title: Workers of the printing industry and hepatic damage.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Typesetting industry is still the primary instrument of communication, despite the development of new technological systems. This study focuses on the analysis of the hepatic effects induced by the use of some organic solvents employed in the printing industry.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied a group of 194 workers: 93 exposed and 101 not exposed. The level of the exposure to chemical pollutants were assessed through the environmental monitoring of blood concentrations and the analysis of airborne substances. The health survey was performed through the collection of the medical history and the use of hepatic tests, which were evaluated by calculating Mean, Standard Deviation, Student's t-test and X² test with Yates Correction, to investigate statistically significant differences in some hepatic parameters: AST, ALT, ALP, GGT, fractional and total bilirubin. The environmental data sometimes exceeded the TLV-TWA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The clinical evaluation of the hepatic parameters showed statistically significant differences as to the hematic concentrations of AST, ALT, GGT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results we obtained support the hypothesis of a risk among the printing industrial workers attributable to the hepatotoxic solvents. This risk seems to be related to the use of a mixture of solvents, although at low doses, and the analysis of the results obtained confirms the validity of the investigation for the health screening protocol adopted in order to identify subjects and/or population at risk of hepatotoxicity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Histology, Legal Medicine and Orthopedics, Unit of Occupational Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sancini
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Histology, Legal Medicine and Orthopedics, Unit of Occupational Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Caciari
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Histology, Legal Medicine and Orthopedics, Unit of Occupational Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chighine
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Histology, Legal Medicine and Orthopedics, Unit of Occupational Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Gioffrè
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Histology, Legal Medicine and Orthopedics, Unit of Occupational Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Andreozzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Histology, Legal Medicine and Orthopedics, Unit of Occupational Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sacchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Histology, Legal Medicine and Orthopedics, Unit of Occupational Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Giubilati
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatric and Psychological Science, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tomei
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Histology, Legal Medicine and Orthopedics, Unit of Occupational Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suppi
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Histology, Legal Medicine and Orthopedics, Unit of Occupational Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sacco
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Histology, Legal Medicine and Orthopedics, Unit of Occupational Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tomei
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Histology, Legal Medicine and Orthopedics, Unit of Occupational Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: M V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Rosati
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*; D011327:Printing; D012997:Solvents / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D012997:Solvents