The courts inquired whether a painter had a case of the Mondays. It turned out that his workplace was actively making him sick.

The case involves a 33-year-old man who worked as a commercial painter in Germany. After earning his apprenticeship and working for three years in the trade, he started as new job in July 2020.

For the first year, he had no health issues. He spray painted large parts of machinery, usually in the cold.

He started experiencing shortness of breath in June 2021. His symptoms included tightness in his chest and flu-like symptoms, including a fever in the evening.

After three months of suffering, the painter took a three-week vacation and miraculously recovered.

But the day he returned to work the symptoms came roaring back. His fever spiked to 104 degrees and he was forced to request another three weeks of sick leave.

Again he got better; again his symptoms came back with his return to work.

Only this time, when he requested more time off to heal, his employer fired him. They said his repetitive sick leaves left them shorthanded.

The painter finally went to a doctor, and reported that he believed he was working in poor conditions.

It turns out the painter was using zinc-based paint and was inhaling a zinc mist when his half mask got clogged.

Doctors diagnosed him with zinc poisoning, also known as metal fume fever. Metal fume fever is more commonly seen in welders.

Essentially, the painter suffered multiple injuries on the job that were overlooked, which means that the firing may be legally actionable.

The company has taken preventative measures to ensure the painter’s former colleagues don’t become similarly sickend.