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30 Years of Aluminum Manufacturing Exposure

May 27, 2009

I have been working in a large aluminum extrusion and fabrication shop for thirty years. I am 48 years of age and male. Within the last year I started developing various joint pain problems. The pain finally got to the point that I sought medical attention, my doctor put me on pain killers that lessened the pain but did not take it away and anti-inflammatories. The anti-inflammatories seem to give some temporary relief. I have been treated for limes disease even though I did not test positive. The worst pain is in my shoulders, arms and hands. The pain is the absolute worst as I'm sleeping or first wake and rise. If I sit for long periods I will be slow to get moving in the hips. I think my doctor is at a loss for treatment. I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced similar pain. I am also wondering if this could be a life long situation due to the amount of years I have been exposed to aluminum process smoke, grindings, machining etc. This is not getting better although some days are more severe than others. I look forward to any information I can possibly forward to my doctor to help with my condition, he had never heard of this condition.
Thank you
John Prichard

John Prichard
Maintenance Manager - Schofield, Wisconsin, USA

Hi, John. In Bernards Township, NJ, a decade ago 18 schoolchildren were rushed to the hospital after collapsing, suffering from exposure to toxic fumes. Their symptoms varied but were serious enough to require hospitalization. Then it was discovered that the first girl who collapsed, before all the kids started screaming "Toxic Fumes!", had simply fainted after standing too long in the stuffy auditorium at an assembly. Rigorous testing proved that there never were any fumes whatsoever, and the only thing the other 17 students had actually suffered from was panic.

The point is simply that I don't know if your symptoms are related to inhaling anything, and you don't either, and it's unlikely that anybody who responds will know either. We've posted your inquiry and we'll see what happens, but determining causality is so very difficult that I think there is virtually no chance of an internet posting advancing that study. Sorry for your hardships.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
May 27, 2009

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Hi all, I was welding aluminum in my job and I happened to use the wrong feed for the job. I use copper feed on aluminum. It bubble when the ark came on contact with the melted copper and all kinds of fumes came out of it while I applied the ark. I think I might of inhale some cuz when I realize I had the wrong feed I stopped. I only welded for about 1 to 2 minutes and not consistently. Well I felt all dizzy and wired to my body. I proceeded to get fresh air for about 5 minutes. About the end of my day I felt a lot better. But the thought of the fumes I probably inhale linger in my mind.

Juan Lares
Rooky - California, West Covina, USA
May 26, 2009