A case study on co-exposure to a mixture of organic solvents in a Tunisian adhesive-producing company.

OBJECTIVES: to assess environmental and biological monitoring of exposure to organic solvents in a glue-manufacturing company in Sfax, Tunisia. METHODS: Exposure of volunteer workers, in the solvented glue-work-stations, in the control laboratory and in the storage rooms of the finished products, was assessed through indoor-air and urine measurements. Informed consent of the workers was obtained. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The exposure indexes were found with high values in the solvented workshop as well as in the control laboratory and were respectively, 8.40 and 3.12. These indexes were also correlated with hexane and toluene indoor air concentrations. As to urine, the obtained results for the 2,5-hexandione and hippuric acid, metabolites of hexane and toluene, respectively, were in accord with the indoor-air measurements, with an average of 0.46 mg/l and 1240 mg/g of creatinine. CONCLUSION: This study assessed for the first time biological exposure to organic solvents used in Tunisian adhesive industries. Although values are likely to underestimate true exposure levels, some figures exceed European and American occupational exposure guidelines.

[Nonresponse to hepatits B vaccine in health care workers]. / La non reponse a la vaccination antihepatitique chez le personnel soignant.

The authors report the results of an investigation of witness cases realised in collaboration between Occupational Medecine Service and Immunology Laboratory of Hedi CHAKER University Hospital SFAX during the year 2000. The purpose was to search the genetic control of the HLA class I system for the non-response to hepatitis B vaccine and to evaluate the contribution of other favorite factors as tabac, sex, age. Thus, in a population of 32 healthy agents found nonresponders to hepatitis B vaccine by the titers of anti HBs antibody, we have performed the HLA-A, -B phenotypes by the technique of complement dependent microcytotoxicity. The frequency of studied HLA class I antigens, was compared for the non-responders group, to the frequency observed in witnesses group, done with 52 responders healthy agents. The rate of nonresponsiveness hepatitis B vaccine was evaluated up to 5 %. Statistically significant difference was observed for HLA A1 and-B44 markers showing fraquencies which were considerably higher in the non-responders than in witnesses.