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With the use of a one-stage method we have carried out hygienic studies of the air of work area of the production of continuous glass fiber. There was revealed the emission of epichlorohydrin, formaldehyde, ethane acid, hydrochloride, spray of mineral petroleum oil, fine glass fiber dust in air of the work area. There was established the combined effect of hazardous substances of unidirectional action with the summation effect on the body. Hazardous substances containing in glass fiber sizers in combination with dust of glass fiber against the background of microtraumatization of the hand skin contribute to the development of occupational skin neoplasms. The studies became the basis of the development of preventive measures aimed at the reduction of risks of the impact of the chemical factor impact on workers.

There are considered features of disorders of the immune response in chronic exposure to dust aerosols. The detected changes of indices of the immune status of employees of the dust dangerous occupations and patients with chronic dust pathology of the lungs were unidirectional in the character, which is probably caused by manifestations of nonspecific response of the immune system to the dust factor. The deterioration of cellular immunity, humoral immunity and cytokine profile predisposes to the occurrence of immunopathologic states, contributing to the development of caused by both worksite and occupation pathology.

There was made an evaluation of the functional state of peripheral blood neutrophils in 230 workers with dustbreathing risks (mine, metallurgical and machine-building works). There was noted the change in the responsiveness of neutrophils in dependence on both composition and the intensity of the exposure of industrial aerosols to the human body. There was followed the relation between the pathology of the respiratory system with the biochemical changes of granulocytes. These data can be used for the assessment of the nonspecific body resistance in the development of dust lung diseases.

There are reported changes in the indices of the immunoreactivity of the body in employees in modern productions of sulphate cellulose in dependence on the specificity of exposing factors of the production environment. At that the main adverse factor affecting the state of the immune reactivity of workers was found to be is air pollution of the working area with methyl-sulfur compounds in the pulping process, with chlorine and chlorine dioxide--in the process of bleaching, lime and limestone dust--in the process of caustic regeneration. There were shown differences in the character and severity of the immune response to the impact of different chemical compounds. The exertion of protective immune mechanisms is most pronounced in workers employed in the process of boiling and bleaching, in whom there were revealed significant changes in humoral compartment of immunity (pronounced inhibition of the IgA synthesis, which plays an important role in the state of broncho-pulmonary immunity). At the same time, the inhibition of the functional activity of phagocytic neutrophils was the most significant in workers who was experienced to the exposure to lime and limestone dust, testifying about the depression of nonspecific mechanisms of anti-infectious protection. The revealed changes in the immune system are the basis for the formation in workers certain health disorders, mainly with broncho-pulmonary pathology.

As millions of people worldwide are expoed to inorganic lead, both in the workplace and in general environment, its potential carcinogenicity is an important health problem. Although lead has been shown to be carcinogenic in laboratory animals, epidemiological studies have been inconclusive, and the relationship between lead and human cancer is still unclear. There were several limitations that complicated the analysis and evaluation of the carcinogenic potential of lead compounds. In particular, many of the cohort studies of lead and cancer, mostly among heavily lead-exposed workers, have been limited by a failure to identify and control for covariates, especially co-exposures to other metals such as arsenic, cadmium, and chromium, which have been shown to be carcinogenic. Most of the epidemiological studies unfortunately do not have data on dose-response. The scientific merit of our study is the virtual absence of confounding by other known carcinogens. Another advantage of our study is the presence of three occupational sub-cohorts with different levels and routes of lead exposure. Most previous studies have data on dose-response provided only by comparisons of exposed to unexposed persons. In summary, the results of this cohort study suggest that occupational exposure to lead may increase the risk of cancers of the pancreas, kidney and rectum. In conclusion, despite several limitations, the results of our study add to the evidence that carcinogenicity to humans may be an additional adverse health effect of lead.

In the article there are presented the results of the evaluation of cytokine profile in males working in the production of vinyl chloride (trained workers without signs of disorders of the neuropsychic status and persons with early signs of neurointoxication with vinyl chloride, characterized by asthenic (emotional lability) disorder with the autonomic dysfunction). There are established differences of pro- and anti-inflammatory responses in workers in dependence on the severity of disorders of the neuropsychic status. The most pronounced imbalance of cytokines was in workers with initial manifestations of neurointoxication with vinyl chloride. The increase in the concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-8, TNF-α) in trained employees without signs of disorders of the neuropsychic status is the one of the early and sensitive indices characterizing the formation ofthe body's resistance to exposure of adverse factors of production.

