Welding techniques and manganese concentrations in blood and brain: Results from the WELDFUMES study

• Published in: Neurotoxicology (Park Forest South) Vol. 105; pp. 121 - 130
• Main Authors: Thunberg, Per, Wastensson, Gunilla, Lidén, Göran, Adjeiwaah, Mary, Tellman, Jens, Bergström, Bernt, Fornander, Louise, Lundberg, Peter
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 2024
• Subjects: Manganese; Manganese Welding R1-relaxation rate; Other Medical Sciences not elsewhere specified; R1-relaxation rate; Welding; Övrig annan medicin och hälsovetenskap; Welding; R1-relaxation rate; Manganese
• ISSN: 0161-813X; 1872-9711; 1872-9711
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2024.09.005

This study used whole-brain mapping to investigate the effect of different welding processes on manganese (Mn) accumulation in the brain. Exposure measurements were performed at the welders’ workplaces about 3 weeks before a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination. The welders were categorized into three main groups based on welding method, and the T1-relaxation rate (R1) was measured using quantitative MRI (qMRI). Welders using shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) were found to have lower accumulations of total Mn in clusters encompassing white matter, thalamus, putamen, pallidum, and substantia nigra compared with welders using inert gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) or continuous consumable electrode arc welding (CCEAW). A positive correlation was found between Mn in red blood cells (Mn-RBC) and R1 in a region encompassing pre-and post-central gyri. The results of this study show that the accumulation of free, bound, or compartmentalized Mn ions in the brain differed depending on the welding method used. These differences were predominately located in the basal ganglia but were also found in regions encompassing white matter. The level of Mn-RBC was correlated to the deposition of Mn in the left primary somatosensory and motor cortex and may therefore be linked to neurological and neurobehavioral symptoms. •Mn accumulation in welders’ brains differs depending on welding process.•Differences in Mn accumulation in the basal ganglia included gray and white matter.•Mn accumulation in the brain did not correlate with airborne Mn exposure.•A correlation was found between Mn in red blood cells and accumulation of Mn in brain.•Higher levels of Mn-RBC resulted from continuous consumable electrode welding.