/ 10 November 2008

Manganese workers ‘offered money to see professor’

Suspected manganese poisoning victims were allegedly offered R800 000 each to undergo further testing while their employer refused to recognise the attorney representing them, a labour department inquiry that is investigating several cases of manganese poisoning heard on Monday.

Richard Spoor, an attorney representing 10 workers who have been diagnosed with manganism, told the inquiry that Assmang had offered affected workers R800 000 to be examined by an overseas medical expert, identified as Professor Warren Olanow.

Spoor added that Assmang had attempted to influence employees affected by manganism.

”They have gone so far as to hire chiefs [traditional leaders] to pressurise them into accepting deals,” said Spoor.

Olanow is a movement disorder specialist of the Department of Neurology and Professor of the Department of Neuroscience at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

Assmang’s attorney, Willem le Roux, said his client denied the allegations ”of influence” being applied to the employees, saying that Spoor ”makes statements for the benefit of the media”.

Le Roux said the company did not want to negotiate with Spoor, because of his ”defamatory statements” and ”aggressive attitude”.

Dr Murray Coombs, whose company Elixir Corporate Health Solutions is contracted to manage Assmang’s occupational health screening, said that Olanow had been appointed to lead a medical panel at the company because he was leading expert in the field of manganism.

Spoor however pointed out that Olanow had received $2,9-million from the ”manganese institute” for his research and had testified as a defence witness in manganism trials in the United States.

”A man who receives $2,9-million for research on behalf of companies can hardly be described as independent,” said Spoor.

Spoor’s clients have objected to being examined by Olanow.

Sppor also questioned whether Coombs had examined the personal medical records of employees, violating patient-doctor confidentiality.

The company has disputed that 10 workers represented by Spoor and originally diagnosed with the disease, actually suffer from manganism.

Manganism is acquired by overexposure to airborne manganese and affects the sufferer’s central nervous system, leaving them with symptoms very similar to Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis (MS).

The disease’s similarity to MS, Parkinson’s and Lou Gehrig’s disease make diagnosis difficult. It was first recognised among miners in Scotland in 1835. – Sapa