In the paper there are reported the results of the performance of hygiene assessment of working conditions in petrochemical industry. The studies have shown that workers' body is exposed to a complex of hazardous occupational factors including a chemical factor, noise, the severity and intensity of the working process. An overall assessment of working conditions corresponds to Class 3.3.

There are presented the results of hygienic researches of the harmful substances content in the air of the working area ofthe copper and nickel metallurgy. Sulfur-containing gases (primarily sulfur dioxide), to the effects of which there are exposed workers of drying, smelting, converter conversion, are shown to play a leading role among professional factors.

There was performed a comparative analysis of the parameters of humoral immunity factors and topical immunity of 3000 workers of metallurgical enterprises exposed to effects of industrial mixts of different composition. Under exposure to aerosols with weak fibrogenic action there is observed simultaneous decrease of the number T-cytotoxic lymphocytes, and the increase of the number of T-helper cells, as under the influence of aerosols of complex composition (contains compounds with fibrogenc action--Silicon and irritants--nitrogen dioxide, sulfur there are formed signs of hyperergic immune response with the activation of humoral compartment, T-helper cells, and the inhibition of cytotoxic lymphocytes. Aerosols with fibrogenic action have the most pronounced suppressive effect on topical immunity

Assessment of the occupational chemical risk of new industries and the development of measures for its mitigation is a priority task to ensure chemical safety in Russia. There was performed the assessment of the chemical risk in the manufacture of new types of refractories--periclase-carbon refractories, using organic binder) on the base of data of hygiene studies, indices of morbidity rates in workers and also of the investigation of the impact of such refractory dust on laboratory animals (intratracheal introduction). The main factors for chemical risk to the workers' health are magnesium oxide, volatile products of phenol-formaldehyde resins, silicon-containing dust, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and in the use of a binder "Carbores"--benzo (a) pyrene and pitch cokes of the carbon dust. In employees of such industry there is recorded the elevated morbidity rate of diseases of upper respiratory rates. Dust of this type has on the body of animals general toxic and mild fibrogenic effect. According to the results of the assessment of the chemical risk measures have been developed for its mitigation in the workplace.

There was made the characterization of the health risk for workers' of pulp and paper industry, under the simultaneous effects of chemicals in the residential and working area. The main adverse effect of chemicals that pollute the air and work environment is related with the impact on the respiratory system. Under the successive exposure (ambient air--air in the workplace) in the adult population working at the Arkhangelsk Pulp and Paper Mill, the risk of occurrence of respiratory diseases (HI = 18.5) and individual carcinogenic risk (CR = 9.7 x 10(-3)) have been rated as high and constitute 86-99% of the total risk.

Hygienic assessment of working conditions at the chemical productions of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and epichlorohydrin (EPCH) in East Siberia has shown that the employees are exposed to the chlororganic hydrocarbons of hazard category 1-2, out of them there were found to be more toxical pollutants such as vinyl chloride, 1.2-dicloroethane in the production of polyvinyl chloride; allyl chloride and epichlorohydrin in the production of epichlorohydrin. Multistageness of the technological processes, the absence of the isolation of main stages of the technological processes as well as the heating microclimate contribute to the chemical pollution of the air environment. In spite of the significant improvement of the hygienic situation at the productions mentioned in the recent 10 years according to the chemical factor due to the introduction of the complex of curative measures, the working conditions of the employees still belonged to the harmful category. According to the content of the harmful chemical substances in the air of the working zone and the parameters of microclimate, the working conditions of the employees working at the production of epichlorohydrin and in the shop of vinyl chloride production must be qualified as the harmful ones of the first category of the hazard and danger (Class 3.1), in the production shop for PVC- as the harmful ones which correspond to the second category of the hazard and danger (Class 3.2).

Indices of pulmonary ventilation function in employees at the tantalum plant tended to decrease according to the length of service and type of performed technological operations. Physiological changes of the functional State of the respiratory system were accompanied by pulmonary ventilation disorders of mixed and obstructive types. Changes in indices of respiratory function at the level of distal and proximal airways, including the bronchial tree, wore compensatory-adaptive character in response to the exposure of harmful factors of dust-gas mixture from the tantalum production.

