Haematological effects among silk screening workers exposed to 2-ethoxy ethyl acetate

• Published in: Occupational and environmental medicine (London, England) Vol. 60; no. 9; p. e7
• Main Authors: Loh, C-H, Shih, T-S, Liou, S-H, Lin, Y-C, Hsieh, A-T, Chen, C-Y, Liao, G-D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 01.09.2003; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; BMJ Group
• Subjects: 2-EEA; 2-ethoxy ethyl acetate; Acetates - adverse effects; Air Pollutants, Occupational - adverse effects; Blood; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; EGE; Electronic Paper; environmental monitoring; Environmental Monitoring - methods; ethylene glycol ether; Female; Female employees; geometric mean; geometric standard deviation; GSD; haematological toxicity; Hematologic Diseases - blood; Hematologic Diseases - chemically induced; Hematology; Humans; Hydrocarbons; Infertility; Insect Proteins; Laboratories; Male; Males; MCH; MCHC; MCV; mean corpuscular haemoglobin; mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration; mean corpuscular volume; methyl isobutyl ketone; MIBK; Molecular weight; Occupational Diseases - blood; Occupational Diseases - chemically induced; Occupational exposure; Occupational Exposure - adverse effects; Occupational safety; PEL; permissible exposure limit; Raw materials; RBC; red blood cells; Silk; Solvents; Solvents - adverse effects; Studies; Teratogenesis; Textile Industry; Textiles; time weighted average; Toxicants; Toxicity; TWA; WBC; white blood cells; Workers; Taiwan
• ISSN: 1351-0711; 1470-7926
• DOI: 10.1136/oem.60.9.e7

Background: 2-Ethoxy ethyl acetate (2-EEA) is a solvent with broad industrial and commercial applications. It has been reported to cause hematological toxicity, infertility, and teratogenesis. Aims: To investigate the haematological effects in 2-EEA exposed workers. Methods: Workers from one silk screening shop (n = 29), using 2-EEA as the major cleaning and printing solvent, were recruited as a high exposure group. Workers with indirect and non-exposure to 2-EEA (n = 56) were recruited as the comparison group. Venous blood was collected for blood routine examination. Air concentration of 2-EEA in this plant was measured by eight hour personal sampling. Results: The geometric mean (GM) of air concentration of 2-EEA in the high exposure group was 7.41 ppm (range 1.35–16.5 pppm). The mean exposure of female workers (GM = 9.34 ppm) was significantly higher than that of male workers (GM = 4.87 ppm). The GM of air 2-EEA concentration in the comparison group was 0.07 ppm (range: non-detectable to 3.62 ppm, n = 26). The haemoglobin and haematocrit in the female high 2-EEA exposure workers were significantly lower than those of female workers in the comparison group. No difference was found between male 2-EEA high exposure and comparison group workers. The haemoglobin, haematocrit, and RBC count in the study population had a significant dose-response relation with air 2-EEA levels. Conclusion: Results suggest that 2-EEA is a haematological toxicant, which leads to anaemic status in high exposure female workers.