Acute Liver Failure Associated with Occupational Exposure to Tetrachloroethylene

Tetrachloroethylene is a chlorinated solvent that is primarily used in dry cleaning and degreasing operations. Although the hepatotoxicity caused by tetrachloroethylene has been well documented in literature, it is rarely considered as a cause of acute liver failure. We report a case of a 39-yr-old man who was admitted to our hospital for acute liver failure due to tetrachloroethylene exposure. Histological examination of the liver revealed massive hepatic necrosis, prominently, in zone 3 of the hepatic lobules. The patient underwent supportive treatment along with 3 sessions of plasmapheresis, and consequently, he presented a favorable outcome. Repeat liver biopsy performed 6 months after the patient's discharge showed architectural distortion with postnecrotic cirrhosis. Physicians should be aware of the possibility of acute liver failure induced by tetrachloroethylene. Early plasmapheresis can be effective for individuals with sufficient capacity for hepatocyte regeneration.

Growth inhibition in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) fish exposed to tetrachloroethylene.

A recent study in our laboratory has demonstrated that tetrachloroethylene (TCE) is acutely toxic to Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) larvae with a 96 hr-LC50 of 18 (17-19) mg/mL (Spencer et al., 2002). In the present study we hypothesize that TCE exposure induces a developmental effect in Japanese medaka. Growth and age specific sensitivity of Japanese medaka larvae were studied with four age groups (7, 14, 21 and 28 days old) to determine tetrachloroethylene effects on these parameters. The medaka larvae were exposed for 96 hours in a single concentration (10 mg/mL) of TCE. The toxic endpoints evaluated were larvae weight, length, water content and protein concentration. The study revealed that exposure of medaka larvae to this sub-acute concentration of TCE significantly reduced length and weight in the treated group. The difference in growth between control and treated groups was more obvious in age versus length, than in age versus weight. The dry weight-fresh weight ratio (dw/fw) was shown to be higher in the control group. Water content in TCE-treated medaka was higher than in the control group, and younger fry had more water content than older ones. A higher protein concentration was also observed in TCE-treated medaka compared to the control group. These results indicate that TCE has a profound effect on the growth and development of Japanese medaka larvae.

1,1,1 - Tricloroetano, tricloroetileno, percloroetileno: aspectos toxicológicos / 1,1,1 - Trichloroethane, thichloroethylene, perchloroethylene: toxicologycal aspects

Säo solventes de ampla utilizaçäo industrial empregados, principalmente, nas operaçöes de desengraxamento de peças metálicas. O desenvolvimento significativo das indústrias mecânicas brasileiras sugere a larga utilizaçäo desses agentes e, consequentemente, um grande número de indivíduos expostos, sendo a exposiçäo ocupacional a principal causa de intoxicaçäo. Nesta revisäo objetivou-se apresentar as propriedades físico-químicas destas substâncias, as condiçöes que afetam suas biodisponibilidades químicas e seus efeitos tóxicos, conhecimentos necessários para a implantaçäo de um programa adequado de monitorizaçäo biológica.