Introduction: Painters are among the highly and chronically exposed occupational groups either in industrial or commercial field. The health effects of organic solvents have been known for more than a century either from occupational exposure or from organic solvent abuse. Long term heavy solvent exposure is hazardous to the nervous system, hepatic, renal, blood and other body systems. Aim of the study: to assess the different health hazards encountered in the painting industry with special reference to the effects of organic solvents and toluene as the major solvents used and to assess the effectiveness of urinary orthocresol as a biological indicator of exposure. Subjects and Methods: The studied population comprised 68 individuals divided into exposed and control groups. The workers were all males with age ranging from 31 to 55 years with a mean value of (40.74 ±1.63). The duration of exposure ranged from 9 to 30 years. The age of the control group ranged from 30-58 years with a mean of (48.33+1.85). All workers were interviewed with a detailed questionnaire about presence of neuropsychological, respiratory, renal, hepatic and hematological symptoms. Detailed personal, medical and occupational history were included. Thorough physical examination was done. Complete blood picture, liver function tests, kidney function tests, serum electrolytes, ventilatory function tests , urinary o-cresol level and urine analysis were also done. Results: Liver function tests showed no statistically significant difference between the exposed workers and the control groups. In correlation with duration of exposure statistically significant difference was found between exposed workers as regards SGPT level. Complete blood picture results showed normal levels with no difference between exposed and controls; but some parameters decreased with increased duration of exposure. Urinary o-cresol level showed a statistically significant difference between exposed workers and control group (p-value 0.000). Ventilatory functions of the studied groups showed that exposed workers had lower values of all parameters measured. Conclusion: The results strengthen the relationship between the different health hazards encountered in painting industry and the duration of exposure. Hematological, immunological and cardiovascular effects are further suggested and should be tested thoroughly in future studies.

Abstract:INTRODUCTION: Suicide represents an important public health concern in many developed and developing countries. Suicide has become one of the most common causes of death among the young and adolescent population. It represents a crucial issue that society should make every possible effort to solve. AIM OF THE WORK: To provide an overview about the incidence of suicidal attempts among a representative sample of children and adolescents attending NECTR. METHODOLOGY: During a period of 6 months, 2350 suicidal attempts were reported to the National Egyptian Center of Toxicological and Environmental Research (NECTR), 457 (19.4%) of whom were children and adolescents. The patient's gender, clinical state, the type and amount of the toxic substance used, management, outcome and the associated psychosocial factors were evaluated. RESULTS: Suicidal attempts were more common in females, the commonest age was from 15 to 18 years old. The majority of patients were from Giza governorate, the commonest types of poisons used were pesticides owing to their easy availability and lower price. Causes were quarrel within the family, bad treatment at work, failure in love, and psychic troubles. Most of the cases were admitted to the centre, they received appropriate treatment according to their condition and most of them improved. CONCLUSIONS: Early diagnosis, treatment and prevention are crucial in reducing the burden of poisoning-related injury in any country. Societies, families, and the medical community should also make every possible effort to face this serious problem, which has an important social and economical cost. The present data may not give an exact picture of the incidence of poisoning in Egypt, but represent a trend in our country. The poison information centers play a vital role in providing information, highlighting the factors behind such attempts and provide statistical analysis for proper assessment and intervention.

Introduction: Cadmium is a cumulative multisystem metallic toxin widely used in industry causing occupational exposure, while the main source of cadmium in the general population is diet and smoking. Aim of the work: To demonstrate the hazardous effects of long-term occupational exposure to cadmium as a multisystem metallic toxin. Subjects and methods: The study included 42 male workers exposed to cadmium from the electroplating sections of one factory, with a mean age of (41.19 ± 1.44) years and 30 control subjects with a mean age of (48.33 ± 1.85) years. The two groups were matched as regards age, sex and socioeconomic status. Individuals included in the present study had to respond to a questionnaire and were subjected to thorough clinical examination, assessment of liver and kidney functions, serum electrolytes, blood cadmium level-as an exposure biomarker-complete urine analysis, ventilatory functions and prostate specific antigen as an early predictor of prostatic cancer. Results: The prevalence of clinical manifestations was significantly higher among the exposed versus the control group. The blood cadmium and the PSA levels were found to be higher among the exposed group. Ventilatory functions showed statistically significant difference between both groups indicating an obstructive pattern due to inhalation of cadmium fumes. Also, there was a statistically significant difference between both groups regarding levels of blood urea, serum creatinine and some serum electrolytes. Urine analysis showed higher protein excretion in the exposed group. Conclusion: Chronic occupational cadmium exposure in egyptian workers causes damage to different body systems and results in their dysfunction. Prostate specific antigen (PSA) can be used for screening of prostate cancer among cadmium-exposed workers.