[Work-related disease].
Work-related health complaints occur frequently. Occupational health departments and primary and secondary care physicians are confronted with these patients. Awareness of work-related disease is crucial. Three case histories with work-related diseases are described. The first concerned a 39-year-old woman who showed acute neurotoxicity due to inhalation of formaldehyde and methanol after opening a coffin with an embalmed corpse. Within weeks the symptoms diminished and complete recovery occurred within nine months. The second was a 61-year-old carpenter who experienced acute and chronic pulmonary and neurotoxic effects after exposure to organic solvents during ground and carpenter's work on a terrain of a former gas plant. He developed severe chronic toxic encephalopathy. The last patient was a 61-year-old man who developed acute and chronic manganese toxicity leading to inability to work while employed at a brick factory where manganese was used to colour the bricks. The acute effects subsided, but chronic neuropsychological symptoms remained.
Verschoor
Louis
L
Ziekenhuis Rijnstate, Expertise Centre Environmental Medicine, Arnhem.
Verschoor
Atie H
AH
D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005557:Formaldehyde / Q000506:poisoning; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020149:Manganese Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D020258:Neurotoxicity Syndromes / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012997:Solvents / Q000506:poisoning*
D012997:Solvents; D005557:Formaldehyde