Document Gm3DmZO9gOoozbavDbJVzd2Vq

(1 K, ~ (f V,55. No. S ^ <3, e~ f r S ' .. () - V ^ ^ OCCUPATION.AL niSHASLS (/ .. /765 I)\ ./ioi h, II. Accidental Poisoning hy Vinyl Chlo ride : Report of Two Cas* CiintidhuFVTcT^tsL. X*!%0, Apr. 16, v. 82, No. 16, 828-30. [12 refs.) 2 Miiiil.ir r.ipiilly fatal cases, the second prosed by eir. .lances to h.ivc been caused by vinyl cliksrisle. i!!n fate dangers ssbon safety rules are disrepardeJ and tox eoloyieal dillicultics of proof of poisoning from vol.t:ib gives, Also called chlorocihylene or cbloroethcr.e. (II Cll.n is an explosive, heavy ansi volatile gas; 111' - I rC. In enelosej production of polyvinyl resin, pol, meri/_ation is not eontpleted and, before a lank is opened, residual vinyl chloride is pumped into another rec. vvry tank. The residual gas contains 90?u vinyl ehloruts . s j`;0 C03, vinyl acetate, trichloroethylene, N and arg n I is- first patient entered a tank to clean ii. after the usii 1 safely icsts. Air was continuously exhausted and rep. i-.ci!. hut the air hose afterwards appeared defective. He f.l not wear the required safety belt and line. Nor sv.is the required rescue apparatus immediately availnhlc utv i, 10 minutes later, he failed to answer. The rescuer eou.J not delect vinyl chloride. The second patient was fou 'd beside an open valve 20 minutes after he had enle.eJ a pit outside the recovery '.'.ink to open this water out1:! valve fiom this tank. One rescuer closed the valve, nns alteeied by escaping gas, became giddy, saw circles, eras-led away shouting and recovered quickly; another, wet: ir.g a respirator, removej the body. Both of the mer svho died had often done these tasks. A autopsy, performed 3 and S hours later, no vinyl ehlo-i.ie was found. It may have been expelled by artilici.i! respiration. The pathological findings in both were cyin .ms, conjunctival burns, congestion of interna! org: is. especially lungs and kidneys, and failure of the blooj to dot. Though not diagnostic, these findings were obsi-sed in experiments ssitb vinyl chloride and are beir.; published. The first patient, aged 21, also showed slight heart and kidney disease. He may ha'c fainted hefo c being asphyxiated. Vinyl chloride rapidly induces aarc nig and, in dogs, causes cardiac abnormality. It is eons dered one of the least dangerous of chlorinated hyd, icarbons; the MAC is 500 p.p.nt. A/. 1'itlridu Fitaiinons PimiNATi, L,, Scanshtti, G., Caitixaho, F., Gaido, .*. C. & lUscrri, L. Indagiiu sjll'esposi/.ione ua.nica al meia-amino-fenolo e para-nitro*eiiloenrolo. [Investigations on Chronic Exposure o Meta-Amino-Phcnol and Para-Nitro-EthylAcnzcl] Hass. Med. Indus!. Rome. 1959, Nov.;3ee,, v. 28, No. 0, 437-46. [18 refs.] English ummary. Th: authors examined IS persons, 12 of whom were expo e-.l occupationally to risk of poisoning by mciaamin ipher.ol, and 6 by paranitroethylbeneol, whose ages rang.J from 24 to 51. and the length of lime at such work from 2 to 7 years. All the patients showed definite clinical signs, ssitli .v.inn.is opc.ijily of the lip. a pro'-.'- inent \\mptom and almost :t!I h,d h\jvten-mn shen examined a: the onw! ol the si:if'.: jo p.itients when examined after 1 day's holiday, it.. ..hoot 31 h.u;;s after ending !hi: shift there was no material thflcTcmc from the original finding. The p.n.cnts mo-dls kw.v.- pl.oned of asthenia often accomp imeJ bv hcad.t.rhc I.:. both groups) and 2 showed grave and 4 marked evunosis. Mcihaemoglohm levels did not diner much u\ the 2 kinds of risk and 1 day's holiday was sufheicnt lo reduce the MetHb level to nearly normal but in 3 patterns oven though this was within normal limits, cyanosis was un changed even after 1 week's absence. The authors discuss carefully this persistence of cyano sis with normal MetHb levels and surest that it is due to slowing down of the peripheral circulation due to the diminished oxvgcnanon of the blood. The free erythro cytic and the urinary coproporphyrin behaved in the opposite manner, /.*.,, they rose after absence from work, ll thus appears that the toxic product causing the mcihae- moglobinacmia may also affect the cn/.ymc systems .synthesizing porphyrin. II'. K. Diuisconibc * PAi.LAnr., Sulumith, London, Mieaela. Rovunta, Ana & Porovici, Carmen. La tossicitu di urt coneime largamente usato in agricultural 11 sttpcrfosfato. [Toxicity of a Largely Used Agricultural Ferti lizer: Superphosphate] Stcd, d, Luvoro. I960. Jan., v. 51, No. 1, 49-5S, 5 figs. [25 refs.] English summary (S lines). This report comes from the section of Industrial H>gienc of the Institute of Hygiene and public Health of Rumania. In it the authors point ouL that one of the very important components of superphosphate Is* fluorine which sometimes during manufacture has led to severe symptoms of mottled teeth, digestive disturbances, bony changes, atrophic rhinitis, and ulceration of the nasal mucosa occasionally going on to perforation of the .septum after prolonged contact. However the toxic action of the fertilizer is due not only to its F content but to the particular solubility of the F salts and to the physical state of the fertilizer. When given imragastric.dly to rabbits superphosphate is much more toxic than the apatite front which it is made; the urinary elimination of F gives a precise and convenient indication of the yield to F. but after administration of nondethal doses to rabbits there was some retention of F. In these aninuls there appears to be some potentiating action of P on the F ions as regards toxicity and after 2 doses of super phosphate (.90 mgm. F/kum.) there was a marked reduetion in the activity of the blood phosphatase but not in cholinesterase though in vitro this was also reduced. The authors conclude that in contrast to what has been thought hitherto superphosphate has a definite toxic action and repeated exposure of workers to small doses may have some cfleci. Hence the MAC should be established, bearing in mind not only the F content but also the complex composition of the product. \V. K, Dun.\comhc - * i ( j . R&S 025258