Investigation on adverse health effect of organic solvents on female workers in Gaomi City

Objective To understand the adverse health effects of organic solvents on female workers,and to provide orientation for preventive measures. Methods From March to December,2015,100 female workers in 56 small-scaled enterprises were investigated, who were occupationally exposed to organic solvents, while 98 female workers in the food enterprises were studied as the control group. The workers' blood and level of reproductive hormones were sampled for further analysis. Results Benzene,toluene and xylene were detected at some workplaces, though all enterprises claimed that all used adhesion agents didn't contain any benzene. The airborne concentrations of these chemicals at some workplaces were much higher than the national OELs. Blood routine examination showed that abnormality in the exposed group was higher than that in the control,and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The female hormones,LH and P of exposed workers were lower than those of the control workers who were staying at follicular phase(P<0.05),while there were no differences of hormones level at the luteal phase(P >0.05). It was noted this change was not related to occupational exposure time. Conclusion Current exposure to organic solvents could affect females' hematopoietic system and level of reproductive hormones. More attention should be taken to these exposed workers in the enterprises where the adhesion agents were used.