i know that it is difficult to feel sick and have no insurance. perhaps you can borrow the money from family or friends to see a primary care doctor and have some basic blood studies done. it seems that the breathing of welding fumes can be hazardous and related to your medical symptoms. a company called plymovent talks about breathing in of welding fumes as follows: the content of the welding rods coatings filler metals and base materials also greatly impacts your health. the biggest potential threat is exposure to the manganese contained in fumes that are given off during welding. inhaling manganese can cause very serious damage to your brain and nervous system. many individuals who are exposed to welding fumes suffer from parkinson’s disease a major disorder affecting movement and balance. they often develop “manganism ” a disease closely related to parkinson’s that also makes it difficult to walk and move properly. both manganism and parkinson’s disease cause tremors shaking and loss of muscle control. these conditions can become more severe as time passes. when the welding rod or base metal is iron or mild steel iron oxide may be contained in the welding fumes in addition to manganese. breathing in iron oxide irritates your nasal passages throat and lungs. working with stainless steel may produce welding fumes containing nickel and chromium. if you have asthma exposure to nickel can make your illness worse. chromium can aggravate or cause sinus problems. both nickel and chromium may cause cancer according to niosh (safety and health fact sheet no. 4 american welding society; welding fumes and gases center to protect workers’ rights). welding on some plated or painted metals may be especially hazardous (welding fumes sampling mine safety and health administration). cadmium is often used as a coating on steel to prevent rust. however cadmium in welding fumes causes the lung disease emphysema as well as kidney failure (cadmium exposure from welding american welding society; welding health hazards osha). if you cut a metal that has been coated with paint that contains lead it may give off welding fumes containing lead oxide. inhaling these welding fumes can cause lead poisoning a condition in which you become weak and develop anemia (a low red blood cell count). lead also harms your nervous system kidneys and reproductive system (lead atsdr). some welding rods are coated with asbestos. if you inhale asbestos dust that is released into the air you are at risk for developing serious asbestos–related diseases. these include lung cancer an aggressive cancer called mesothelioma and asbestosis which is a scarring of the lungs. i don’t want all of these many medical conditions to cause you great worry or to become obsessed with thoughts of doom. i just wanted to honestly tell you what honest research has to say about breathing in welding fumes. of course your danger from incurring any of the above referenced medical conditions is probably directly related to the amount of time spent welding and the quantity of exposure material.
breathed in welding fumes pressure on left side of head confusion and nasal drainage. i was welding on stone steps and there was some type of sealant on the steel part ground it off some left over and melted into fumes while welding i feel confused at times and have a feeling of pressure on back left side of head with nasal drainage. er doctor said it was a cold and gave me cold medicine. i believe he was no help since i do not have insurance. today is third day with this feeling scared it's permanent. started fasting and detoxing to rid body of toxins. advice please! . thanks.