Welders should watch out for Parkinson’s
In previous studies, welding was known to be associated with the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s refers to a group of disorders that cause movement problems such as slow and stiff movement in Parkinson’s disease.
“Welders are more likely to develop Parkinson’s symptoms even if they are exposed to manganese below the current legal limit,” said study researcher Dr. Brad Rockett, executive vice president of neurology at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
According to him, this study shows that there should be more careful monitoring of exposure to manganese in the workplace, more use of protective equipment and systematic monitoring and evaluation of workers to prevent this debilitating disease.
For this study, neurologists examined 886 workers in two shipyards and a heavy machinery workshop. For a period of more than 10 years, they monitored almost 400 workers using a questionnaire about the type of job and the duration of this work to estimate the amount of exposure to manganese.
From this group, 135 people (15%) had symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Those who were more exposed to manganese experienced slower movement in their arms and hands and had more stiffness and numbness in their hands and feet. They also had speech problems and a stiff facial expression, all of which are other signs of Parkinson’s disease.
However, this research also faced some limitations. The study was unable to measure workers’ cumulative manganese exposure directly and did not determine what role exposure to other metals in the workplace may play. Also, research does not prove that exposure to manganese causes symptoms of Parkinson’s disease .
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