Document X7EV1gw0MkYjGOpRBrvzOw2RG

ABSTRACTS FROM CURRENT LITERATURE 425 Toxic Effects of Benzene in the Printing Trades. Vincenzo Baccarini, Lino Businco, and Ferdinando Passalacqua, Boll. Soc. ital. biol. sper. 25:276-277, 1949. From the data on workers in contact with benzene, and those using it indirectly, the hemo globin content of the blood is seen to be reduced, although the corpuscles appear normal. Lymphocytes are abnormally abundant, basophils and monocytes normal, and the polymorphonuclears diminished. Benzene exerts its toxic action by direct inhalation, and also through the sk'n- Chem. Abst. Hazards Associated with the Use of Solvents. N. V. Hendricks, Med. Bull. (Medicine for Industry) 11:34-41 (Jan.) 1951. This article reviews in a general fashion the toxicity of volatile solvents. General principles are outlined, such as degree to which the compound is soluble in blood and tissues, the rate of elimination, the concentration breathed, the length of exposure, the rates of respiration and blood circulation, the specific toxicity of the compound and its site of action. The relative importance of these factors is illustrated by a discussion of the toxicity of ethyl alcohol, ethyl ether, and benzene. The classification of solvents as nerve or lung poisons, substances toxic to blood-form ing organs, metabolic and kidney poisons is discussed. There is brief discussion of the toxicity of benzene, toluene, chlorinated hydrocarbons, ketones, esters, and alcohols. ' Mary 0. Amdur, Boston. Medicine and Surgery Slough Industrial Health Service: An Experimental Group Service for Small Plants. M. E. M. Herford, Am. /. Pub. Health 40:1529-1535 (Dec.) 1950. In this interesting article Herford describes an approach to the small plant health problem that is being tried in Slough, Bucks, England. The plan services a group of small industries located in what is termed a "trading estate," consisting of 250 firms employing more than 25,000 workers. This "estate" was developed to invite small plants to share such facilities as good rail and road access, usually available only to large plants. The health service includes a central clinic, well staffed and equipped. Some of the plants have their own in-plant nurse, and these nurses are supervised by the clinic physicians. A few plants also have their own part time physician. In those plants employees are referred to the clinic for special reasons, such as physical therapy, roentgenologic examination and serious accidents. Every plant in the plan is visited at routine intervals by the clinic physicians and nurses to keep in touch with the workers' environments. An environmental survey is made for each firm on their joining the plan. This is now being further, implemented by the addition of an industrial hygiene engineer trained at the Harvard School of Public Health. A unique feature of the plan is a mobile dressing station consisting of a large closed truck equipped as a minor surgery and consultation room. This visits the more distant plants with a nurse to do routine dressings in the morning. In the afternoon it travels, by appointment, with a physician and a nurse to hold consultations and make medical examinations. Another feature that is unique arises out of the inadequacy of local hospital facilities. Accommodation for outpatient departments of the hospitals have been provided at the central clinic of the service, and there specialists hold their clinics. A desirable aspect of the plan is a rehabilitation center at Farnham Park where patients may be hospitalized. This center is staffed by medical personnel of the health service who thus have an intimate knowledge of industry and furnish effective liaison between the specialist and the individual in his working environment. Once a month a "worker's representative committee meeting" is held to assist, through their criti cisms, in the development of the plan. Varied and often adverse reaction occurred among the local physicians at first. It disappeared with the advent of Britain's National Health Service, when the local physicians were glad to have their burden eased by the clinic service. The rates of employee visits in this service are of interest. Five thousand workers in plants having their own medical personnel, supervised by the service, produced 109,000 visits. This is a visit rate per employee per year of almost 22, compared with a customary rate in the