follow-up study of workers' exposure to mercury vapour in a fluorescent tube manufacturing plant in Alexandria, Egypt

ABSTRACT

The present study was conducted after 10 years of a previous one in order to check the effect of the technical manifestations excuted in a fluorescent tubes manufacturing plant on work environment and workers' health. The environmental condition have worsened indicating deficient modifications and/or environmental deteriorations. Medical and laboratory investigations of 81 workers and 50 controls indicated that complaints related to mercurialism prevailed in high proportion of the workers. Their blood and urinary mercury were correlated with the environmental exposure, but not with the toxic manifestations. Renal impairment was demonstrated among the workers as a significant higher mean serum creatinine level than that of the controls