Polish journal of occupational medicine最新文献

The influence of ethanol on benzene toxicity in the course of prolonged 26-week intoxication was investigated in Wistar rats. A dose of 1/30 DL50/24h of benzene in oil solution was administered subcutaneously once daily, 5 days a week. Drinking water was replaced by a 10% water solution of ethanol ad libidum. Specimens of the liver, spleen, kidneys, lungs, and heart were taken for histopathological examination. Changes in the liver confirmed the hepatotoxic action of benzene and were unaffected by the simultaneous administration of ethanol. In the lungs and spleen the lymphatic system showed signs of damage which became more pronounced in joint exposure to benzene plus ethanol. The authors conclude that alcohol abuse by people professionally exposed to benzene and other lipophilic petroleum derivatives (as in the petrochemical industry) may increase the toxic effects of these substances.

Acute toxicity of 1,4-butanediol (BAD) was evaluated in laboratory animals. The evaluation involved acute oral and dermal toxicity in rats, dermal and ocular irritation in rabbits, and skin sensitization in guinea pigs. The oral LD50 values for BAD were 1.83 g/kg and 2.00 g/kg, respectively for male and female rats. The histopathological changes were observed in the liver and kidneys. No mortality was observed in female rats after dermal application of BAD at a dose of 5 g/kg. The histopathological lesions were comparable to those observed in rats after oral gavage. BAD was slightly irritant to the skin and eye of rabbits. No allergic contact dermatitis was observed in guinea pigs.

To assess the influence of noxious ecological factors caused by air, water and soil pollution, multidisciplinary medical examination of inhabitants of villages situated in the Protective Zone of the Nowa Huta Steel Mill Plant was conducted. Tokarnia, a village about 40 km south-west of Cracow, commonly believed to have favorable environmental conditions, provided a background for the comparison. The aim of this study was to compare respiratory resistance of people living in these two areas. Mean values of Raw were higher in all groups of inhabitants of the Zone. The differences between arithmetic means of this parameter in groups of boys, girls, women and men were statistically significant.

An aqueous solution of trioxane was administered by gavage to female rats, 5 days per week for 7 weeks, at doses of 0.19, 0.58 and 1.16 g/kg/day. A significant increase in the mean duration of the oestrous cycle, mainly due to lengthening of the dioestrus, was only noted in the 6th and 7th week of treatment in females given per os trioxane at a dose of 1.16 g/kg. Three weeks after cessation of treatment, no alterations of oestrous cycle were observed in all groups. Since a dose-related decrease in body weight gain was observed in females given trioxane by gavage at doses of 0.19-1.16 g/kg and trioxane-induced behavioral changes were seen in the 1.16 g/kg group, it was concluded that exposure to trioxane did not affect the sexual cycle unless other overt signs of trioxane toxicity were induced.

This paper presents the classification of measurement systems that may be used for the assessment of miners' exposure to radiation in mines. The following systems were described and characterized as the Air Sampling System (ASS), the Environmental Control System (ECS), the Individual Dosimetry System (IDS), the Stream Monitoring System (SMS) and the Exhaust Monitoring System (EMS). The indices for evaluation of miners' working environments, or for assessment of individual or collective miners' exposure, were selected and determined. These are: average expected concentration (CAE), average observed concentration (CAO), average expected rate of exposure cumulation rate (EEXP), average observed exposure cumulation rate (EOBS), average effective exposure cumulation rate (EEFF). Mathematical formulae for determining all these indicators, according to the type of measurement system used in particular mines, are presented. The reliability of assessment of miners' exposure in particular measurement systems, as well as the role of the possible reference system, are discussed.

On the basis of results obtained in experiments on animals exposed to mixtures of solvents the adequacy of additivity rule which is used in the evaluation of health effects of combined exposure to solvents is discussed. In the case of simultaneous exposure to mixture to toluen and xylene the modification of the additivity formula is proposed.

