The presence of urinary cellular sediment and albuminuria in newspaper workers exposed to solvents
Article Abstract:
Organic solvent exposure is an occupational hazard that has been shown to be associated with the increased excretion of red and white blood cells in the urine. This finding has been related to the role of organic solvents in the development of kidney disease. The excessive excretion of cellular elements may also result from lower urinary tract disease. Six employees of newspaper press rooms, who were frequently exposed to organic solvents and lubricants, reported episodes of hematuria (blood in urine). An investigation of this problem solicited employees of a newspaper with two printing facilities. A descriptive pamphlet describing the study was distributed; 212 pressroom workers and 34 compositors, acting as controls, agreed to participate. (The printing process and facilities are described in detail.) Each participant completed an extensive health status survey, which included specific questions about job description, and solvent and lubricant exposure. The participants also submitted blood and urine specimens for laboratory analysis. Environmental evaluation revealed minimal aerosol contamination with solvent mixtures containing naphthas and glycol ethers. Increased urinary sediments containing blood cell residues were found in specimens obtained from pressroom employees exposed to high concentrations of five organic mixtures used in their work. Albuminuria (the presence of the protein albumin in the urine) was found in the specimens of employees frequently exposed to four occupationally-related solvent mixtures. There were no such observations among the control group of compositors. The use of analgesics (pain killers), as reported in the questionnaires, was not implicated as a possible etiologic agent for the increased urinary blood elements. The organic solvents, which have been implicated as a cause of renal tubular and bladder injury, are further implicated as having a possible role in the abnormal excretion of urinary sediment and acute or chronic urinary tract inflammation. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journal of Occupational Medicine
Subject: Health care industry
ISSN: 0096-1736
Year: 1991
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Acquired dyschromatopsia among styrene-exposed workers
Article Abstract:
Occupational exposure to various organic solvents, such as carbon disulfide, n-hexane, and mixtures of styrene, has been shown to produce dyschromatopsia (DC), a condition characterized by loss or reduction of color vision. The defect is readily identified using a specific diagnostic procedure called the Lanthony D-15 desaturated panel (LD15). The test is non-invasive, rapidly performed, and readily available. The procedure requires the examinee to reorder a set of colored buttons into a definite sequence. To investigate the occurrence of dyschromatopsia among workers employed in industries using styrene, 75 styrene-exposed workers were selected for the study. A group of 60 workers in the rock wool industries were selected as the control group. Subjects with congenital color discrimination defects, high blood pressure, diabetes, cerebrovascular disease, excess alcohol consumption, and poor visual acuity were excluded from the study group. The experimental and control groups were reduced to 73 and 57 persons, respectively. The LD15 test was administered to both groups, and the response expressed as a Color Confusion Index (CCI) was determined for each person. The CCI is the ratio between the candidates' scores, based on the number and types of errors in the recombination sequence, and the best score that can be obtained. The results were stratified by age. The styrene-exposed workers had CCI values higher than those of the unexposed controls; this difference increased with age. The effect of the styrene exposure appears to be dose related. Urine styrene levels correlated with CCI values. The urine levels may be a useful test for styrene exposure measurements. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journal of Occupational Medicine
Subject: Health care industry
ISSN: 0096-1736
Year: 1991
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
- Abstracts: The value of mentors and facilitators in the pursuit of excellence. Individual and community models for promoting wellness
- Abstracts: Absence of respiratory effects in subject exposed to low concentrations of TDI and MDI. A new model for employer-provided health education programs
- Abstracts: Mortality of iron foundry workers: I. overall findings. Mortality patterns among workers exposed to acrylamide
- Abstracts: An Application of Simulation Modeling to Surgical Intensive Care Bed Need Analysis in a University Hospital
- Abstracts: The Need for Professional Administrators in Rural Hospitals. Organizational and administrative factors influencing the adoption of consortia programs by rural hospitals