Permag

[Billmeik]

My father who died in 2000 may have had something to do with 3 out of his 4 kids getting sick.
He ran an engine rebuilding factory and mom says he came home smelling of permag every night.
Potasium permangenate I think. My brother died of lymphoma cancer. My sister cant walk or talk because she has parkinsons.
I have MS.
Anyone knowledgeable on toxins? I wanna know if dad's grandkids are safe.

[Billmeik]

it's maybe not potassium permanganate
it stands for permanent magnet maybe.

[NHE]

it's maybe not potassium permanganate
it stands for permanent magnet maybe.

I don't imagine that a magnet, permanent or otherwise, would create much of an odor. I suspect that he was probably working with permanganate instead (MnO₄^-) which is a strong oxidizing agent. I worked as an auto mechanic for 10 years though and don't recall using it. However, "permag" could have been a nickname for something else. Here's a paper that states that permanganate was used to remove scale from jet engines.

http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/004090.pdf

X-ray diffraction analysis of the Inconel scale on combustion tube inner liners revealed that it is composed of nickel oxide, the major component, and lesser amounts of chromium oxide and iron oxide. Metallographic examination demonstrated that heavy scale is associated with precipitation, possibly carbides at the grain boundaries, a fact which can explain intergranular corrosion of scaled Inconel in acid solutions.

Inconel scale could not be taken off in neutral or alkaline solvents but several acid solutions were found which remove most of the scale without seriously attacking the base metal. Oxidizing pretreatments, particularly with the alkaline permanganate solution in current use by the Air Force, were shown to promote efficient acid pickling.

[Billmeik]

the factory took engines and sprayed them with magnetic dust looking for cracks;

permag not perman dunno