Welders and MRIs

admin

A friend of mine told me that before he got an MRI he had to fill out a thorough questionnaire presumably to see if he had any metal in him or were at high risk for some reason.  He said they asked him very emphatically whether or not he was a welder.  He was told that if he were then he would have to be interviewed by the doc to see if there were any metal flakes embedded in his skin and could possibly not be able to get an MRI.  Do any of you folks have any experience or knowledge in this area?Thanks
Reply:nope...but thats a new one to me......zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Well a MRI machine is nonthing more than a big electro magnet they make you take anything metal off. I have had two of them for my knees. I think it would hurt if you had some metal in you and they turned that thing on.Will   Supports Autism Awareness                            My ToysBobCat 225 PLusMillermatic 130Miller Spectrum 300 CutmateEverlast Power Tig 185 Micro April is Autism Month .
Reply:Actually that is a very real concern, MRI is a HEAVY duty magnetic field that surrounds the part of your body being scanned. If you went in with say, a small piece of metal in your eye, it could be torn out, or worse, forced into your skull. I had the same issue because of my construction backround. I had had steel previously removed from my eye. This caused the technician enough concern to have my head x-rayed.   As a sidenote, a woman was killed in NY this year when an oxygen tank was negligently left in the room. When the machine was activated, it slammed into her, killing her instantly. Now its bigtime lawsuit.   Good luck with the scan, hope everything turns out OK.If you don't have the time to do it right, then you definitely don't have the time to do it over.
Reply:You ever use a magnet to remove metal filings form your eye?
Reply:Been there, done that.Here is the scoop as it applied to me.I have a piece of steel from a chisel that broke off and went into my leg about 20 years ago. You can still feel it. At the time I had a 5" piece of titanium and noine screws in my ankle.My doctor made me an appointment for an MRI of my back. The MRI place called me and asked me two simple questions."Do you have any metal in your body?" "Do you do any welding"I answered yes to both. They first asked about the metal in my body and I told them about the chisel chip in my leg and the Titanium. They then instructed me to go back to my doctor to get a head x-ray because it would show if there was metal in my eyes. I was instructed to bring the x-ray with me to the MRI.When I got there they talked to me about the metal in my leg. They said that it would not be a problem because it was small and your body makes scar tissue around it.Then they looked at the x-ray. It was fine but they explained that if I had metal imbedded in my eyes, I could not get the MRI. Your eyes do not build up scar tissue and therefore the MRI could pull the metal out, leaving you with injured eyes.That is my experiece and I have done it four times now and all the times are the same. I just have to get updated x-rays each time.
Reply:same-same me---Grade 3 shoulder sep. Nov 04. Before the MRI I had to have an x-ray of my head and many questions re:metal in my eyes. I also have stray chunks of steel in my body from long ago but these were no problem.
Reply:i have the sharp end of a chipping hammer in my left thigh"never strike 2 hardend objects together"about the size of a b-bthat was in '79 does that count? ...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsteri have the sharp end of a chipping hammer in my left thigh"never strike 2 hardend objects together"about the size of a b-bthat was in '79 does that count? ...zap!
Reply:I had an MRI a few months ago.  I answered that yes, I was a welder, and that I didn't think I had any metal in my body.  They took me right in and gave me the MRI of my head and neck.  I had no problems, but it's a good thing I was right.
Reply:I had an MRI a few weeks ago. They asked if I welded or did grinding. I answered yes to both so they took xrays of my eyes to make sure no metal was in them.  They said something about the eyes being the only part of the body that does not form a scar over metal?   I told a friend about this and he said they did a CSI episode about it where it killed the guy.
Reply:I was curious about a House episode where a crooked cop had a bullet fragment in his head and they couldn't do an MRI.  Dr. House wanted to test the procedure, so he shot a cadaver and put it through the MRI, where it promptly went back through the head and also destroyed the MRI machine.My thought was that a bullet is copper and lead, typically.  Are those affected by MRI's too?  I wouldn't think so...
