Occupationally Related Neurologic Abnormalities – Massachusetts

Details

• Journal Article:
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
• Personal Author:
  Baker, Edward L. Jr. ; Christiani, David C. ; Wegman, David H. ; Feldman, R. G. ; Niles, C. A. ; Siroky, M.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  A recent study sponsored by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and conducted by the Occupational Health Program, Harvard School of Public Health, shows that some workers, who were found in 1978 to have bladder neuropathy as a result of occupational exposure to dimethylaminopropionitrile (DMAPN), continue to have persistent neurologic abnormalities. In 1978, Harvard and NIOSH evaluated workers who had developed bladder neuropathy at a plant in Marblehead, Massachusetts, that produced polyurethane-foam products. A similar outbreak was investigated by NIOSH at a plant in Baltimore, Maryland, which used the same chemical process. Symptoms of urinary tract dysfunction at the Marblehead plant were associated with the introduction of a catalyst containing DMAPN, and most workers' symptoms resolved rapidly after the catalyst was removed from the process. Three months after the catalyst was removed, 14 (13%) of the 104 workers originally diagnosed as having DMAPN toxicity were found to have persistent symptoms. Eleven of these 14, as well as 2 other workers who were subsequently identified as having persistent symptoms, participated in the follow-up study in June 1980. This study included questionnaire evaluations of urinary symptoms and sexual history; neurologic examinations; urologic evaluations, including cystometrography; electromyography of the anal sphincter and measurement of sacral latency time; nerve conduction studies of the right peroneal and right sural nerves; and studies of visual- and auditory-evoked responses. Results were compared, when possible, with those of the 1978 study. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Chemistry Hazardous Substances Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Nervous System Nervous System Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety Urine Urogenital Diseases Urogenital System

  More +
• Keywords:
  Chemical hazards; Exposure assessment; Employee exposure; Chemical manufacturing industry; Urinalysis; Chemical processing; Polyurethane foams; Neurological disorders; Neuropathy; Bladder disorders; Reproductive system disorders; Medical examinations; Nerve function; Sexual dysfunction; Dimethylaminopropionitrile; Chemical factory workers
• Source:
  MMWR 1981 Aug; 30(30):365-366
• Series:
  Weekly Report: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• ISSN:
  0149-2195
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  2 pdf pages
• Volume:
  30
• Issue:
  30
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20055753
• Citation:
  MMWR 1981 Aug; 30(30):365-366
• CAS Registry Number:
  Dimethylaminopropionitrile (CAS RN 1738-25-6)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1981
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:dc3a0c0675354f9714330ee10b2e97b145cc219677bbe9f93574b08d91ae8becaa6889df07d1b05d3af9f335a90db94ae291a1b5fd66391759672f88f02d2106
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/183240/cdc_183240_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 418.35 KB ]