Manganese News
March 15 , 2007
Air Manganese Content Prompts Closer Monitoring
Prompted by unacceptably high levels of manganese and other dangerous substances in the air, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has added more monitors and increased testing to the Ohio River area.
February 8 , 2007
Residents Continue to Fight Steel Plant Pollution
The dispute between a steel plant and nearby residents over continued emissions of manganese, lead, and other chemicals rages on despite a meeting yesterday designed to encourage cooperation between involved parties.
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January 4 , 2007
N.J. Deals Faces Buried Toxin Problem
In the mid-1980s, residents of Gloucester County, New Jersey found out that the wells from which they drew their drinking water were contaminated with manganese, mercury, benzene, lead, chloroform, and other dangerous chemicals that were leaking from a nearby sanitary landfill that had been abandoned for years.
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December 8 , 2006
New Report Lists Brain-Damaging Substances
A report lists neurotoxic chemicals that are likely to be contributing to the long-noted rise in brain damage and other neurological dysfunctions occurring in children. Manganese, fluoride, and perchlorate were “three obvious candidate substances” for regulations.
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November 2 , 2006
Man Sues for Welding Rod Manganese Exposure
A man from Forsythe Ill. is suing manganese-containing welding product manufacturers, claiming his exposure to them caused him serious neurological injuries.
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October 12, 2006
New Study on Manganese in Mid-Ohio Valley
A new study reporting on water manganese levels in the Mid-Ohio Valley is expected to be out in the next few months.
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September 14 , 2006
Study Finds Possible Explanation For Manganese-Related Brain Dysfunction
In the last few decades, researchers have discovered that frequent exposure to high levels of manganese, a metal used widely in a number of industries, is linked to movement disorders similar to symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. However, the brain damage caused by manganese exposure is different than the neuron damage that characterizes Parkinson’s.
August 29 , 2006
Bay Bridge Welders Exposed To High Manganese Levels
Forty-three Bay Bridge welders, responsible for connecting the foundation of the new bridge to the rest of the structure, have filed lawsuits claiming to have suffered the serious health effects of manganese exposure while completing work on the bridge.
June 29 , 2006
Possible New Treatment for Manganese Toxicity
A tuberculosis drug similar to the chemical compound of aspirin provides new hope for treating neurological complications caused by high-level manganese exposure, according to a case study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
June 15 , 2006
Lawsuit Alleges Manganese Hit Nerves
A federal jury will determine whether manganese exposure from welding fumes causes serious neurological diseases like Parkinson’s in a court case filed by a former welder who suffers from nerve and movement problems.
May 25 , 2006
Major Health Study Pulled from Upcoming Manganese Trial
Madison, Wisconsin resident Andres Svanoe was alarmed when his family’s drinking water contained chunks of small black globs that came from the tap.
May 8 , 2006
Manganese and Other Contaminants Clog Madison Wells
Madison, Wisconsin resident Andres Svanoe was alarmed when his family’s drinking water contained chunks of small black globs that came from the tap.
March 27 , 2006
Welder Accuses Employer of Manganese-Related Injury
In Ruth v A.O. Smith Corp., a welder sued two welding rod manufacturers, alleging their product was hazardous and they failed to adequately warn employees of the potential dangers of manganese fumes.
March 13 , 2006
New Court Ruling Confirms Link Between Manganese and Brain Damage
A new written order issued February 27, 2006 by Federal Judge Kathleen O’Malley confirms that scientific evidence shows manganese found in welding fumes can cause serious neurological damage to welders.
February 28 , 2006
Judge Denies Request to Sanction Welding Case
A request to sanction plaintiffs for bringing frivolous cases regarding alleged links between welding fumes and Parkinson's disease has been denied by a federal judge.
Judge Kathleen O'Malley is overseeing lawsuits that claim that fumes that workers and welders had inhaled over a period of time has caused them to develop neurological disorders.
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February 13 , 2006
City Wants to Flush Manganese From Pipes
The mayor's office in Madison, Wisconsin is developing a “manganese working group” which will take up the current water issues with the community. The most prevalent and recent water woe has been the tainted water that has raised health concerns.
The discoloration of laundry and ruined piping fixtures is what has caused the alarm in the city. Manganese and iron get into the water supply as water in the city's aquifers draw in minerals from bedrock.Read Full Article...
December 27 , 2005
Court Upholds $1 Million Manganese Exposure Award
The 5 th Appellate Court in Illinois has upheld the country's only favorable welding rod exposure lawsuit award. Although the original case was decided in 2003, there were several motions to either overturn the verdict or cancel the results of the trial. As of today, those motions are null and the plaintiff will receive most of the $1 million originally awarded to him.
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December 16 , 2005
Ohio Scientist Wants Manganese Study Conducted
The head of the mid-Ohio Valley Health Department is calling on federal help in order to obtain scientific data that suggests that the town of Marietta, Ohio is suffering from manganese exposure. Dick Wittberg, a biologist and head of the Health Department, was a longtime resident of Marietta, his childhood town, and is concerned about the dangers that local factories pose to nearby residents.