Reply:Surprising how many of us are or were carrying around imbedded metal.  My story matches most of the others here.  I had a steel chip in my eye due to peering over the top of my prescription lenses to get a close up view of what I was doing on a lathe (a hard habit to break, I find).  My wife freaked out, but I had my steady-handed niece who was visiting try to pull it out with a very strong rare-earth magnet.  Didn't work, so I had it removed at the emergency department/eye clinic.   A few months later I went in for an MRI (can't even remember why) and they made a big issue of it, also.  I don't remember them asking about welding, however.  I had to go get a clearance from the eye department and make another appointment for the MRI.Interesting that most of these stories seem to emphasize the eye as a focus or their concern.  Probably because a little shift of metal fragment position could do more damage there.Regarding the ferrous/non-ferrous metal issue:  Have any of you seen demonstrations of the "jumping ring" at science exhibits?  They demonstrate  the strong repulsion of non-ferrous conductors to magnetic pulses.  A copper or aluminum ring is loosely placed around a coil through which a charged capacitor is discharged and the ring jumps several feet into the air.  The repulsion results from the eddy currents induced in the metal object, much like currents induced in the copper secondary windings of a transformer.  Those induced eddy currents are repulsed by the applied magnetic pulse.  Exactly the same phenomenon would occur in a conductive object imbedded in the body, whether ferrous or non-ferrous.  The ferrous object would have experience an impulse due to magnetic attraction that would be separate from and additional to the impulse due to eddy currents.awright
Reply:I wouldn't think a bullet would move fast enough from the magnetic force. It would be interesting to test that ...maybe Mythbusters?John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:I've had many pieces of metal in my eyes over the years. I was always told that you have to get it out quickly because the eye heals over an injury faster than any other part of the body. Of course, I've been told many more times I should have my head examined, maybe there's a connection.......  HenryA bad welder makes a good grinderA grinder and paint makes a welder that ain't!If you can't put a good weld on it, put alot of weld on it!
Reply:Another note that I have been asked about is about tattoos. Some of the older tattoo ink had metals for the pigment, the magnetic field will excite the metal particles and cause heat which will burn you.The heat is the reason I was given for the concern of metal and MRIs.Also a piece of magnetic material will give a large black spot on the pictures they get.
Reply:Mythbusters just had a segment tonight called Exploding Tattoos about tattoos exploding during an MRI. The myth was busted. Apparently tattoos contain iron oxide and are effected by the magnet of the MRI. The worst that was reported by MRI technicians was some discomfort, heat, and in one case a blister, but no explosions or major injuries.Sure, I can fix it... I got a welder!!!
Reply:I will have to check this out at work.  I build MRI's. and that is one thing that has never come up in our crazy conversations about what would happen.  But that would be funny.  Since you built it, you can not use it.......
Reply:i am a welder and was also a soldier before this career. i have a bullet stuck in my right hip, and i have had 4 MRI's. never felt any effects or heat in the bullet area. i have also had 2 bone scans with the radiation filler they add to the body looking for injuries and never had ant problems with it."Retreat hell, were just fighting in the other direction"Miller Trailblazer 302, Extreme 12 VS, Dimension 400, Spectrum 375, HF 251D-1, Milermatic 251 w/ spoolgun  Hypertherm 1000Lincoln sp 1702000 F-450 to haul it
Reply:Originally Posted by MicroZoneI wouldn't think a bullet would move fast enough from the magnetic force. It would be interesting to test that ...maybe Mythbusters?
Reply:Well, I'm going to have my head examined! I go in for a MRI tommarow for my knee. The lady that made my appt. never asked if I was a welder or anything but I thought I'd better ask. Sure enough, I have to be there 1 hour earlier so they can get X-rays of my head to make sure there is mo metal in my eyes. I hope they find something......in my head that is. That'll show my wife. A bad welder makes a good grinderA grinder and paint makes a welder that ain't!If you can't put a good weld on it, put alot of weld on it!
Reply:I had a MRI a few year's back and said to the woman what would happen if I had metal in my body would it get pulled out,she said it would get hot.They also X-rayed my eye's first.
Reply:Originally Posted by MNSTRBLDRWell, I'm going to have my head examined! I go in for a MRI tommarow for my knee. The lady that made my appt. never asked if I was a welder or anything but I thought I'd better ask. Sure enough, I have to be there 1 hour earlier so they can get X-rays of my head to make sure there is mo metal in my eyes. I hope they find something......in my head that is. That'll show my wife.
Reply:Speaking of eddy currents and dumping large amounts of energy through a coil of wire, have you ever seen these guys (I presume guys and not ladies  ) that shrink coins via this process? Pretty amazing stuff.http://205.243.100.155/frames/shrinkergallery.html- John
Reply:That's pretty awesome stuff. I kinda want one now. HenryA bad welder makes a good grinderA grinder and paint makes a welder that ain't!If you can't put a good weld on it, put alot of weld on it!Where do you guys keep coming up with this stuff?? That's amazing...If you don't have the time to do it right, then you definitely don't have the time to do it over.
Reply:Originally Posted by ClanweldWhere do you guys keep coming up with this stuff?? That's amazing...
