Ocular manifestations of occupational exposure to corticosteroids in the pharmaceutical industry

Therapeutic use of corticosteroids have long been associated with ocular side effects such as the development of cataract, glaucoma, and retinal and choroidal emboli. This study was conducted to assess ocular disorders which may occur in workers engaged in manufacturing corticosteroids in the pharmaceutical industry. The study population included 58 workers involved in the manufacturing of corticosteroid preparations. They were subdivided according to duration of exposure into 2 groups: Gr. I of <15 years duration of employment and Gr. II of 15 + years duration of employment. Methods included answering a structured questionnaire enquiring about occupational and medical histories, full ocular and clinical examination, and measurement of certain biochemical parameters as plasma cortisol, serum total cholesterol, serum trigly-cerides, fasting blood sugar and serum calcium. Results showed that 25 cataracts were diagnosed in the studied group with a rate of 21.55 per one hundred eyes. Of Gr. II, 43.75% of eyes had cataracts compared to 5.88% of Gr. I. Odd's ratio to develop cataract was 12.44 for Gr. II compared to Gr. I. Ocular hypertension and open-angle glaucoma were present in 25.00% of the eyes of the studied groups with odd's of 5.83 times more when being employed for 15 or more years. Significant positive correlation was found between intraocular pressure and relevant biochemical parameters. In the present study, a clear relationship was detected between the length of the period of exposure to corticosteroids as environmental pollutants and the development of ocular medical disorders such as cataract, ocular hypertension and glaucoma. Further research work is needed to study the effects of exposure to corticosteroids as pollutants in the work environment, gaining access into body via unusual routes of entry, and for periods of time not reported in the therapeutic literature

study of neuropsychological disorders - among aluminum foundry workers

For 63 aluminum foundry workers and 58 matched construction workers, aluminum concentrations in plasma and urine were measured. The exposed workers were classified into low-exposure and high-exposure groups according to ambient aluminum dust concentrations. For referents, low exposure and high exposure groups, the mean plasma aluminum levels were 4.1, 29.5, 48.4 micro g/L respectively, and the corresponding values for urinary aluminum being 10.1, 46.3, 70.8 micro g/L, respectively. In the exposed group, there was a statistically significant linear correlation between aluminum concentrations in the plasma and urine [r = 0.95]. Central nervous system functions were assessed with a neuropsychological symptoms questionnaire, and a neuropsychological test battery. There was an exposure-related increase in memory and concentration problems, tremors, fatigue and dizziness as well as impairment of the results of manual and finger dexterity test and attention test. The correlation between aluminum exposure indices and the used neuropsychological test performance could indicate effects from exposure to aluminum

Health impact of environmental oxidants and particulate matter among manual metal ARC welders

Recent epidemiology studies have reported a statistically significant association between increases in air-borne respirable particulate matter and increased mortality and morbidity from respiratory diseases. Environmental assessment during metal arc welding process in our study revealed higher levels of oxidants [O[3] and NO[2]] and particulate matter [Zn, Cd, Ni. TSP] than the recommended threshold limits values. This study demonstrated higher prevalence of respiratory affection among welders, compared to the controls. Reduction of all ventilatory functions was observed among welders. Longer duration of exposure to welding fumes was found to add to the reduction of these functions. Because welders constitute an important proportion of the workforce, their specific health problems should he considered an important issue. We recommend improvement of environmental control measures to comply with the international standard and educational programs to raise the awareness for safe welding processes

Rotating shift work and disruption of biological rhythms as indicated by serum melatonin, prolactin and cortisol

Rotating shift work is associated with many health problems due to disruption of the biological rhythms. Melatonin, prolactin and cortisol serum levels were measured for 50 nurses working under rotating shift system and 65 nurses working only during daytime to assess the impact of rotating shift work on the circadian rhythms. Our results revealed that serum melatonin was significantly lower among rotators compared to day-shift workers while prolactin and cortisol levels were significantly higher. Serum melatonin showed a significant negative correlation with both duration of service and worker's age. On the other hand levels of prolactin and cortisol demonstrated a significant positive correlation with both parameters. Designing appropriate scheduling of shift work with proper consideration of the speed of shift rotation is recommended

Renal and immunological dysfunction in Nickel-Electroplating Workers

Electroplating processes result in the emission of aerosoles of soluble nickel compounds. In our work we investigated health hazards associated with such exposure in a nickel-electroplating workshop. We examined the results of 50 male workers exposed to soluble nickel compounds and the results were compared to those obtained from 14 matched controls. Serum urea, creatinine and retinol binding protein were statistically significantly higher in exposed workers compared to the controls. Low levels of IgA and high levels of IgE were reported among our exposed workers. Reduction of spirometric measurements but not to the level of significance, was also demonstrated. The concentration of nickel in urine of workers averaged [2.9 Ug/L] and in serum averaged [3.4 Ug/L]. Statistically significantly positive correlation was found between serum levels of urea, creatinine, retinol binding protein and IgE and serum and urinary nickel of exposed workers

Lead-associated health hazards and immunotoxic effects among plumbers

Although the toxicity of lead was recognized centuries ago, cencem was restricted to overt symptoms as colic, enchephalopathy, anemia or renal disease. Recently extensive investigations indicated that lead has a potential immunotoxicity. We studied chronic lead effect on both humoral immunoglobulins and urinary NAG as indicators of early lead toxicity. We observed a reduction of IgA, IgM, IgG levels among the exposed workers. This is negatively con-elated with blood lead levels. A positive correlation between renal function parameters [NAG, serum urea, creatinine] and blood lead levels was also demonstrated. We suggested monitoring the level of immunoglobulin and urinary NAG as indicators of lead toxicity

Sensitive indicators of renal dysfunction among workers exposed to cadmium

Cadmium-induced renal tubular dysfunction was examined in 28 male workers in 2 electroplating factories. Forty comparable apparently healthy administrators constituted the control group. Both groups were submitted to a battery of serum and urinary nephrotoxicity markers to assess the renal effects. The study revealed that chronic exposure to cadmium was associated with renal function impairment evidenced by increased frequencies of abnormal values of most of the nephrotoxicity markers used. Urinary NAG correlated well with all exposure indices, on the other hand urinary B[2] micrglobulin [B[2]M] showed a significant positive correlation only with blood cadmium level which was weaker than that of urinary NAG. Urinary NAG detected a larger proportion of abnormalities among the exposed workers than B[2]M. NAG was suggested to be a sensitive and useful marker for biological monitoring of workers exposed to cadmium