[Trends of the biological monitoring measurements from 1991 to 1995].
Partial amendments to the Japanese Regulation on the Prevention of Lead Poisoning and that of Organic Solvent Poisoning were made in 1989. As a result, the measurement of blood lead and urinary delta-aminolevulinic acid (delta-ALA) became indispensable items of the occupational health examination for workers who handle lead. Also, the measurement of urinary metabolites of workers who handle eight kinds of organic solvents (xylene, N,N-dimethylformamide, styrene, tetrachloroethylene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, trichloroethylene, toluene, and normal-hexane) became mandatory. The results of the biological monitoring mentioned above are classified into one of three categories, that is, distribution 1, 2 and 3, according to the concentration of the determinants. In this paper, the incidence of distribution 1, 2 and 3 of each determinant is reported and its change from 1991 to 1995 is discussed. The incidence of distribution 3 was 0.1-5.0% in each determinant. Although the ratio of distribution 1, 2 and 3 seems to have been almost the same for 5 years some determinants decreased their percentage of distribution 3. It is important to utilize the biological monitoring results for the improvement of working environments and working styles, and health management.
Department of Environmental Health, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan.
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Kawamoto
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Ohara
D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid / Q000652:urine; D005559:Formamides / Q000032:analysis; D006626:Hippurates / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D006846:Hydrocarbons, Halogenated / Q000652:urine; D007564:Japan; D007854:Lead / Q000097:blood; D008333:Mandelic Acids / Q000652:urine; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000639:trends*; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011524:Protoporphyrins / Q000097:blood; D012997:Solvents / Q000506:poisoning
D005559:Formamides; D006626:Hippurates; D006846:Hydrocarbons, Halogenated; D008333:Mandelic Acids; D011524:Protoporphyrins; D012997:Solvents; D007854:Lead; D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid; C030514:hippuric acid