Reply:Metal in the body, such as with welders, is a very real concern for MRI scans. I have a friend at work whose father recently went in for an MRI. He used to weld for years and years but was unaware he had metal in him, so he got the MRI anyway (not sure why they didn't ask him more about his past). As they turned the thing on, 20 years or whatever of metal shards all tore out of his skin at once, and it was one of the most painful experiences he had ever gone through. This coming from a guy who is like a Sherman tank- apparently he never complains about anything despite almost always being in some kind of significant of pain.
Reply:They only care if you currently have metal shrapnel in you eyes or slivers in the skin. I had 2 mri's, they jump up and down about it, asked 20 times, i told them yes, i weld grind/every day. "Do you currently xxxx?" "no", step right in sir.esab 260 multimasternew tech 150 invertorlincoln 140 cheapo
Reply:I call B.S. on this re-start of an old thread.I've had plenty MRI's and never one problem.Some kind of spammer in my opinion.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Originally Posted by jr tigThey only care if you currently have metal shrapnel in you eyes or slivers in the skin.
Reply:BB is likely lead or aluminum, MRI won't move it.  Metal flake behind the eyes is the main worry.  If they come out they can blind you.  I've had the eye x-rays prior to MRI.  Dad had the x-rays and they won't MRI him because there's flakes in the vicinity of his eyes.
Reply:A magnetic field of < a few teslas is not strong enough to force a tiny spec of metal through flesh. Eyes maybe.You could probably leave a (basically) non-magnetic 316 stainless piercing in and it wouldn't do anything... The danger is when substantial magnetic objects interact with the field, that's where you get huge forces and accelerations.Welding/Fab Pics: www.UtahWeld.com
Reply:Interesting thread for me to start reading, seeing as how I am going in on Jan 4th to get an MRI done on my knee.Guess I will see what to tech has to say. kidtigger24  They think I’m crazy, but I know better. It is not I who am crazy. It is I who am MAD!
Reply:Hmm.  Just had MRI a month ago and they never asked me about welding. Maybe cuz it was a Friday...Terry
Reply:Yeah, had an MRI about 12 months ago and got a similar third degree. Got metal in my knee, but that was ok only a small amount of screws well bedded in to the bones.Got told if I had any recent history of metal in the eye they just wouldn't do it, but as it was probably at least a decade since I had any, they said that was fine. Not sure what the time thing is, but it does usually form a rust ring after a while, which probably makes it easy to see if there is any in there.
Reply:Originally Posted by OxfordThat is not always the case.  I have had a few MRI's and have had the eye x-rays.  I also have a bb in my hand that was x-rayed and cleared for ok.  One place would not do a MRI on me because of the bb even though I was cleared ok and had MRI's done in the past.  Next time I needed to have an MRI done by that place all the columns got checked NO on their sheet, I went in with no problems.  Lesson learned.
Reply:Yes to all the poo pooers, MRI's are dangerous to metal workers and generate CRAZY strong magnetic forces. I have had lots of metal objects embedded before in fingers, hands, feet and a flake that was in my eye which had to be removed by an Ophthalmologist, not fun.  I have had more than one MRI, one was for neck/spine where they are VERY serious about metal in your body, mostly in the eyes. They had to do an ocular cavity x-ray which is then read by a radiologist before you can be in the MRI. Regardless of the ferrous or non ferrous metal you may have embedded the incredibly strong field of an MRI (10,000 to 50,000 times stronger than earth's) affects them both but mostly they are worried about ferrous metal near your eyes.RyanMiller Multimatic 200 tig/spool gun/wireless remoteMillermatic 350P, Bernard/XR Python gunsMiller Dynasty 350, Coolmate 3.5 & wireless remoteCK WF1 TIG wire feederMiller Spectrum 375 XtremeOptrel e684Miller Digital EliteMiller Weld-Mask
Reply:Well, went it for my MRI yesterday. Was handed a big a$$ check list of things for me to check off. Checked off no to everything except the question "Do you weld or grind metal?".The lady that took my questionnaire didn't seem to care what my answers were.When I walked in, I started talking with the tech that was doing my MRI.She told me that they are only really concerned if you EVER had to have metal removed from your eyes by surgical means.For me the answer was no, so everything was cool.Holy crap is that machine loud!They tried to drown it out with Simon & Garfunkal in the head phones they made me put on. Didn't work. kidtigger24  They think I’m crazy, but I know better. It is not I who am crazy. It is I who am MAD!
Reply:I did not read the thread through but I was told the same thing about the MRI. I was told the fields are so powerful that they will rip metal from you body. I was kinda looking forward to that cause I got some slivers that will not come out. The guy told me it is because the MRI can heat the metal up in your body not put it out of it which makes a lot more sense to me even in my ignorant state.