title: [Clinico-anamnestic survey in health professionals exposed to volatile anesthetics].
abstract: The authors describe the results of a preliminary clinical survey of a group of 220 health workers, physicians and 151 nursing and auxiliary staff members of a large regional hospital in Lombardia, who are exposed to volatile anaesthetics. Contact dermatitis, varices of the legs and arthrosis, particularly that of the cervical and lumbar tract, are the most frequently reported disease in our population. In 75% of cases these disturbances arose after the beginning of the job working in the operating-theatres. When compared with a control group there was a statistically significant difference for contact dermatitis (p less than 0.01) and cervical tract arthrosis (p less than 0.02). The statistical comparison among the subjects exposed to the anaesthetics gases, who were stratified on the basis of the level of exposure and of seniority, confirms a higher prevalence of symptoms due to a reduction of alertness and of psychological and psychomotorial performances in the more exposed personnel. The comparison between female staff exposed and not-exposed to the gases did not show an increase of abortivity, while a statistically significant difference was evident between the female staff (either exposed or not-exposed) and the wives of male workers not exposed to the anaesthetics gases.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Medicina del lavoro, Ospedali Riuniti di Bergamo.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mosconi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Belotti
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Leghissa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Seghizzi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Morelli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Maccarana
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000777:Anesthetics / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D009872:Operating Room Technicians; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000139:chemically induced
chemical_list: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D000777:Anesthetics
vernacular_title: Indagine clinico-anamnestica in operatori sanitari professionalmente esposti ad anestetici volatili.