HOME FAQs BOOKS JOBS: Help Wanted Suggestions you are here: Hotline/Forum => Letter 26493

Help identify metal poisoning

++++

My husband worked with galvanized metal for about 10 years or more. That was about 18-20 years ago. Doctors are telling us that he has metal poisoning from that & it is effecting several aspects of his health. I have come up with nothing & was wondering if you can tell me where to start. What kind of poisoning would one get from welding & cutting galvanized metal?

Melissa Linrude
former metal building worker/owner - Kalispell, MT, USA

+++

Don't trust amateur help over professional help, Melissa. You've already talked to medical professionals; ask the doctor to refer you to a specialist if he doesn't have enough experience with this obscure condition. And if you are considering a lawsuit against his employer, if a galvanizing expert replies to your publicly posted question in the negative, your attorney will despair while the opposing attorney will rub his hands with glee.

But if I were you, I would not be thinking about metal fume fever from the expected zinc fumes, which are generally not considered accumulating, so much as the possibility that your husband at some times may have welded cadmium plated, lead dipped, or mercury laced materials and has been poisoned by one of those cumulative toxins. Ask you doctor if blood tests for these three metals are possible and appropriate.

Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
finishing.com
Brick, New Jersey

ANSWER, or ASK a related Q. POST an unrelated Q.See HOT Topics

Disclaimer: It is not possible to diagnose a finishing problem or the hazards of an operation via these pages. All information
presented is for general reference and does not represent a professional opinion nor the policy of an author's employer. The
internet is largely anonymous; some names may be fictitious and some recommendations may be deliberately harmful.

If you are seeking a product or service related to metal finishing, please check these Directories: