Welding Fumes and Parkinson's Disease?

That was said so well I just wanted it to be here twice

 

I guess if you gotta be sick you might as well make it work related and go for a little help. I'm sorry your friend is sick.

I started welding when I was 12 I'll soon be 55. Welded professionally for a long time before shops had decent ventilation and heating and cooling. I have physical problems but not welding related.

I think that its a genetic thing. If your prone to that disease to start with the gasses from welding will help it along.

Anyway major buzz kill, I'm sorry your friend is ill. I do hope that he is young enough that the research they are doing will benefit him.

 

I also weld a lot. I'm 44, feel like 74. For the last year I have had shaking, twitching, weak/stiff muscles. I don't walk well, off balance and feet feel like they weigh 50 lbs each. I have honestly been afraid to go to the doctor about it. Not sure I wanna hear whats wrong. And yes, I do know this is a very stupid way of handling it. I need to go and will, but honestly I'm fuckin scared. Part of me is glad I read this post and part of me, well, not so much. Sometimes, I shake so bad it seems like a seizure almost. My left arm is twitching as I type this. When I sit, even for a few minutes it is difficult to get up as everything seems to stiffen up quickly. I had to quit playing the guitar, my fingers just dont move like they used to. I read about the artificial sweetners in diet pop, which, untill 2 months ago, I drank all day. They are rumored produce MS/Parkinsons like symptoms. I have cut the soda out of my life completely, water only. Things have started to get a little better, I'm walking better and some of the muscle stuff has decreased and some of the twitching. But I am not like I once was. After a couple hours in the shop, I'm ready to call it a night. We were supposed to take the truck to Billetproof-Detroit but it's just not gonna happen, we're not done. I will ventillate when I weld from now on thats for sure. This sucks.

 

You are so right. It is uncomfortable to be around, especially to see someone you care about suffer that way.

A good friend of mine had the experimental treatment at the Cleveland Clinic. I'm not sure of the specifics but I'm pretty sure he got a little box put in his brain to help regulate his muscles and nervous system--it changed his life. He can do many if not all the things he used to do before the disease took him over, including driving his Ardun powered roadster. He has set backs now and then and is 'supposed' to stay away from welding/plasma cutting but those sacrifices are wayyy better than the alternative.

 

Thanks to all for posting on this thread..I'm sorry to read it,but it will ultimately help many HAMBERS,I think

 

Contact the NPF (National Parkinsons Foundation), they are a very strong lobbying force with as much info as you're likely to get. Support groups, drugs, tests, research etc...

Our family has been involved with this organization for the last 10 years or so. My Mother in law was diagnosed years ago, and she is doing remarkably well considering her age and how long she has had this most evil disease.

www.parkinson.org

 

All I'd like to say is that if I wasn't the one striking the arc, I was the one holding the elbow and watching the level as it was welded on with the smoke rising up in my face. Almost all day long 5 days a week for almost 20 years. Smoked 3 packs of Marlboro's a day the whole time even after the pack warnings. I made a lot of alterations to boiler rooms back then when the white hard asbestos pipe insulation used in the 40s and 50s had to be removed, sawed with a keyhole saw and reinstalled.

So I got away from that dangerous environment....to a brake shop where it was common to blow out the brake dust with an air hose for the next 20 years. Yes I know better now and take safety precautions today. Why am I still here with no known health issues? Damn if I know?

I don't advocate any of the above practices but please don't jump to the conclusion that if you weld you will automatically get Parkinsons.

Use all the precautions but don't panic just yet.

 

My Dad died in 1985 of Parkinsons. He had it about 7 yrs. back then they would just dope you up so you didn't shake so bad. Sad. He was a welder the last 15 yrs he worked. He stood over a lathe welder. He also use to tell me of the aircraft factory workers in the 30's and 40's covering and doping fabric covering and drinking milk in large quantities to keep from getting Tuberculosis. Sorry about your young friend, Parkinsons like so many other diseases know no age.

 

My brother is hopefully next in line for the deep brain stimulation. We have our fingers crossed that it will give him enough time that they find a more permanent treatment. Hopefully, it works. I am not a religious person but i pray it works.

 

That's depressing to hear of someone so young possibly having Parkinson's. My Father, Grandfather and Great Grandmother all had Parkinson's. It can be triggered by so many differnt things it's unbelieveable. I'll be 54 later this year and so far am not showing any symptoms but it's my biggest fear. It's a horrible way to go, if the day does come I'm diagnosed with it I'll probably take up sleeping with married women that have jealous husbands........

 

Sorry to hear about your friend.
I don't think this is too far from the truth either. My dad was a printer for 4o odd years, retired 10 years ago, and he has Parkinsons. Another printer he worked with has it as well and they were saying that it probably had something to do with the solvents they were using back then and the metal plates they used for printing.

 

I did a little research and found that Parkinson disease symptoms are very close to what they call welder's disease, caused by the inhalation of Manganese fumes that are caused by the transference of filler rod to parent material by either a electronic devise or by O/A welding. The welding in its self may not be the cause, but may bring on a early onset of Parkinson to a person that is already predisposed to it in their neurological system

 

I've been welding alot lately,
more in industrial situations than normal.
I feel naked not wearing my mask (the 3m pink filters)
Its tough to trust just those filters though.

There is some nasty shit in that smoke,
but it doesn't end there.
Since the smoke eventually settles,
that dust all over the shop is alot of the same stuff,
probably more concentrated than when its in the air.
So also make sure to use a mask when sweeping/vacuuming etc.

Good luck to you and your friend.'

TP

 

theres a lot of things in this hobby that will kill you or tear you up in the long run. i'm sorry to hear about your friend. i just lost my uncle he had a chrome shop way back and and never did anything to stop breathing the chemicals. it all comes down to having to force your self to take all the precautions. i for one am real lazy when it comes to it. i hate wearing a mask but after seeing what the fumes and dust did to my buddy who was my teacher also, from all those years doing paint and body. i force my self now to wear one. now i'm getting into upholstery and the fumes from the vinyl and the glues are just as bad

 

Here is what the American Welding Society has to say about this subject:
http://www.aws.org/duke_study/

 

Ya, there are many things that can get you in the long run. I do airbrush and pinstriping work. When I first started the old painters that I watched didn't were respirators and they were breathing in the fine fumes from the airbrush so I thought that was the way it was supposed to be done. About five years later I had serious health issues from breathing the solvents and reducers all the time without protection. After surgery I changed my ways. Rubber gloves, clean respirator and good airflow with exhaust fans through the shop. I think the key is to protect yourself at all costs. Weather your painting, welding or sanding or just handling chemicals. Your body is like a sponge, like using medicated patches that absorb through the skin. I believe many of the products you use to work on your projects will absorb into your bloodstream and could cause health issues down the road.
Thanks everyone for your help and concern. I will be passing some of this info on to Kyle. He will greatly appreciate everyones well wishes.

 

I will pray for him.