Health-hazard-evaluation report HETA-84-339-2052, Westinghouse Electric Company, Bloomington, Indiana

Technical Report · Fri Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1990

OSTI ID:6213647

Steel, G; Smith, A B; Bernert, J; Hannon, W H

In response to a request from the Indiana State Board of Health, a follow up study was conducted of workers occupationally exposed to polychlorinated-biphenyls (PCBs) at the Westinghouse Electric Corporation's Transmission and Distribution Components Division, Bloomington, Indiana. A cross sectional study had been conducted in 1977. Workers in the high and low serum PCB groups from that study were invited to participate; 60 of 66 workers originally studied participated in the study. Those in the high level group were on the average 5.6 years older than the low PCB group. Use of PCBs was discontinued in 1977. By 1985 the levels of serum PCB concentrations in the low group had decreased by an average of 85% of the 1977 value. Levels in the high PCB group had decreased by an average of 90%. No clinical abnormalities attributable to PCB exposure were noted. Serum PCB levels were positively and significantly correlated with triglycerides, cholesterol, total bilirubin, conjugated bilirubin, beta-glucuronidase, 5'-nucleotidase, serum apolipoprotein-A1, serum apolipoprotein-B, urinary creatinine, and urinary alanine-aminopeptidase. According to the authors, the biochemical findings are indicative of the physiological effects of PCBs on lipid metabolism, liver function and kidney function. The clinical significance of these findings 8 years after occupational exposures had ceased is unknown.

• Research Organization: National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6213647
• Report Number(s): PB-91-115766/XAB; HETA--84-339-2052
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AMINOPEPTIDASES
APOLIPOPROTEINS
AROMATICS
AZOLES
BILIRUBIN
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CHLORINATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
CHOLESTEROL
CREATININE
ENZYMES
ESTERASES
ESTERS
FEDERAL REGION V
GLUCURONIDASE
GLYCOSYL HYDROLASES
HALOGENATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HETEROCYCLIC ACIDS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
HYDROLASES
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
IMIDAZOLES
IMINES
INDIANA
LIPIDS
LIPOPROTEINS
METABOLISM
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEOTIDASES
O-GLYCOSYL HYDROLASES
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
PEPTIDE HYDROLASES
PERSONNEL
PHOSPHATASES
PIGMENTS
PROTEINS
PYRROLES
STEROIDS
STEROLS
TRIGLYCERIDES
USA