Document LgMoKq40Jv6XmDgjnDnLyebO7

Brucellosis Brucellosis (undulant fever) has long been known as an infection produced by drinking unpasteunzed milk from cows suffering from Bang's disease (infectious abortion) Since it can also be contracted by handling the animals or their flesh and is also transmitted by swine and goats, it is an occupational ail ment of slaughterhouse workers as well as of farmers, although more common among the latter Here also, preventive measures are primarily proper testing and control of the animals to eradicate the disease Erysipelas The other major bacterial infection to which slaughterhouse workers and flsh handlers are subject is erysipelas, which seems to be es pecially virulent when contracted from the slime of fish Upper respiratory tract infections Workers exposed to dusts from vegetable fibers such as cotton, bagasse (sugar cane residues), hemp, flax, or grain may develop upper respiratory tract infections ranging from chronic irritation of the nose and throat to bronchitis, complicated by asthma, emphy sema or pneumonia, or a combination Dusts from many of these fibers may also be a source of allergens, histamine, and toxic metabolic products of microorganisms How ever, most of the cases of illness arising from handling these fibers have been reported in the foreign literature (See Kenneth F Maxy in "References ") Occupational Skin Diseases Industrial skin diseases account for about one half to two thirds of all compensation claims for occupational diseases These claims are scattered throughout all types of industry and sometimes appear where occu pational skin diseases may be least expected Types of dermatitis There are two general types of dermatitis primary irritation and sensitization Nearly all persons will suffer primary irri tation dermatitis from mechanical agents such as friction, from physical agents such as heat or cold, and from chemical agents such as acids, alkalis, irritant gases, and vapors Brief contact with a high concentration of a primary irritant or prolonged exposure to a low con centration will cause inflammation Allergy is not a factor in these conditions Sensitization dermatitis, on the other hand, is the result of an allergic reaction to a given substance The sensitivity becomes estab lished over a relatively long induction penod which may be a few days to a few months In most cases, it is ten days to a month After the sensitivity has become established, ex posure to even a small amount of the sensitiz ing material is likely to produce a severe reaction There are various grades of sensi tivity, and many people who are sensitized to the materials they are handling can con tinue to work with them without trouble if they simply take precautions against direct contact With severe sensitization, however, it may be difficult or impossible to control the exposure sufficiently to permit the individual to go on working with the material, or even allow the individual to be in the room where the material is handled Some substances can produce both primary irritation dermatitis and sensitization derma titis Among them are organic solvents, formaldehyde, chromic acid, and epoxy resin systems Causes of dermatitis Causes of occupational dermatitis are class ified under these main headings chemical agents, mechanical agents, physical agents, plant poisons, and biological agents Chemical agents are the predominant causes of dermatoses in manufactunng indus tries Table 41-C, therefore, is concerned only with these agents The information given includes the action of the listed chemi cals on the skm as either primary irritants or sensitizers The table is not, of course, ex haustive m any respect, but can provide quick reference data on some of the more common chemical lmtants Cutting oils and similar substances are especially important chemical agents because the oil dermatitis which they cause is prob ably of interest to a larger proportion of indus trial concerns than is any other single type of dermatitis (Text continues on page 1276 ) 1271