Bay Bridge Welders Exposed To High Manganese Levels
August 29, 2006
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.
These workers labored in confined spaces in 150-degree temperatures up to 40 feet below the waterline. All the while, these workers were exposed to high levels of manganese fumes. Between May 2003 and March 2004, industrial hygiene firm IHI Environmental measured levels of manganese fumes to be FIVE times the legally permissible level.
Corporate Malfeasance
Evidence shows that KFM Joint Venture, the contractor for the Bay Bridge project, asked IHI to monitor welding fumes for manganese and other metals, but specifically asked the company not to analyze the data. However, the company did analyze the data they collected.
In 2003, IHI notified KFM that the manganese levels in the welding rods were at least FOUR times over the legally permissible limit.
Both companies failed to inform the exposed workers about these risks or take steps to mitigate the threats posed to these Bay Bridge welders.
The Manganese Health Effects
As many as 48 Bay Bridge welders reported serious illnesses caused by manganese exposure to their employer, KFM, who ignored the complaints. Extended exposure to high levels of manganese in welding rod fumes can cause serious injury including:
· Vomiting
· Flu-like symptoms
· Paralysis
· Permanent brain damage
Manganism is the neurological disease linked to high manganese exposure.
The Investigations
In June 2005, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health issued KFM 17 citations for legal violations. However, the agency failed to cite the contractor for ignoring the welders’ claims of injury from manganese exposure.
A 2004 Cal/OSHA investigation determined that the contractor knew about the unsafe levels of manganese workers had been exposed to. The investigators also found that KFM had done little to solve the problem. However, officials with Cal/OSHA maintain that the evidence linking manganese exposure to these welder’s illnesses was “a little too problematic.”
Turning for Help Elsewhere
When the help of their employer and the government proved useless to the welders, they turned to a San Francisco State University lecturer, Rosemarie Bowler, who researches the damaging neurological effects of manganese. Bowler and her colleagues found a strong link between the welders’ injuries and exposure to high levels of manganese while working on the Bay Bridge.
The problem lay in classifying their illnesses using the rigid terminology set forth by the government in labeling chronic irreversible disease.
“It is really difficult to classify something as chronic and irreversible,” says Janice Prudhomme, an official with the Department of Health Services who evaluated Bowler’s data and other manganese research.
She concluded in her report that the welders experienced “symptoms consistent with over-exposure to manganese.”
Manganese lawsuits
Forty-three of the Bay Bridge welders who have illnesses caused by manganese over exposure have filed a lawsuit against KFM, IHI, and many welding rod manufacturers. The lawsuit claims that these defendants were negligent in failing to inform workers of the hazards and failing to address the problems of their illnesses. This case is expected to go to trial in 2007.
If you wish to learn more about manganese, please contact us to speak with a qualified attorney who can answer your questions and determine the best way to protect your legal rights and get you the help you need.
If you or someone you know has Parkinson’s and may have been exposed to manganese in any form during work or for any reason, contact an experienced manganese lawyer for a free consultation.
