Health implication of occupational exposures to hydrogen sulfide.
A five-year retrospective study of workers exposed to hydrogen sulfide in Alberta, Canada, was conducted, using the records of 250 workers who submitted claims to the provincial compensation board from 1979 through 1983. Fifty-four percent of the exposed workers became unconscious after exposure. Signs and symptoms with a neurological component accounted for the largest group of clinical findings. Respiratory and ophthalmologic effects were the other major groups of signs and symptoms. The overall fatality rate was 2.8%, significantly lower than that reported (6.0%) in a similar study a decade earlier. This is attributed to improved first-aid training and increased awareness of the dangers of hydrogen sulfide. Traumatic injury as a result of a fall after exposure was noted in 31 cases.
Arnold
I M
IM
Dufresne
R M
RM
Alleyne
B C
BC
Stuart
P J
PJ
D000416:Alberta; D003231:Conjunctivitis / Q000139:chemically induced; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000139:chemically induced; D005392:First Aid; D006801:Humans; D006862:Hydrogen Sulfide / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*; D010578:Petroleum / Q000009:adverse effects; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014474:Unconsciousness / Q000139:chemically induced*; D014942:Workers' Compensation
D010578:Petroleum; D006862:Hydrogen Sulfide