[Industrial wastes and health hazards]. / Odpady przemyslowe i zagrozenia zdrowotne.

Uncontrolled industrial waste sites are potential sources of unplanned release of hazardous substances into the environment. According to the reports of the State Inspectorate for Environment Protection (PIOS), 60% of hazardous waste sites registered in Poland create potential or real threat to public health and the environment. hazardous substances migrating off the site can spread and affect the environmental media: ground water, surface water, air, soil, biota. They can also enter the human body. As a result of research studies aimed at identifying the hazard and assessing health effects posed by hazardous waste sites in the United States, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has identified seven groups of health effects most common among populations living in the vicinity of waste sites. These are: birth defects, cancer, immune function disorders, kidney and liver dysfunction, lung and respiratory diseases and neurotoxic disorders. However, the evidence based on exposure-effect relationship is not generally very strong. Most of the studies lack sufficiently accurate exposure assessment.

Industrialization and environmental health in Poland.

There has been enormous pollution and biodegradation of environment in Poland as the consequence of industrialization developed regardless the principles of sustainable development. In the recent years, the decrease of total emission of air pollution caused by gases and dust, the decrease of emission of unprocessed sewage and industrial waste can be seen. These facts are the consequences of economic recession which have appeared in Poland along with economic transformation. However, there is still significant escalation of environmental pollution, in so-called areas of ecological hazards. There are heavily industrialized and urbanized areas covering about 10% of the total country area but inhabited by over 30% of the total country population. The significant environmental pollution goes together with deterioration of the country's health situation what can be seen in shortening the average lifetime expectancy, increased frequency of cardiovascular diseases and cancers and higher infants death rate in comparison to other European countries. Considering the complexity of the factors affecting the population's health status, the basis of the health and environmental policy conceived in order to stop and alter the unwanted health condition tendencies and the environmental quality have been shown here.

[Assessment of health risk in view of changes in labor code and methods used for protecting the environment]. / Ocena ryzyka zdrowotnego w swietle zmian kodeksu pracy i analogii metodycznych stosowanych w ochronie srodowiska.

In view of the present and proposed amendments to the Labor Code as well as bearing in mind anticipated harmonization of regulations in this area with those of EEC, the authors emphasize the need for well developed methodology for assessing chemical safety in an occupational environment with special reference to health effects in people exposed to chemicals. Methods for assessing health risk induced by work under conditions of exposure to chemicals were divided into: methods for assessing technological/processing risk, and methods for assessing health risk related to the toxic effect of chemicals. The need for developing means of risk communication in order to secure proper risk perception among people exposed to chemicals and risk managers responsible for prevention against chemical hazards was also stressed. It is suggested to establish a centre for chemical substances in order to settle down all issues pertaining to human exposure to chemicals. The centre would be responsible, under the provisions of the Chemical Substances Act, for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the present situation and for the development of guidelines on assessment of health risk among persons exposed to chemicals.

[Organizing evaluation of chemical substances in EEC countries and in Poland prior to their admission to trade turnover]. / Organizacja badan substancji chemicznych w krajach EWG i w Polsce przed dopuszczeniem ich do obrotu handlowego.

This paper presents systems how chemical substances, those in use and new ones, are evaluated in the EEC countries and in Poland prior to their admission to trade turnover. The Polish hygienic monitoring of chemical substances in comparison with systems operating in the Western countries requires a very thorough verification. New organizational concepts of evaluation of chemical substances before their admission to trade turnover in Poland are generally outlined. It is stressed that issues related to production and entering the market with chemical substances require new legal regulations. It also is necessary to set up a national centre responsible for implementing provisions of the Chemical Substances Act which is now being drafted.

[Toxicological basis for evaluating health risk]. / Toksykologiczne podstawy oceny ryzyka zdrowotnego.

The fundamental premises and toxicological methods used to evaluate exposure to chemicals in the environment have been discussed, with particular regard to the approach and methods for health risk assessment of carcinogens and non-carcinogens. The main disputable problems related to risk assessment and risk estimation have been listed.

The impact of the chemical industry on the human environment.

The magnitude of the emitted to the air dusts and gases, liquid and solid wastes disposal produced by chemical industry is presented. Impact of chemical industry on the environment is discussed. Some hazardous agents, occurring in the work environment, morbidity and sickness absenteeism rates, noted among employees in chemical industry, are considered.

Experimental studies on the chronic toxic effects of vinyl chloride in rats.

Male rats were exposed to vinyl chloride at the concentrations of 50, 500, and 20 000 ppm, 5 hours daily, 5 days a week for 10 months. Morphological lesions in the liver and the testes detected by light and electron microscope and depression in body weight increase intensified with the duration of exposure. Increased relative weights of some organs and slight hematological and biochemical changes in blood during the course of the experiment were also observed. Some toxic effects including morphological liver injuries arose at the smallest exposure level, i. e., 50 ppm. Assuming 50 ppm as the threshold concentration for rats, the 5 ppm level has been estimated as the safe exposure limit in industry in relation to systemic effects of vinyl chloride.