer for up for this man. My mentor also twitches and shakes from years of inhalation- no medical insurance.....

 

I always wondered if prolonged exposure to welding fumes would have long term effects. I use to work with an uncle fabricating these huge cookers. I would be inside these things welding for long periods of time. Sometimes I'd have to come out gasping for air. When I'd get home all kinds of stuff would come out of my sinuses (sorry to be gross).

This was along time ago ... and I was fearless ... thought I would live forever. However, now that I'm older and ... ah .. umm ... wiser, I don't do things without first protecting my eyes & lungs. But, you know, everytime I have some weird feeling or tremor, I always wonder if it's comin' back on me.

Thanks for bringin' this stuff up. I think its good to keep ourselves informed on all fronts, even hobby related health issues.

BTW, I hope your friend ends up with a better prognosis as time goes on.

 

Quite a few of the old time hot rodders around here have been diagnosed with Parkinson's in the last 5-10 years. Their doctors are telling them it is likely carbon monoxide related. It is super scary and sad to see so many cool old timers afflicted

All of the scents associated with this hobby are dangerous-- carbon monoxide, welding fumes, and especially paint fumes.

 

It's not just the exposure to welding fumes, it's solvents and a hundred other things too.

One of the best things ever told to me by an old mechanic was "Just because that's the way we used to do it doesn't make it right. Dying to be cool is still dying." Because of him and others I always try to practice safety, even when inconvenient.

I hope your friends prognosis changes for the better, 28 is a long barrel to stare down with that kind of disease. God bless.

 

Man, I'm sorry to hear about your buddy! I often wondered if all the "stuff" we are exposed to working in a shop (welding fumes, solvents, grease...etc) would have adverse effects on your body. I remember my Grandfather (who was a farmer) talking about be soaked in different pesticides that are now banned. He died a natural death, but a lot of his farmer friends died of crazy cancers and other stuff. Who knows, something we consider safe now might be what kills us later.

 

my uncle just passed away, he had leukemia. He was an iron worker for 30 years, he did all the welding on a lot of the big buildings in seattle. Im sure his condition was caused from his job.

 

Fiat,

I feel your pain. My 33 year old brother is being overtaken by Parkinson's. The problem with this disease is there is not a treatment that can help him at this point. There are medications but they have as much negative as positive. There are treatments that are experimental such as deep brain stimulation and hopefully someday we will see stem cell therapies but i am afraid both you and your friend have a long, painful journey to undergo. I send you my sympathies.

This is what i know for sure, Make sure you enjoy the time you have with him, be there for him, he needs your help. The problem with us as people is we are selfish and tend to shy away from uncomfortable situations... i know i do it. I am not trying to start shit by being honest about this ... it is what it is. My brother told me the worst part of this is he knows how his disease makes others feel! Just try and walk a mile in his shoes, try and do everything you used to do with him... friends and family are all we've got.

JD

 

By the way the website: www.michaeljfox.org is a great resource.

 

Im a sheetmetal worker and I work in a shop that specializes in custom stainless, and a shit ton of galvinized work. I weld everyday. It kinda makes you wonder. I've never seen anyone weld with a respirator...ever. The first thing they told me when I began welding galvinized was " Don't breath the pretty white smoke." I work with guys that are in their 60's that have been working in the trade for 40+ years with no current heath issues, but most of the old timers that I hear passed away usually had some type of cancer. I guess its just a chance you take and must accept when you choose to do the things we do.

 

I couldn't tell you about Parkinson's, but I've been welding and smoking for 45+ yrs and have received what they call galvanic poisoning, three times - a heavy metal deposit in your lungs, which stays - it never goes away - and my doc said that the welding did more harm than the smokes did,of course the smokes didn't help. So It's best to wear all of the protection that you can and if you are in a shop - try to see if they will buy a out side air source helmet.

 

I work with a guy who had parkinsons and yes we are welders/pipe fitters. He shakes pretty bad when we welds but has found different ways to cope with it somewhat. He is a couple years from retirement and only hopes he can enjoy a couple of years of retirement before it takes his body over. He lifts weights vigurously and says that is what is keeping his motor skills going, I dont know if its true but he sure thinks it is. We now where fresh air welding hoods especially when welding stainless. Our saftey guy takes monthly air samples with monitors and lets us know the results and asks for our concerns so I can honestly say in our shop they are trying to make it safer.