John Couper first reported Mn-induced neurotoxicity in 1837 in a bleach factory, although the harmful systemic effects of the metal were known even earlier [
18]. The toxic effects of Mn are related to its organic and inorganic compounds. Organic compounds such as methylcyclopentadienyl Mn tricarbonyl (MMT) have been used since the 1970s as octane improvers of gasoline at concentrations of 8.3 mg of Mn/L of gasoline. The combustion of MMT releases inorganic phosphate and sulfate salts that are primarily responsible for the toxic effects. These inorganic salts, such as Mn chloride (MnCl
2), Mn sulfate (MnSO
4) and Mn phosphate (MnPO
4), contain Mn in the Mn(II), Mn(III), or Mn(IV) oxidation states and are directly toxic to critical targets [
19]. The European Commission methodology issued a statement in 2013 regarding the risk assessment of MMT as a fuel additive in petrol and stated that an MMT treatment rate in the range of 8.3 mg Mn/L to 18 mg Mn/L delivers economic benefits without detrimental health effects [
20].
Chronic environmental or occupational exposure is primarily observed in miners, welders, smelters, workers in dry-cell battery production, ferroalloy steel plants, glass and ceramics manufacturing industries, and match and fireworks industries [
21]. In 2017, the global production of Mn ore, which is essential for the production of iron and steel, was 20 million metric tons. South Africa, followed by Australia, China, Gabon and Brazil, are the largest Mn producers in the world [
22]. Along with mining and industrial discharges, Mn is also released into drinking water naturally due to the weathering of rocks and forest fires [
23]. Welding fumes exert the most detrimental effects, and with five hundred thousand full-time welders in the United States of America and five and a half million in Europe, substantial numbers of workers are exposed to potential toxic effects of Mn [
24]. Numerous studies conducted across the globe have addressed the neurological side effects of Mn exposure on subjects working in the mining industry and smelting or welding occupations. Neurocognitive deficits were noted in patients exposed to Mn in Sweden, Belgium, Singapore, South Africa and Italy, as well as other countries. All these studies reported poor performance on neurocognitive tests and neurological dysfunction (verbal fluency, increased reaction time, reduced motor speed, visuomotor processing, eye-hand coordination and hand steadiness) in participants exposed to chronic Mn intoxication [
25-
29]. Roels et al. [
26] calculated the lowest ‘permissible dose’ for individuals with Mn exposure to prevent neurological deficits of approximately 750 pg/m
3 per year for respirable dust. In a recent study of a welder cohort from Pennsylvania, even low levels of chronic Mn exposure produced low diffusion tensor fractional anisotropy in the basal ganglia associated with movement disorders [
30]. Mn levels in the soil and groundwater may increase, particularly in the vicinity of ferroalloy plants and industries, and expose neighboring communities to detrimental health effects. The toxic effects of drinking water contaminated with higher than the recommended concentration of Mn (not more than 400 μg/L as per WHO guidelines) have been observed worldwide, affecting countries such as Bangladesh, Italy and Canada [
11]. The use of MMT in Canada, the USA, France, Argentina and Australia with high traffic density and chronic exposure to the dithiocarbamate fungicides maneb and mancozeb are other sources of Mn toxicity [
31,
32]. A community in Quebec near a former Mn alloy production plant was studied to determine the health effects of Mn. Older individuals presented an inverse relation between blood Mn levels and psychomotor slowing and a direct effect on mood symptoms and performance on tests of auditory recall and visual recognition. This study was the first to evaluate the negative health effects of Mn on individuals with nonoccupational exposure to high Mn levels in the environment [
33]. Similarly, studies from communities in the vicinity of Mn ferroalloy plants suggested that prolonged environmental exposure to Mn may increase the risk of parkinsonism and postural disturbances [
34,
35]. At comparable exposures, children are at increased risk of Mn toxicity because they have better absorption and a lower body mass [
36]. Developmental delay and low intelligence quotient scores have been documented in children exposed to high Mn concentrations. In a pooled analysis of children exposed to Mn in drinking water from the provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick in Canada, Kullar et al. [
37] reported an association between a lower IQ score and higher Mn levels.