Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health
Abstract
Istraženo je djelovanje trikloretilena, tetraklorugljika, heksakloretana i heksaklorcikloheksana na radnike zaposlene u kemijskim čistionicama za suho čišćenje odjevnih predmeta i u jednom poduzeću za proizvodnju lijekova.In this report the results are presented of the investigations on the risk of exposure to carbon tetrachloride, hexachlorethane and hexachlorcyclohexane carried out in some dry-cleaning shops and a drug factory. 81 persons were examined. The most numerous complaints were recorded among the workers exposed to carbon tetrachloride and trichlorethylene. Irritation was found to be the most frequent symptom in workers exposed to hexachlorethane and hexachlorcyclohexane. The scarcity of other symptoms seems to be due to the low volatility of these chlorinated hydrocarbons. The most significant findings supposed to be specific were alterations in serum albumin-globulin ratio observed in workers exposed to trichlorethylene, carbon tetrachloride, and hexachlorethane. In the majority of cases these alterations were in no connection with any other sign of the liver injury. In the authors\u27 opinion, they may be correlated with the effect of chlorinated hydrocarbons on the liver function. However, the mechanism of these changes remains to be explained
