Auto exhaust pollution [in Cairo] and cardio respiratory disorders

Five hundred and five traffic policemen, busdrivers and garage mechanics from Greater Cairo were examined. Examination included full history taking, clinical examination of heart and chest, electrocardiogaraphic recordings, pulmonary function tests and estimation of blood lead and carboxyhaemoglobin. The results showed that the frequency distribution of chronic non specific respiratory diseases [CNRD] and cardiovascular diseases increase with age, duration of employment and in smokers. Hypertension and ischaemic heart diseases increased significantly with age, for policemen. The same was observed between Ischaemic heart diseases and duration of employment, in policemen also. A directly proportional relation was found between ischaemic heart diseases and carboxyhaemoglobin levels; the same was found between hypertension and blood lead levels. The results of ventilatory function tests showed that FVC% was unaffected; while FEV1% was reduced in the examined group. There was also a directly proportional relation of blood lead levels with duration of employment as well as carboxyhaemoglobin levels with both duration of employment and smoking. Smoking proved to play an important role in development and frequency distribution of cardiovascular and respiratory disorders; ii also influenced carboxyhaemoglobin levels. Policemen group was the most affected, if compared to drivers and mechanics in all the studied parameters

Effects of occupational exposure to methoxypsoralens [meladenin] in pharmaceutical industry

Methoxypsoralens [Meladenin] are the active ingredients of Ammi Majus Lina plant. These compounds increase the capacity of the skin to tan. Occupational exposure to such compounds occurs among workers during the extraction and manufacture of such materials. Forty workers involved in such industry were subjected to medical history taking, complete medical examination and full dermatological assessment. Results showed that workers complained from one or more symptom. The main manifestations were skin hyperpigmentation of the exposed areas [97.5%] and pruritus [47.5%], while in the control group the figures were 0% and 6.7% respectively. Chest symptoms and signs were also prevalent among exposed workers. Psoralens cause skin to be hypersensitive to light [photosensitivity] and hyperpigmentation is the result of exposure to vapour or dust of such materials which act most probably, topically on the skin. No case of skin cancer was seen among such group which may draw the attention to the possibility of the proactive effect of psoralens against ultra-violet induced carcinogenesis. The increased incidence of chest signs and symptoms may be due to exposure to dust or fumes during the different processes of manufacture of meladenin. The question whether this occupatinal hyperpigmentation is to be compensated or not has to be raised. Recommendations were given