Lead absorption and renal dysfunction in a South African battery factory.

Objectives: To test the association between inorganic lead (Pb) exposure, blood pressure, and renal function in South African battery factory workers, with both conventional and newer measures of renal function and integrity.

Methods: Renal function measures included serum creatinine, urea, and urate (n = 382). Urinary markers (n = 199) included urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), retinol binding protein, intestinal alkaline phosphatase, tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase, Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein, epidermal growth factor, and microalbuminuria.

Assessment of exposure to chloramphenicol and azathioprine among workers in a South African pharmaceutical plant.

There have been very few published studies that have evaluated exposure to myelotoxic drugs among production workers in pharmaceutical plants. Previous studies have focussed mainly on nurses and evaluated exposure to cytotoxic drugs using urine mutagenicity as a marker of exposure. The aim of this study was to evaluate the exposure of workers involved in the production of chloramphenicol and azathioprine.