Zinc or Galvanized Poisoning Symptoms (Metal Fume Fever)

 

Q. My husband has been in the construction business all his working life. He recently developed these sores on him that sorta blister up and then are VERY sore and actually ache. He then has to pull seedy looking stuff out of it. GROSS! Once he gets all the seedy things out of it, it goes away, only to reappear in another place. He has them on his forearms and on his face. But if he doesn't get the GROSS stuff out of it, it just gets worse. He's been to doctors and they have treated him for all kinds of stuff. He thought it was concrete poisoning, but doctors are unaware of this. Today he has developed the symptoms of galvanized poisoning again. Anyone else have anything like this?

A. Let me preface by saying that we don't know whether some things that are deliberately ingested, and have been studied to death for decades already, are good or bad for us. Yesterday (3/18/04), Dr. Tim Johnson was on Good Morning America relating the results of yet another study on women drinking two alcoholic drinks per day, and how this one now shows a marked increase in breast cancer, but that most doctors feel this is still more than offset by a marked reduction in heart disease. How can we know so very little about something that has been studied so much and for so long, and which can be very carefully controlled and measured -- but expect to know in detail the effects of widely variable things like exposure to zinc fumes?

People here are now talking about "coughing all the time", "sores on the scalp" and "blisters on the face" as "the symptoms of galvanized poisoning". They are saying that "the blisters will continue once it has started"; and they also "have heard about the accumulative effects of welding Galvanized steel". And what I say is that I don't think any of this is demonstrated at all!

I certainly can't claim it's false or unrelated, but the only thing I have heard about is "metal fume fever", which is described in the article referenced by Mr. Shubert, and the symptoms are short lived. When we start attributing every possible ill that a person who has welded galvanized metal suffers to zinc fumes, it becomes dangerous because these things can be symptoms of totally different illnesses that need review by a doctor.

If you are suffering symptoms that your doctor can't quite identify, I think you should try to set up an appointment with a doctor at a poison control center or a university research center. I believe that if your doctor is not confident of what he is looking at he will gladly help you do so. Stay healthy.

THIS MESSAGE IS FOR CRYSTAL FROM GENEVA,FL:THIS SOUNDS LIKE THE SAME THING YOUR HUSBAND HAS

My husband has been doing concrete for the last 7 years and in the last 3 he has developed sores that develop into puss filled knots. It got so bad that one on his knee swelled to the size of 3 softballs and finally after 2 visits to the family doctor. then 1 24 hour trip to the emergency room. in which they admitted him but would not lance his leg to relieve the puss. dismissed him. another trip the following day to another emergency room in which I told the doctor to lance his leg or I would leave him there. they finally did. This was before the 3 trips we made to the dermatologist in which the results came back as staph infection..the antibiotic he was given ($450.00) did not work. It has been an ongoing thing. he has them all over his arms. legs. one on his ear. chin. etc. There has to be something they are using in the concrete that makes me wonder if eventually this will cause homeowners to have reactions since this is what homes are built with. Kind of like lead and asbestos...? I am at loss on what to do except he change his business but in the meantime other concrete workers are coming up with the same thing. Both of my children have gotten these (weird) since I sleep with him but have never gotten one. So. family doctor. dermatologist. and hospital visits have come up with nothing for a cure. I really think something should be looked into about this since I have noticed when I did research 2 years ago online there was basically nothing and now there are more people coming up with the same stuff in the concrete business. Any info or insight on this is welcomed.

Hi, Tracie. I easily believe that your husband's sores may be related to concrete work. But two of your children getting such sores because their father works with concrete? That sounds like kind of a reach. What does your doctor say about that theory?

Regards,

My husband has been in the concrete business for 10 years, a few years ago he began developing huge sores on his knees (puss filled and very painful) after being admitted to the hospital we found it is a 'superbug'- MRSA - or staph infection that is very resistant to antibiotics... 2 years ago I developed the same symptoms. We are now colonized with this bug and there are other concrete workers in our area with the same problems... I definitely think the chemicals used in the concrete have a direct link to this. Staph is a natural bacteria on everyone's skin but when your immune system is weakened the staph can really take over, I believe something in the concrete can weaken your immune system so much it is allowing this to spread. look up MRSA or staph infections/concrete poisoning. Good luck all!

 

Q. I have been welding chromed steel, bike rims, car bumpers, other chromed steel into sculpture and furniture for about 5 yrs. I have a welding hood system hat removes most of the fume. I usually wear a N95 type, paper filter mask, NOT a respirator. I am wondering if there is any accumulative effect of the chrome fumes that I am exposed to. I have heard of the accumulative effects of welding Galvanized steel. Is there a similar hazard with welding chromed steel?

I was recently welding a couple of bits of galvo. The day went grand and though I had sufficient ventilation I felt later on that I was getting the shakes. This was followed by other recent illnesses reoccurring. Such as aneurysms, back pain, severe vomiting and sore feet and diarrhea. After a six pack of Dutch gold and small helping of cocaine I thought the symptoms would go away. They didn't. I awoke the next morning to even more vomiting, a headache, which could only be described of as if I had a hangover, and red eyes. It was the day after Halloween and I was late for work as a result. What should I do? Skips.

What you should do is get an air-supply welding helmet and keep your day job, Deco.

Q. What are the effects of galvanized poisoning

A. Hi, Lesley. Can you please phrase your question in terms of what has already been said? Continuously starting over prevents us from moving forward :-)

Regards,

Q. I am a fabricator's helper in a Steel shop. I would like to know if the particles from Grinding on Galvanized steel could Cause galvanized poisoning. How long after exposure will symptoms occur (from the fumes). I would also like to know the lighter symptoms. I am asking this question because I have been told it can KILL you, which to me isn't quite so settling. I have had stomach aches when working with galvanized material, but I am not sure if it was just being nervous or if it was from the fumes. I wear a 3M respirator, like a dust mask. Will that always help me/ prevent galv. poison. I am open to all answers, but need facts. Thanks to all who reply.

A. The boiling point of zinc is 907 °C, 1664 °F, so I doubt that there are any substantial zinc fumes from grinding, JD. But people should wear a respirator when grinding or sanding anything, even wood or paint. Nothing but clean air and specialized medicines should be inhaled.

I think the respirator should be fine, but your company should have a respirator training program, not just throw a respirator your way -- I think the training is required by OSHA.

Regards,