New Zealand Study Health Risk from Solvent Use by Lab Techs

Exposure to solvents by medical laboratory workers may be a health risk according to a new study from the University of Otago, Wellington, published in The Journal of Rheumatology.

 

 

“Our study of 341 medical laboratory workers indicates they are more likely to develop a condition called Raynaud’s phenomenon, if they are exposed to solvents such as toluene or xylene. This raises concerns they could then have further serious health complications later in life,” said lead researcher Gordon Purdie.(WCxKit)

 

 

This is the first  research to show an occupational health hazard involving solvent use and Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP). Other studies overseas have shown similar solvent associations, but not with people exposed to solvents at work.

 

 

Raynaud’s phenomenon is vasoconstriction, or the narrowing of blood vessels in the hands and other extremities, and is characterized by pain, color changes and tautness or fullness of the fingers or toes. Raynaud’s phenomenon usually only occurs in cold conditions. For some people it may be a symptom or precursor of scleroderma, a rare connective tissue disease affecting multiple systems in the body and mainly amongst women.

 

 

The mainly female laboratory workers (79 percent) who used solvents in this study had higher rates of severe RP. Those who had worked with xylene or toluene doubled their risk of developing severe RP. It appears that lab workers who worked with acetone or chlorinated solvents, combined with xylene or toluene, also doubled their risk of developing RP. Risk of developing severe RP was even greater, in fact, nine times.

 

 

“I am concerned that 75 percent of those who worked with xylene or toluene handled wet sample slides without gloves. The majority had done so daily for over a decade,” Purdie said. “Absorption through the skin is a classic way for solvents to have a negative impact on health.” He said the study also found no difference in severe RP rates between the general population and those lab workers who had not used solvents in their work. He said this study highlights the need to minimize exposure and be careful in handling solvents in medical laboratories and other workplaces.(WCxKit)

 

 

Co-author and senior lecturer in Rheumatology at the University of Otago, Wellington, Dr Andrew Harrison, presented the study at the Australian Rheumatology Association Scientific Meeting in Brisbane. He said, “This is the first study to demonstrate a link between laboratory worker solvent exposure and symptoms of autoimmune connective tissue disease and has important implications for workplace health and safety.”