Welders who are exposed to manganese from welding fumes, risk developing increased clumsiness - and the result may remain decades after exposure has ceased. This is the finding of a study at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, of former shipyard workers.
It is estimated that 35,000 people in Sweden work full-time with welding, while many more carry out welding as one of several workplace activities. Previous research has shown that the concentration of manganese in the air during welding often lies at levels that can give immediate negative effects on the central nervous system, but the long-term effects of exposure to manganese have been essentially unexplored.
Effects on fine motor skills
Scientists at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, have now shown in a study of former shipyard workers in Gothenburg that long-term exposure to manganese can give permanent effects on fine motor skills almost 20 years after the exposure has ceased.
Test on Gothenburg welders
Scientist Gunilla Wastensson of the Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the Sahlgrenska Academy has examined 17 former shipyard welders who worked at the shipyards in Gothenburg. The average period that had passed since they stopped welding was 18 years. The average period during which the participants had worked with welding was 28 years. They were given several tests to measure manual dexterity and motor speed, eye-hand coordination, tremor and balance. Their test results were compared to 21 other shipyard workers who had worked with other tasks, such as filers and electricians.
Total individual mangan exposure