Effects of prolonged low exposure to methyl isocyanate.

An assessment of human pulmonary effects from long-term, low-level exposure to methyl isocyanate (MIC) has been undertaken. Serial pulmonary function data, cigarette smoking histories, and other information were available for over 400 workers from a large chemical facility. In addition, industrial-hygiene measurements had been made and were used to classify jobs according to level of MIC exposure.

Mortality from working in the aluminum reduction industry.

Next to oxygen and silicon, aluminum is the most common element on this planet's surface. Studies of potential carcinogenics in aluminum workers have been reported to be equivocal, and consequently can give rise to serious global concern. However, studies have not taken into consideration smoking histories.

Smoke inhalation.

Two cases of smoke inhalation injury are reported with a brief review of the pertinent literature. The frequency of occurrence, the mortality rate, the clinical course of this common event are discussed with emphasis on the following facts: 1) Pulmonary injury is often associated with skin burns and, conversely, skin burns, particularly when severe, are accompanied by significant effects on pulmonary function; 2) Domestic fires, which account for most of these casualties, may involve complex exposure to a variety of aggressive agents (CO, HCN, NOx, etc.), causing systemic effects; 3) The clinical course of the most severe occurrences characteristically consists of three phases, namely acute pulmonary insufficiency, pulmonary edema and bronchopneumonia, in sequence; 4) The mortality rates of these clinical phases range at or about 50 per cent; 5) Significant laryngeal edema and even pulmonary edema may follow an interval of several hours, during which both subjective and objective evidence of injury may be minimal or unnoticed; and 6) The determination of carboxyhemoglobin levels often helps in gauging the severity of the exposure and related effects of either immediate or delayed appearance.

The effects of occupational exposure on the respiratory health of West Virginia morticians.

Standardized respiratory disease questionnaires and pulmonary function tests were administered to licensed white male morticians attending an educational program in Morgantown, W.Va. Detailed occupational histories were obtained; included were estimates of the numbers of bodies personally embalmed.