Has anyone ever heard of "Welder's Anthrax"?

It appears that welders may have a greater chance of contracting anthrax.

There have been nine recent cases in Louisiana and Texas -- six of the nine cases were fatal.

From https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/01/anthrax-nearly-kills-healthy-18-year-old-welder-amid-puzzling-pattern/

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The case occurred in September 2024 in an otherwise healthy 18-year-old male in Louisiana. He had no underlying health conditions or even any risk factors, such as smoking, vaping, or heavy alcohol use. But, just a week after developing a cough, the teen was admitted to an intensive care unit with severe pneumonia and respiratory failure, requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation.

Blood tests were positive for a bacterium in the Bacillus cereus groupwhich includes the species that causes classic anthraxand his doctors quickly put the finding together with his work. For six months prior to his cough, he was working as a welder's apprentice, doing shielded metal arc welding in the shipbuilding and repair industry.

Doctors suspected it was a case of welder's anthrax and quickly got access to an anthrax antitoxin from the US Strategic National Stockpilewhere it's kept in case of a bioterror attack. Along with a tailored antibiotic regimen, the teen rapidly improved and was off ventilation 72 hours later. The doctors' quick thinking likely saved his life; of the previous eight cases of welder's anthrax, six were fatal.

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The experts also speculated that iron exposure could play a role. Bacillus bacteria need iron to live and thrive, and metalworkers can build up excess iron levels in their respiratory system during their work. Iron overload could create the perfect environment for bacterial infection. In the teen's case, he was working with carbon steel and low-hydrogen carbon steel electrodes.

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Yikes!

For those unfamiliar with it, hemocromatosis, aka iron overloading, can lead to many different issues such as increased susceptibility to a wide variety of infective agents as well as a potential for more cardiovascular issues and growth of some cancers.

DargelSkout said:

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Interesting, I haven't heard of this before.

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I had never heard of it either.

I was just talking to a welder who comes by the office to drink coffee about 6 am most mornings and he said that it doesn't surprise him at all.

He also told me about one welder in the next town over who had to have an x-ray at the hospital and they found that his lungs practically glowed from all of the iron.

Working home health in Houston had many patients with Anthrax wounds they picked up from the soil in their gardens. It is a natural organism in soil that when stirred up and finds a compatible host can get ugly. The patients I had all had wounds from abscesses and infections that had been cut out. Would suck to get it in the lungs.

Hemochromatosis can be acquired or genetic. I am "lucky" enough to have the genetic version. As a practical matter, it means my doc monitors my blood ferritin. If it gets too high, which can cause liver damage, I get the pleasure of prescribed blood draws.

It's too bad they cannot take the "drawn" blood and provide to someone with compatible type that is anemic. Would be seemingly logical way to boost ferritin and allow the anemic person a chance to use it.

ShouldastayedataTm said:

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It's too bad they cannot take the "drawn" blood and provide to someone with compatible type that is anemic. Would be seemingly logical way to boost ferritin and allow the anemic person a chance to use it.

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Actually. We can. With enrollment and doctors orders, most blood centers will draw therapeutically the donor with HH, and as long as all allogeneic rules are also met, the blood can be entered into the general inventory for transfusion.

I would assume that the blood draw is not to reduce the iron level, but to measure it. It probably isn't more than a vial or two and is likely to have some kind of reagent added to make the iron settle out. Or maybe they use a centrifuge.

Hodor said:

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eric76 said:

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I would assume that the blood draw is not to reduce the iron level, but to measure it. It probably isn't more than a vial or two and is likely to have some kind of reagent added to make the iron settle out. Or maybe they use a centrifuge.

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No,, what he's describing is the same procedure as donating blood. Removing blood decreases the amount of iron in your body.

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I stand corrected.

rebelag62 said:

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Agreed, a welder that doesn't meet any of those three criteria? Very rare.

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He's only 18 and in training, give him time!

Well I guess I'll never get welders anthrax because I can't weld worth a dam …

axan77 said:

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rebelag62 said:

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Agreed, a welder that doesn't meet any of those three criteria? Very rare.

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He's only 18 and in training, give him time!

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Smoking and heavy alcohol use are a pre-requisite to even be a welder. Pretty sure you have to sit in a room and smoke a pack of Marlboro's and drink at least a 12 pack of beer in a set amount of time before you can even fill out a welder application.