BASF studies: Epidemiological and clinical investigations on dioxin‐exposed chemical workers

Abstract

First in 1953 and again later in 1988, BASF Aktiengesellschaft, Ludwigshafen, Germany, faced production-related dioxin contamination problems. In both situations, the immediate actions were efforts to limit the potential for employee exposure. In 1953, after a reactor accident, the production of trichlorophenol was stopped and extensive clean-up and demolition work was undertaken. In 1988, major technical improvements were made to an extrusion blending process and the flame retardants were changed to substances that chemically should not be dioxin precursors. The health experience of the potentially exposed populations has been followed extensively in both situations. Five recent epidemiological investigations: a long-term mortality follow-up, a morbidity study, a clinical laboratory study, and a chromosome study of persons from the 1953 accident cohort, as well as immunological studies of employees assigned to the extrusion operations, are discussed. In addition, considerable dioxin biomonitoring data from blood lipids for both populations are summarized.

Spinal Extradural Metastasis: Review of Current Treatment Options

“…A second indirect source of information is workers exposed to herbicides in other settings, such as herbicide manufacturing workers, 39–43 herbicide applicators, 44 farmers, 45 lumberjacks, 46 and forest and soil conservationists, 47 who often had much higher serum dioxin levels than Vietnam veterans. Third, people exposed to dioxins after industrial accidents in Germany, 48 , 49 Seveso, Italy, 50 and California, 51 and after chronic exposures at work 52–54 and in the environment 55 have been studied. Each of these populations differs from the Vietnam veterans in demographic composition, the nature of the dioxin exposures, and other factors such as diet and concomitant chemical exposures.…”

Pulmonary Lesions in Female Harlan Sprague-Dawley Rats Following Two-Year Oral Treatment with Dioxin-Like Compounds

“…Pulmonary cancer risks were found to be increased in individuals exposed to TCDD during the 20-year period following the "Seveso Accident" at a chemical plant in Seveso, Italy in 1976 (Bertazzi et al, 2001;Pesatori et al, 2003). Also, increased pulmonary diseases and cancers were seen in several cohorts exposed either accidentally or occupationally to dioxins (Zober et al, 1994(Zober et al, , 1997(Zober et al, ,1998Fingerhut et al, 1991, Reggiani, 1980. Increased risk of pulmonary diseases and cancers were also seen in individuals from the "Yusho Accident" in Japan and/or "Yu-Cheng Accident" in Taiwan, that were exposed to rice oil contaminated by PCBs (ATSDR, 2000;Kikuchi, 1984;Nakanishi and Shigematsu, 1991).…”

Cytochrome P450 1A2 activity and incidence of thyroid disease and cancer after chronic or acute exposure to dioxins

“…Acute exposures to dioxins with TCDD concentrations 10 to 1000 times higher than the general population have been observed following industrial accidents, such as the one in Ludwigshafen (1953) or in Seveso (1976). Other well‐known examples are the voluntary massive herbicide dispersion by the US army during the Vietnam war (1961‐1971) and the poisoning of Viktor Yushchenko (2004) . Acute exposure of humans to TCDD has been associated with hepatotoxicity and dermatological effects (chloracne) .…”

“…Other well-known examples are the voluntary massive herbicide dispersion by the US army during the Vietnam war (1961)(1962)(1963)(1964)(1965)(1966)(1967)(1968)(1969)(1970)(1971) and the poisoning of Viktor Yushchenko (2004). [5][6][7][8] Acute exposure of humans to TCDD has been associated with hepatotoxicity and dermatological effects (chloracne). 8,9 Results from animal experiments and exposed population studies suggest that TCDD may also affect development and the immune and the reproductive systems, and may cause neurotoxicity and thyroid dysfunction.…”