Welding Industry Responds to Mayo Clinic Study

The welding rod industry has challenged a recent study linking manganese fumes to neurological disorders, stating that the report does not constitute a scientific study and that it still does not point to one common diagnosis.

In a June 16 statement posted on the Welding Rod Litigation Information Network Web site, the industry stated that the recent report "does not change the fact that there exists no sound epidemiological study linking welding or welding fumes to Parkinson's disease or Parkinson's-like movement disorders."

The Mayo Clinic study, published in the June 28 issue of Neurology, highlights brain and nervous system …