Been welding since 19. Mostly mig and stick, lot of stainless lately. Always wear the hood. respirator, only when the job felt like it warranted it. You know the drill.
Last couple years i've been off. forgetting words mid-sentence, hands shake more than they should, sleep is garbage. Blamed it on age and stress.
Buddy got tested, came back loaded with manganese. Told me to do the same, ordered a metals panel through goodlabs since i don't have a regular doctor, ran me less than a tank of argon. Drove to the quest in town, week later i had results. manganese was 22, top of the range is 15. lead was up too.
Took it to a doc at urgent care, he'd seen it before. said the symptoms i was describing line up with low-level manganism. Not chelation territory but enough that i need to actually wear the respirator on every job and get real ventilation in the shop.
Posting because nobody told me to test for this. Annual physicals don't include heavy metals unless you ask. if you've been welding more than 10 years and ever skipped the hood for a quick one, worth the price of a panel to know.