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Manuel Santiago-Cabrera, MPH1, Rosa Pérez-Perdomo, MD, MPH, PhD1, Stephen M. Levin, MD2, and Shuying Jiang, MS2. (1) Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, Graduate School of Public Health, PO Box 365067, San Juan, PR 00936-5067, 787-767-4146, mansantiago@rcm.upr.edu, (2) Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029-6574
Objective: To estimate the prevalence of sub-clinical effects of mercury exposure among selected active and retired workers whose jobs entailed likely exposure to metallic mercury vapor in the electrical power plants in Puerto Rico.
Methods: Instrument shop workers, laboratory technicians, and operations workers were eligible for the assessment of sub-clinical effects of mercury absorption. A history of prior neurological illness and/or renal disease was obtained. A cutaneous vibration sensitivity assessment, administered by a trained technician utilizing a Vibratron II calibrated instrument, and laboratory testing (blood Hg and urinary β-2-microglobulin) were performed.
Results: Two hundred fifty-four men with a history of employment in jobs tasks entailing likely exposure to mercury vapor underwent evaluation for effects of mercury exposure. The mean vibration sensitivity threshold score among non-diabetic participants was 1.14 vibration units for the 165 exposed subjects and 0.96 vibration units for the 32 controls (p=0.04 by the Wilcoxon Two-Sample Test). Eleven percent of the urine β-2-microglobulin levels exceeded the upper limit of normal (154 µg/L), well above the expected 2.5% expected in the general population. A statistically significant relationship between elevated β-2-microglobulin levels and frank proteinuria was clearly demonstrated.
Conclusions: Evidence of sub-clinical neurological and renal dysfunction was detected among workers with a history of occupational exposure to mercury in power plants. Periodic monitoring for early evidence of renal dysfunction, with assays for urinary β-2-microglobulin and total urine protein levels, is warranted among these workers.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Occupational Health, Occupational Exposure
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Not Answered
The 134th Annual Meeting & Exposition (November 4-8, 2006) of APHA