Testimony in MO Welding Rod Trial Wraps Up
November 30 , 2005
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.
Boren worked at several different locations throughout the state of Missouri. Two years ago a $1 million award was given to a Collinsville, IL man in the only successful welding fumes case in the country so far.
As part of the defense's argument, they had a doctor on the stand who had been paid over $1.25 million for testimony that showed welding fumes did not cause Parkinson's and there was no link between the fumes and the development of the disease. The Doctor, Warren Olanow MD, made the claim that the welding rods were not the cause of Boren's disease.
The case is being tried by Madison County Circuit Judge Nicholas Byron who initiated the end stage of the trial by informing jurors that deliberations would begin on Thursday. The outcome of the trial will be watched around the country, as it would be the second time only that welding rod manufacturers were found guilty of producing faulty products that caused Parkinson's.
The defendants in the case include BOC Group Inc., ESAB Group, Lincoln Electric Co., Praxair Inc., TDY Industries, Union Carbide Corp. and Viacom.
To learn more about manganese exposure and its various side effects, contact a manganese attorney.
