Polish journal of occupational medicine最新文献

Adult female SPF Sprague-Dawley rats were given 100 ppm Pb (CH3COO)2, CdCl2, MnCl2, ZnSO4, CuCl, Hg2(NO3)2, or BeSO4 for 91 days with their drinking water. The body weight gain of the rats changed during the 91 days of continuous inclusion of the heavy metal salts. During examination, body weights increased after the daily intake of MnCl2, ZnSO4 or BeSO4, but the other salts of Pb, Cd, Cu, Hg decreased the body weights, each compared with the controls. These effects were possibly caused by changes in feeding and drinking habits: The daily consumption of standard diet (pellets) increased during dosing with the salts of Mn, Zn or Be and decreased during treatment with the other heavy metal salts. The salts of Be and Mn enhanced consumption of drinking water, and the salts of Zn, Pb, Cu, Cd or Hg reduced consumption of drinking water, each compared with the controls. Most effective was Hg2(NO3)2. Perhaps, the heavy metal salts cause a change in the regulation of the appetite in the central nervous system.

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between intensity, noise duration and non-auditory effect represented by changes both in visual acuity and the near point of accommodation. Changes in vision efficiency determined by a black and white chess board were monitored during and after 1 h exposure to 4 levels of noise: 90 dB-A, 93 dB-A, 96 dB-A or 99 dB-A and 2 h exposure to 96 dB-A. Results indicated that vision impairment can be attributed to a complex relationship between the intensity and the duration of exposure to noise.

The aim of the study was to determine the effects of chronic occupational exposure to white spirit on the efficiency of workers' intellectual and psychomotor functions. The exposed group consisted of 226 rubber industry workers while the control group comprised 102 hosiery plant workers. The analysis of results was aimed at the determination of exposure effects depending on the duration of exposure and age of persons examined. It has been revealed that chronic exposure to white spirit, at a concentration close to the hygienic standard, induces the deterioration of some intellectual and psychomotor functions in the exposed persons, depending on the duration of exposure and age of the exposed subjects. Among the variables presented in the study, several individual functions including: perception and reproduction of visual material; projection of spatial relationships; concentration; time of simple and choice reaction; speed and coordination of hand movements were found the most effective in contrasting the exposed group from the control.

The diseases known as the Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM) Syndrome include hepatic angiosarcoma, acroosteolysis and Raynaud's phenomenon. These, however, are known to be clinically recognizable from several to over 10 years after the actual exposure to VCM. By fluorescence microscopy the authors examined smeared samples of peripheral blood obtained from vinyl chloride workers, and observed the existence of basophilic stippled erythrocytes (BSE). In this paper, we report the changes of peripheral red cells during VCM exposure tests on mice. These changes in the peripheral blood could be observed as early as 24 hours after the start of the VCM exposure at higher concentrations, and in 72 hours even at comparatively lower VCM levels of 30 to 40 ppm. The tests have also confirmed that the rate of emergence of BSE differs according to the level of VCM and to the duration of VCM exposure.

Effect of a single i.p. exposure to an organophosphate insecticide, chlorphenvinphos (CVP), in doses of 1.0 and 3.0 mg/kg (one third and one tenth LD50, respectively), on the latency of the paw-lick response (hot plate test) was investigated in rats before and after a short inescapable footshock. The test was repeated twice on the 18th and 19th days after the exposure, i.e. after a time sufficient for a full recovery of cholinesterase activity in the blood and brain. On the first day of testing the groups did not differ with respect to the paw-lick latency before footshock. However, the paw-lick latency after footshock (the index of stress-induced analgesia) was significantly longer in rats exposed to the higher dose of CVP (3.0 mg/kg) than in the control animals. Twenty four hours later, in the control animals, the paw-lick latencies before footshock were shortened in comparison with those recorded on the day before. An opposite effect was observed in the rats exposed to 3.0 mg/kg of CVP. The data suggest that some alterations in the brain functional state may outlast the CVP induced depression of cholinesterase activity.

Monochloroacetic acid exposure causes significant burns but can also be lethal following exposures of less than ten percent of body surface area. There have been two known survivors of significant monochloroacetic acid exposure. This is a case report of one of those survivors. The mechanism of toxicity is unknown, and attempts to relate monochloroacetic acid toxicity is to that of monofluoroacetic acid have yielded inconsistent results. The best mode of therapy is unclear, and no antidote has been proven effective, although ethanol and glycerol monoacetate have been suggested. The details of this case may be helpful to those faced with similar situations and to those investigating the toxicology of monochloroacetic acid.

1,4-Butanediol (BAD) was administered to male and female Wistar Imp:DAK rats by oral gavage for 28 consecutive days. Treated rats received BAD at daily doses of 5, 50 or 500 mg/kg/day. After 28 days all animals were necropsied. Blood samples were obtained and selected organs were weighed and prepared for histological examination. Subacute oral administration of BAD resulted in an overall low degree of systemic toxicity. There were no changes in body weight, food consumption, and absolute and relative organ weights. Slightly higher activities of sorbitol dehydrogenase and alanine aminotransferase were observed in male rats given BAD at the highest dose of 500 mg/kg/day. Some disturbances in hematological parameters, characterized by macrocytosis and thrombocytopenia were observed in treated rats. Mild to moderate inflammation of the liver, characterized by proliferation of bile ducts and periportal infiltrations with fibroblasts and mononuclear cells, were found in treated animals. A statistically significant difference for histopathological changes was found in animals treated with BAD at the dose of 500 mg/kg/day only in the case where both sexes were jointly taken for comparison.

In highly developed countries, prophylactic medical examinations to evaluate the general health condition of workers and health effects of exposure to toxins have, in the past, been administered early in their work history. Presently, there is a trend towards developing new methods of early detection of occupational and work-related diseases. Thus, individuals oversensitive to agents in their working environment could be prevented from exposure. However, the gap between the capabilities offered theoretically by new methods and their practical application in prophylactic examinations remains quite large. Part I of the presented study is focused on three essential issues of public concern specified in the given subtitles.

The relationship between parameters of visually evoked potentials (VEPs) and the results of a psychological test assessing the speed of motor reaction to visual stimuli was examined in 21 patients with chronic carbon disulphide intoxication. Correlations obtained suggest cerebral disfunction of the visual pathway and diminished ability to transform visual information to motor reaction at the level of the cortical association centre.

The effects of experimental exposure to toluene (100 ppm), xylene (100 ppm) and their mixture (50 ppm of toluene and 50 ppm of xylene) on CNS functions were studied in 10 male volunteers aged 22-35. Changes in CNS functions were measured by means of nine psychological tests. Acute exposure to xylene produced the most adverse effect on simple reaction time SRT and choice reaction time ChRT. Exposure to toluene affected only the memory test performance. The effect of combined exposure appeared to be weaker than the effect of exposure to xylene alone but stronger than the effect of exposure to toluene.