Health status of copper refinery workers with specific reference to selenium exposure
- Univ. of Toronto, Ontario (Canada)
Copper refinery workers exposed to selenium were studied before, during, and after a shutdown period. Urine selenium levels were 83 {plus minus} 30 mumol/mol creatinine and 69 {plus minus} 27 mumol/mol creatinine when measured on two occasions during exposure compared with 56 {plus minus} 17 mumol/mol creatinine when the workers had been free of exposure for 10 wk during a shutdown. The refinery workers reported more nose and eye irritation, indigestion, stomach pain, and fatigue than controls. Garlic-like breath odor was reported to be personally and socially offensive by many of the workers. Reporting of symptoms, pulmonary function indices, and laboratory test results did not change with exposure except for hemoglobin level, which rose during the shutdown. Hemoglobin levels were found to be inversely correlated with the urine selenium level, and there was a positive correlation noted for the interactive effect of urine selenium and urine arsenic levels on hemoglobin.49 references.
- OSTI ID:
- 5098784
- Journal Information:
- Archives of Environmental Health; (USA), Vol. 44:5; ISSN 0003-9896
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
HEMOGLOBIN
BIOSYNTHESIS
SELENIUM
TOXICITY
COPPER
CREATININE
METABOLISM
METALLURGY
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
PERSONNEL
REVIEWS
SKIN
AZOLES
BODY
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
DOCUMENT TYPES
ELEMENTS
GLOBINS
HETEROCYCLIC ACIDS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
IMIDAZOLES
IMINES
METALS
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PIGMENTS
PORPHYRINS
PROTEINS
SEMIMETALS
SYNTHESIS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology