Occupational Diseases: Second Trial Results in Win for Defendants

The first multiple-plaintiff case of the federal welding rod fume trial has resulted in a win for the defendants. John Beisner, the attorney for several current and former welding rod manufacturers said of the verdict: "We are very pleased with these two defense verdicts. Even with the indisputable benefit of having two cases consolidated into one proceeding, the plaintiffs were unable to convince a jury of their claims. These cases simply cannot withstand juror scrutiny."

Second Federal Trial Ends in Win for Welding Defendants

According to WeldingInfoNetwork.com, although welding rods do contain manganese, “the industry is not aware of any verified cases of manganism resulting from exposure to fumes from mild steel welding, which we believe is at issue in these cases. Based on more than a century of experience, the form of manganese present in welding fumes in typical welding does not cause manganism. Again, manganism is very rare and mostly occurs in third-world countries among miners and smelters who are exposed to extremely high levels of manganese.”