1996 Volume 38 Issue 3 Pages 113-117
Liver Function Tests of Workers Exposed to Toluene and Toluene/Dimethylformamide at Low Concentrations: Da-Hong WANG, et al. Department of Public Health, Okayama University Medical School-The purpose of our study was to analyse the results of liver function tests of workers exposed to toluene or to toluene/dimethylformamide (DMF) at levels below 100 ppm of toluene [(previous Occupational Exposure Limits of the Japan Society for Occupational Health) ; 10 ppm of DMF] in comparison with those of the reference group in order to see whether these solvents had any effect on the liver at levels generally considered to be safe. Our results suggested that occupational exposure to toluene below previous Occupational Exposure Limits of the Japan Society for Occupational Health lowered serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT) and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GTP) activities significantly in males. On the other hand, serum levels of GPT and y-GTP in the female tolueneexposed group were significantly higher than those in the control group. Median Body Mass Index (BMI) levels and alcohol consumption did not show any significant difference between toluene-exposed subjects and the controls, suggesting that toluene exposure or other unknown life-style factors were likely to have more effects on the difference of serum GPT and γ-GTP levels between toluene-exposed and control subjects. Serum GPT activity in the DMF/toluene-exposed group was significantly higher than that in the toluene-exposed group, and DMF exposure was considered to play a role in increasing the serum GPT activity in the DMF/toluene-exposed male group. The present results that the decreased serum GPT and γ-GTP levels in the toluene-exposed male group necessitate performing further epidemiological and experimental studies to investigate thepossible hepatic effect of toluene exposures at levels generally considered to be safe. (J Occup Health 1996: 38: 113-117)
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