Nitroglycol Poisoning in a Dynamite Factory on an Actual Condition and Adrenocortical Function on Workers exposed to Nitroglycol

Abstract

In Japan, by all possible preventive steps, serious cases of paroxysms of angina pectoris due to nitroglycol poisoning has been almost disappeared. Therefore, it is difficult to draw an exact line whether many subjective symptoms and clinical abnormal findings, which have been thought to be not so characteristic at nitroglycol exposure, are connected with nitroglycol or not. To ascertain the actual conditions in a dynamite factory and the adrenocortical reserve functions of workers exposed to nitroglycol, some investigations were attempted. Results are as follows; 1) In the dynamite factory, concentration of nitroglycol in an extruding room has been notably decreased year after year, and at present it is less than 0.2 ppm, i.e. the MAC value in Japan. 2) Concentrations of NO₃ content in the blood of dynamite workers do not increase so apparently after work. 3) Subjective symptoms of dynamite workers, except for headache, are statistically not significant in comparison with those of other workers. 4) Clinical abnormal findings of dynamite workers are not significant in our investigated items compared with other workers. 5) Adrenocortical reserve functions in dynamite workers, which were examined by a reaction to ACTH injection, were apparently decreased. Changes in eosinophil counts on dynamite workers were notably different from those of office workers; namely, in cases where no drug had been injected, eosinophils increased in about a half of the workers after four hours work. 6) But, there are no relation between adrenocortical reserve functions and other subjective symptoms or clinical findings. From these facts, the conclusions may be drawn as follows: 1) Nitroglycol poisoning in an investigated factory has passed a crisis apparently, but it seems to be not so hopeful that they are in a position, immune to moderate nitroglycol poisoning. 2) In order to make an earlier diagnosis of nitroglycol poisoning significant to prevent serious poisonings, an attempt of testing adrenocortical reserve functions on workers exposed to this chemical seems to be valuable.