The study was designed to investigate mutagenic and genotoxic properties of six synthetic dyes (Acid Green M, Acid Brown ZMSz, Acid Brown MSzCz, Anionic Black M, Anionic Brown ZM, Anionic Deep Red SM) obtained from All-Union Cancer Research Centre (AUCRC) in Moscow. To study mutagenicity and genotoxicity two short-term tests--Salmonella/microsome test using four strains of Salmonella-typhimurium TA97a, TA98, TA 100, TA102 and micronuclear test on mice were performed. The bacterial test was carried out with and without S9 mix fraction. The micronuclear test was conducted on mice Balb C with doses equal to 40 and 80% LD50 for male and 80% for female mice. Two of the studied dyes (Acid Green M. Anionic Brown ZM) proved to be direct and one (Anionic Deep Dark SM) indirect mutagens in the Salmonella/microsome assay. None of the studied compounds revealed a gentoxic activity in the micronucleus test. However, it was found that four dyes (Acid Brown ZMSz, Acid Brown MSzCz, Anionic Brown ZM and Anionic Deep Red SM) cause a significant decrease in the ratio of polychromatic to normochromatic erythrocytes in bone marrow of mice, which means that at doses used in the experiment they are toxic to erythrocyte series cells.

A number of current issues regarding methods of primary and periodical medical examinations were discussed in view of application of research results in practical activities of the occupational health service. The review of tests employed on detection of deficiency or peculiarity of biochemical susceptibility to given chemical factors revealed objective causes limiting and delaying, to a certain extent, of practical application of scientific progress in health surveillance. Tests facilitating detection of susceptibility to emphysemagenic factors, genetic markers of atherosclerosis, neoplasm (especially neoplasm of the urinary bladder and lung cancer) were discussed. According to the opinions presented, further advancement of research, as well as application of new methods should, during a relatively short time, dispel existing doubts and accomplish standardization of methods. The usefulness of psychological tests, now being introduced to health surveillance, was also discussed. It was found that tests may enrich considerably certification of physical fitness for those jobs with high stress levels and requiring a high level of reliability. They are extremely useful in individual assessment of work load, and they allow the detection of early disorders in the central and peripheral nervous system, preceding evident pathology produced by working environment factors. The most common obstacles in the wide application of the discussed methods include: inadequate post-graduate education of psychologists; the rare combination of two specialisations (psychology of labour and clinical psychology); and a shortage of test methods which have been verified in the conditions of a given country. This work also raises questions about the health effects of exposure to electromagnetic radiation, complex exposure to toxic substances, health condition and periodical examinations in workers of advanced age.

The paper presents the results of measurements of individual doses received by persons occupationally exposed to X-radiation. About 99.5% of the monitored population receives an annual dose equivalent below 0.1 of the limit i.e. below 5 mSv. Doses higher than annual limit occur only very rarely--a few cases each year.

The subjects of investigation included 34 workers at the Phenol Division of the Mazovian Refining and Petrochemical Plants and 18 persons working in administrative positions; the purpose was to elucidate some functions of the immune system cells. The lymphocyte subpopulations (CD3, CD4, CD8) and NK cells were evaluated using monoclonal antibodies and the immunofluorescence method. To search for the functions of lymphocytes and monocytes such as the in vitro production of interleukin-1 (Il-1) and interleukin-2 (Il-2), macrophage inhibitory factor generation (MIF), a cytotoxicity test and T cell proliferation in autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction (AMLR) were also examined. We have shown that workers from the Phenol Division exhibited pronounced deviations in the tested parameters as compared to the administration workers. We found a decrease in CD3 lymphocytes and in Il-1 production. After analysis of the individual results we selected three persons from the Phenol Division who showed abnormal values in four or more parameters (decreased CD4:CD8 ratio, abnormal values of lymphocyte subpopulations, impaired lymphocyte functions in functional tests). These cellular-immunity control tests are promising methods for studies of the biological effects of environmental and/or occupational pollution to toxic derivates of petroleum.