Kepone: a literature summary.

This overview provides a narrative survey of the reference literature on Kepone. The circumstances surrounding the "Hopewell incident" have increased the awareness and vigilance of state and federal agencies regarding human and environmental exposure to toxic chemicals. Highlights of this overview include history, nomenclature, uses, toxicology, environmental aspects, epidemiology, and conclusions. A chronologic history of Kepone is detailed in the Appendix.

Health aspects of chloroform--a review.

First prepared in 1831, chloroform was initially employed as an "ideal" anesthetic. Chloroform was later found to cause heart and liver damage and, with the discovery of safer agents, lost importance as a medical anesthetic. Today chloroform is used primarily as a solvent in industry, in the production of antibiotics, as a cleaning agent, and as an ingredient in pharmaceutical and veterinary formulations. A recent report issued by the National Cancer Institute implicates chloroform as a carcinogen in laboratory rodents. These findings, in conjunction with enforcement of the Delaney Clause have generated renewed interest in chemicals such as chloroform which are not only used in a variety of industrial applications, but which are also available to the general public in a number of food and cosmetic products.

Selected case histories and epidemiologic examples of human mercury poisoning.

To illustrate the various clinical pictures resulting from toxic effects of mercury and its compounds, highlighted literature excerpts have been prepared and arranged in a logical sequence. Particular emphasis is placed upon early diagnosis and prevention of epidemic outbreaks involving intoxication through organomercurials.

Trichloroethylene. I. An overview.

Trichloroethylene (TCE) has been an industrial chemical of some importance for the past 50 years. First synthesized by Fischer in 1864, TCE has enjoyed considerable industrial usage as a degreaser and limited medical use as an inhalation anesthetic and analgesic. This TCE overview provides a narrative survey of the reference literature. Highlights include history, nomenclature, physical and chemical properties, manufacture, analysis, uses, metabolism, toxicology, carcinogenic potential, exposure routes, recommended standards, and conclusions. Chemically, TCE is a colorless, highly volatile liquid of molecular formula C2HCl3. Autoxidation of the unstable compound yields acidic products. Stabilizers are added to retard decomposition. TCE's multitude of industrial uses center around its highly effective fat-solvent properties. Metabolically, TCE is transformed in the liver to trichloroacetic acid, trichloroethanol, and trichloroethanol glucuronide; these breakdown products are excreted through the kidneys. Most toxic responses occur as a result of industrial exposures. TCE affects principally the central nervous system (CNS). Short exposures result in subjective symptoms such as headache, nausea, and incoordination. Longer exposures may result in CNS depression, hepatorenal failure, and increased cardiac output. Cases of sudden death following TCE exposure are generally attributed to ventricular fibrillation. Current interest in TCE has focused on recent experimental data that implicate TCE as a cause of hepatocellular carcinoma in mice. No epidemiological data are available that demonstrate a similar action in humans. The overall population may be exposed to TCE through household cleaning fluids, decaffeinated coffee, and some spice extracts. The NIOSH recommended standard for TCE is 100 ppm as a time-weighted average for an 8-hr day, with a maximum allowable peak concentration of 150 ppm for 10 min.

Clinical toxicology of mercury.

Based on an extensive literature search, general principles of mercury toxicity are outlined with respect to human individuals and populations. For the metal itself, as well as for its most important inorganic and organic compounds, the review discussed behavior in the body, characteristic clinical pictures, assessment of threshold levels, and evaluation as potential environmental hazards. Particular emphasis is placed on those diagnostic signs and symptoms which furnish early warning signals, permitting detection and elimination of overexposures.