My grandmother always.kept a large trash bag on her car. Her husband would sit on it and when he went to get out of the car it was easier to swivel him out on it than trying to inch him aroundvespecially when he had freezing moments

I have wondered about the welders too and did a lot of hard facing. Love those big loaders m8. 88's have a ton of grunt! My doc has one other plant op with PD when I asked.

I also ran Cat 988B loaders and many others in quarry and asphalt plant operations and did some manganese stick welding. Also had a double cousin with PD.

I have done a fair bit of welding from time to time, used MIG a lot in recent years too, repairs and fabrication.

Hey Perry, found this one tonight....Science News

Parkinson-like Symptoms Worsen with Long-Term Exposure to Manganese

- Dec 28 2016

Welders exposed to fumes containing low levels of the metal manganese had a high rate of Parkinson-like symptoms, which progressed with increasing cumulative exposure to the metal, according to research published in the December 28 online edition of Neurology. The results make a case for better worker protection. They also help scientists understand the underlying mechanisms by which exposure to substances in the environment may contribute to Parkinson’s disease (PD).

The law limits occupational exposure to high levels of manganese because it is known to lead to a severe movement disorder with Parkinson-like symptoms. Yet, in an earlier study, researchers led by Brad A. Racette, M.D., at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, found that many welders with chronic exposure to low manganese levels had stiffness, slowness and other symptoms similar to those of PD. This is called manganism. While manganism is similar to PD in that it produces PD-like symptoms, such as slowness of movement and is characterized by a disruption of normal dopamine signaling, it is a different disease. In fact, it affects a different part of the brain than PD and not the substantia nigra.