Increased Risk of Parkinsonism Associated with Welding Exposure

Details

• Personal Author:
  Checkoway, Harvey ; Criswell SR ; Evanoff BA ; Hobson A ; Kotzbauer PT ; Lundin JI ; Perlmutter JS ; Racette BA ; Seixas, Noah S. ; Sheppard L ; Zhang J
• Description:
  Objective: Manganese (Mn), an established neurotoxicant, is a common component of welding fume. The neurological phenotype associated with welding exposures has not been well described. Prior epidemiologic evidence linking occupational welding to parkinsonism is mixed, and remains controversial. Methods: This was a cross-sectional and nested case-control study to investigate the prevalence and phenotype of parkinsonism among 811 shipyard and fabrication welders recruited from trade unions. Two reference groups included 59 non-welder trade workers and 118 newly diagnosed, untreated idiopathic PD patients. Study subjects were examined by a movement disorders specialist using the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale motor subsection 3 (UPDRS3). Parkinsonism cases were defined as welders with UPDRS3 score =15. Normal was defined as UPDRS3 < 6. Exposure was classified as intensity adjusted, cumulative years of welding. Adjusted prevalence ratios for parkinsonism were calculated in relation to quartiles of welding years. Results: The overall prevalence estimate of parkinsonism was 15.6% in welding exposed workers compared to 0% in the reference group. Among welders, we observed a U-shaped dose-response relation between weighted welding exposure-years and parkinsonism. UPDRS3 scores for most domains were similar between welders and newly diagnosed idiopathic Parkinson disease (PD) patients, except for greater frequency of rest tremor and asymmetry in PD patients. Conclusion: This work-site based study among welders demonstrates a high prevalence of parkinsonism compared to nonwelding-exposed workers and a clinical phenotype that overlaps substantially with PD. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Manganese Occupational Health Safety Welding
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Parkinsonism Biological Effects Central Nervous System Neurological System Occupational Exposures Parkinson Disease Parkinsonism Welders Welding Fumes
• ISSN:
  0161-813X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Missouri ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 7 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  33
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054742
• Citation:
  Neurotoxicology 2012 Oct; 33(5):1356-1361
• Contact Point Address:
  Brad A. Racette, Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave., Box 8111, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
• Email:
  racetteb@neuro.wustl.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Manganese (CAS RN 7439-96-5)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Neurotoxicology
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:812f3bd4c0f1d457a3a777c10cebbb9024eb907b5629019ae1f6263148b839e43aff9638f147e146aa032b9cfc4e051c180edd3188ab4a3896a649c75f07a6c9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/217178/cdc_217178_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 220.24 KB ]