Liver function tests and urinary albumin in house painters with previous heavy exposure to organic solvents.

Abstract

The serum activities or concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT), alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), albumin, y-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), bilirubin (BIL), cholic acid (CHOL), chenodeoxycholic acid (CHENO), and transferrin with isoelectric point 5-7, and the urinary excretion of albumin were determined among male current or former house painters (n = 135) and house carpenters (n = 71) who had worked in their trades for at least 10 years before 1970. Workers who showed a value above the 90th percentile among the carpenters in at least one of the tests ASAT, ALAT, GGT, BIL, CHOL, or CHENO were regarded as showing "pos-

Characterization of the toxicological hazards of hydrocarbon solvents

“…Mikkelsen et al 1988), there were reports of cerebral atrophy based on imaging techniques. These findings were not substantiated in a similar study (Lundberg et al 1995), and a principal conclusion of Ridgway et al (2003) was that the imaging techniques that had been used in these early studies were insensitive and unreliable. 12 Other names include organo-psycho syndrome (OPS), painters' syndrome, and solvent dementia.…”

“…The principal concern for these solvents relates to the potential for some of the Category 3 solvents, in particular those with primarily C9-C11 aliphatic constituents, to cause chronic neurological effects in humans. As discussed in more detail in Section Persistent central nervous system effects, exposure to white spirit may have contributed to the neurobehavioral changes observed in house painters (Arlien-Soborg et al 1979, Hane et al 1977, Lindstrom and Wickstrom 1983, Lundberg et al 1995, Mikkelsen et al 1988, Seppalainen and Lindstrom 1982, but it seems more plausible that these changes were associated with periods of overexposure related to the use of aromatic-based solvent systems (Riala et al 1984) or periods of higher intensity exposure to other types of solvents during industrial spray painting (Elofsson et al 1980). Notably, repeated exposure studies in animals have not revealed any persistent functional changes or pathological findings (Kulig 1990, Nielsen et al 2006.…”

“…There have also been restrictions on applications and developments in hazard communications, including classification and labeling statements, to avoid inappropriate solvent uses and to limit the potential for exposure to hazardous constituents. Published information indicates that occupational exposures to hydrocarbon solvents have been declining (Caldwell et al 2000, Lundberg et al 1995, at least in part because of changes in attitudes to health and safety, along with the influence of regulators, employers, and the general public.These developments have also led to changes in the way in which hydrocarbon solvents are identified and described. In the 1970s, with the advent of the U.S.…”

“…The authors also reported that cerebral atrophy was associated with solvent exposure as demonstrated by imaging techniques, but in a later review, Ridgway et al (2003) concluded that the imaging equipment that was available at the time the investigations were conducted was not sufficiently sensitive to allow reliable conclusions to be drawn. Lundberg et al (1995) compared the neuropsychiatric effects in 135 house painters to those in an age-matched group of 71 carpenters. Like Mikkelsen et al (1988), the authors divided the painters into three groups (low, medium, and high) based on the number of months that the painters had been exposed to solvents at the corresponding occupational exposure limits.…”

“…The painters were more likely than the reference group (concrete reinforcement workers) to have reported "feeling sick", or experiencing "nausea" or a "drunken feeling" (presumably evidence of acute CNS effects), whereas the concrete reinforcement workers were more likely to have reported paresthesia of the hands and feet. The authors considered that the average concentration of white spirit (40 ppm, 232 mg/m 3 ) was a no-effect level for the parameters (primarily acute effects) that they investigated.Studies by Mikkelsen et al (1988) and Lundberg et al (1995) were conducted after the replacement of white spiritbased paints with water-based paints, and, as these were retrospective, the potential for recall bias must be considered. Mikkelsen et al (1988) compared a cohort of 85 people (only 82 had actually worked as house painters, and a number had worked in other painting occupations as described previously) to a reference group composed of bricklayers.…”