Malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the maxillary sinus in a spray painter from an automobile repair shop.
BACKGROUND
We report a case of a spray painter who developed malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) of the maxillary sinus following long-term exposure to chromium, nickel, and formaldehyde, implying that these agents are probable causal agents of MFH.


METHODS
The patient developed right-sided prosopalgia that began twenty months ago. The symptom persisted despite medical treatment. After two months, he was diagnosed with MFH through imaging studies, surgery, and pathological microscopic findings at a university hospital in Seoul. His social, medical, and family history was unremarkable.The patient had worked for about 18 years at an automobile repair shop as a spray painter. During this period, he had been exposed to various occupational agents, such as hexavalent chromium, nickel, and formaldehyde, without appropriate personal protective equipment. He painted 6 days a week and worked for about 8 hours a day.Investigation of the patient's work environment detected hexavalent chromium, chromate, nickel, and formaldehyde.


CONCLUSIONS
The study revealed that the patient had been exposed to hexavalent chromium, formaldehyde, and nickel compounds through sanding and spray painting. The association between paranasal cancer and exposure to the aforementioned occupational human carcinogens has been established. We suggest, in this case, the possibility that the paint spraying acted as a causal agent for paranasal cancer.
Seok-Hwan
SH
Choi
Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Busan Paik Hospital, Inje University, 75, Bokji-ro, Busanjin-gu, Busan, Korea. 30white@hanmail.net.
Se-Yeong
SY
Kim
Man-Ki
MK
Son
Hui-Seok
HS
Yang
Sun-Woo
SW
Lee
Jung-Il
JI
Kim
Kap-Yeol
KY
Jung