FUMES generated during welding may accelerate the onset of Parkinson’s
disease.
Brad Racette of Washington University in St Louis and his team compared 15
cases of Parkinson’s disease in welders with 15 other cases at their clinic. The
only difference between the groups was the average age Parkinson’s set in, which
was 15 years earlier for welders (Neurology, vol 56, p 8).
The culprit may be manganese. “We know it can cause damage in the right area
of the brain,” says Racette.
