Health Effects of Solvent Exposure in Railroad Workers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Ducatman AM ; Haut MW ; Islam SS ; Lombardo LJ ; Meyer, J. D. ; ul Haque A
• Description:
  A referral cohort of 100 railroad workers was evaluated to determine if extensive exposure to a variety of organic solvents, including carbon tetrachloride, perchlorethylene, trichloroethane, and trichloroethylene, resulted in hepatotoxicity, lipid abnormalities, and neurotoxicity. Most patients (58%) provided a history of nausea, dizziness, and headache on the job. Several (9%) had more severe symptoms, such as loss of consciousness. The magnitude of solvent exposure was estimated from occupational history. Average age was 49.3 years (range 35-71 years). Sixty percent of the patients had presenting chief complaints relating to the central nervous system. The most frequent complaint was memory loss (80%), followed by headaches, forgetfulness, irritability, and depression. Confounding variables, including diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, hyperlipidemia, infectious hepatitis, alcoholism, obesity, and psychiatric illness were also reviewed. Excluding patients with infectious hepatitis, liver function tests demonstrated more mild elevations in the ALT and GGT than AST. Fasting triglycerides were bimodally distributed: normal in 29% or severely elevated (over 300 mg/dl) in 33% of non-diabetic patients. Fasting cholesterol was only mildly elevated (between 200-250 mg/dl) in 52% of non-diabetic patients. Neuropsychologic testing showed cognitive deficits in the majority of patients with memory loss. Neuroimaging studies are underway. Data suggest an association between prolonged solvent exposure and hepatocellular dysfunction, abnormalities in lipid metabolism, neurotoxic complaints, and neuropsychologic deficits. Further designed population investigation is proposed to evaluate aspects of causation, dose-response, neurologic abnormalities, and treatment. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Age Factors Aging Demography Hazardous Substances Nervous System Nervous System Disorders Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Railroads Safety Solvents

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• Keywords:
  Age-factors Age-groups Central-nervous-system-disorders Demographic-characteristics Health-hazards Occupational-exposure Occupational-hazards Occupational-health Organic-solvents Railroad-industry Worker-health Workers

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• ISSN:
  1076-2752
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  40
• Issue:
  11
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20029689
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Med 1997 Apr; 39(4):362
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1997
• Performing Organization:
  West Virginia University, School of Medicine, Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health, Morgantown, West Virginia
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19970701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• End Date:
  20050630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:da8bb587206b4a97dffda07569a8536b5c3b487771540ac12ccbed17514fd2e6da5aabe083e5f283f51ed548c98e973e1fbaf226cb728a2d18ee44f05d4202a2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/190618/cdc_190618_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 49.11 KB ]