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December 7 , 2005
Welding Trial Ends Without Award
A jury returned a verdict declaring that a man's Parkinson's disease was not caused by his exposure to welding fumes while on the job. Despite their verdict, many jury members admitted that they thought there might be some scientific basis for the claim, but there wasn't enough scientific evidence to prove the link.
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November 30 , 2005
Testimony in MO Welding Rod Trial Wraps Up
Final testimony took place yesterday in a trial against several companies by a man who claims his Parkinson's disease is due to long-term welding fume exposure at his job. Steve Boren, 51, had worked on various sites throughout the state of Missouri for many years and is now suing the makers of the welding rods that caused the early onset of his Parkinson's.
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November 21 , 2005
Manganese Link to Verbal Disability Discovered
A recent groundbreaking study conducted in Miami, Oklahoma revealed that levels of manganese and arsenic in children’s hair directly correlated to learning disabilities in those children.
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November 7 , 2005
Manganese Trial Begins in Missouri
After five years, a manganese welding case that was filed is finally going to trial. Steve Boren, of Cape Girardeau, MO filed a welding rod lawsuit in Madison County Circuit Court to be heard by Judge Nicholas Byron.
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October 31, 2005
Manganese Lawsuit Filed in Bay Bridge Welder Case
A lawsuit has been filed in the Bay Area, California, over allegations of knowing overexposure to manganese fumes and other workplace abuses in the construction of the new span of the Bay Bridge. The lawsuit was filed by the ex-bridge foreman, Angel Leon, who claimed that earlier investigations by himself into similar abuses resulted in his firing.
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October 11, 2005
New Manganese Suit Seeks $.5M
A 43-year-old ex-welder who has developed Parkinson’s disease has filed a manganese lawsuit against Airco/The BOC Group Inc. Joe Fisher, a welder who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at age 43, worked for the Caterpillar Corporation of East Peoria, Illinois. The man had to leave his job after working there for 23 years due to his progressing illness.
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October 3, 2005
Shipyard Worker Settles First Manganese Lawsuit of its Kind
The first manganese lawsuit of 6,000 filed with the federal government on behalf of injured workers was settled this week just before the case was scheduled to go to trial. This manganese welding lawsuit was filed on behalf of 38-year-old Charles Ruth, a Mississippi welder working at the Ingalls Shipyard since 1997. Two years after starting this job...
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July 28, 2005
Water Commission downplaying manganese risks in Massachusetts town
The Water Commission is downplaying assertions that Casella Waste Management's transfer station could be linked to high levels of manganese found in a nearby town well. According to the commission and its consultant, Joe Beekman, the manganese levels that led to the shutdown of Well 6 two years ago was because of the well's high level of use...
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July 6, 2005
Showers could be presenting manganese risks
According to U.S. researchers, regularly showering in manganese-contaminated water could pose a health risk, potentially resulting in brain damage. Dr. John Spangler of Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, says breathing even small amounts of manganese...
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June 8, 2005
Mayo Clinic links welding and brain damage cases
For the first time, a Mayo clinic series analysis has identified syndromes associated with toxic damage to the brain and nervous system from manganese fumes generated during welding. The analysis also revealed that all affected patients shared a risk factor, which was welding with inadequate ventilation.
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January 12, 2005
Some supplements present more risks than benefits
The Department of Health advises all consumers to first seek medical advice prior to taking supplements. Long-term use of some supplements can cause serious health risks because they contain things like manganese and other potentially dangerous ingredients.
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October 29, 2003
$1 Million Jury Award to Welder for Manganese Exposure
A Madison County jury awarded $1 million to Collinsville welder Larry Elam, who claimed his Parkinson’s disease resulted from exposure to manganese. Jurors deliberated for six hours before declaring their verdict in favor of Elam.
“Most of us don’t believe in excessive awards, but we knew that if there was a link we would need to award,” said juror Patricia Freeman. She also praised the attorneys on both sides of the case, while describing the need for further studies concerning the link between Parkinson’s and manganese exposure.
The million dollar award consisted of $700,000 for the cash value of Elam’s current life care plan, $100,000 each for disfigurement and disability, $70,000 for emotional distress, and $30,000 for medical expenses. Elam’s attorney, Bob Bosslet, had originally requested $1.1 million.
Elam filed the negligence lawsuit two years ago, naming 23 defendants. By the time of the trial, the list of defendants was down to three: Hobart Brothers, Lincoln Electric, and Airco. Bosslet argued that the welding industry knew of the link between manganese exposure and Parkinson’s, but did not give its employees adequate warning, fearing loss of profits. Elam developed Parkinson’s after 27 years on the job. In 1996, his symptoms became so severe that he was forced to retire, giving up a job that Bosslet claimed would have paid $46,000 for an another seven years.
To learn more about manganese exposure and its various side effects, contact a manganese attorney.