The results of theoretical analysis and generalizations of long-term works of the author on the physiological-hygienic and clinical studies of the body in the adult population, exposed to influence of extremely pronounced environmental factors and conditions of employment are reported. The result of generalization - the theory of adaptive adjustment of the organism in extreme conditions - is presented as a system of postulates. The features of disease as a manifestations of the phenomenon of the side effects of adaptive adjustment of the organism are considered.

Theme: Factors of the industrial environment and labor activity of workers of manufacture propellants and solvents at the oil refining enterprise., Object of Research: Working conditions of workers at all installations of manufacture No 1 JSC "Naftan" of Novopolotsk of Byelorussia (production of fuels and solvents)., The Aim: Hygienic evaluation of working conditions of persons working in the production of fuels and solvents at the oil refinery., Methods: Sanitary description of the production with hygienic analysis of project design and technological documentation, qualitative and quantitative characteristics of conventional methods in the work environment and working process of employees in the workplace for the main modes of operation of the equipment., Theoretical and Experimental Results: The working environment of refineries is influenced by a number of simultaneously acting factors, which have different material nature and characteristics of the action on the human body, the workers in production of fuels and solvents at the refinery, are exposed to a variety of hazardous and dangerous factors of production, a chemical factor is prevalent, of course.

The working conditions during electrolytic nickel refinery correspond to Class 3, Grade 3-4, which may give rise to health problems in workers of all occupations employed in this production. Their risk and prevalence are significantly higher in the most exposed occupational group, such as electrolysis workers (40.1% of all cases). The structure of occupational diseases is dominated by respiratory diseases (68.8%), mainly due to exposure to aerosols of nickel compounds. It is concluded that working conditions and medical prevention interventions should be improved for this group of workers.

The purpose of the investigation was to comprehensively assess working conditions and their impact on the health of female workers engaged in the manufacture of present-day paper wallpaper. A complex of sanitary-and-hygienic, clinical-and-physiological, sociomedical, and statistical studies was used to tackle the tasks set in the investigation. Stage 1 made a sanitary-and-hygienic assessment of industrial factors (microclimate, noise, vibration, the content of toxicants and dust) in the workplaces of female workers from the papering shops using an Elita rolling automatic machine. The following stage analyzed morbidity among the workers and identified a number of functional parameters. A combination of poor factors characterizing their parameters and exceeding the sanitary standards influenced on the workers engaged in the manufacture of paper wallpaper. The leading harmful industrial factors are heating microclimate, production noise, and the working air level of harmful chemical substances in the working air. The production process under such microclimatic conditions causes the body's thermal changes characterized by the senses of total warm discomfort and the tension of thermoregulatory mechanisms, as confirmed by weighed mean skin temperature studies and decreased working capacity. The working conditions in the manufacture of wallpaper products are shown to result in an increase in female morbidity.

The high incidence of chronic digestive diseases is recorded in chemical industry workers exposed to the isolated action of noxious substances. The aim of the investigation was to make a hygienic assessment of the risk for occupational digestive diseases in chemical industry workers exposed to a combination of noxious drugs. The working conditions and the prevalence of digestive diseases were studied in 4120 workers engaged in chemical and auxiliary processes. Under the isolated action of noxious substances, the workers had an average of 35% increase in the incidence of digestive diseases than unexposed ones (p < 0.05). Under the combined action of hazardous substances, the incidence of digestive diseases was 1.7-fold greater (p < 0.05) than in the unexposed subjects and 1.2-fold greater in those under isolated action. The odd ratio and relative risk for digestive diseases in the workers exposed to a combination of noxious substances were 4.0-11.1 and 3.5-10.7 times higher, respectively (p < 0.05) than in the unexposed subjects.

The paper assesses a dust factor and establishes its etiological proportion in the development of respiratory diseases in workers from mining enterprises in different regions of Russia. Service-length groups at risk for upper tract diseases, criteria for early diagnosis, and a risk for occupational respiratory tract diseases were identified in miners. Trends in humoral factors of immunity were revealed in the workers without bronchopulmonary abnormalities. The efficiency of a scientifically grounded management system for an occupational risk of respiratory tract diseases was evaluated in miners.

One hundred and fifty fire liquidators, including 68 persons with consequences of acute intoxication with a complex of toxic substances, were examined over time. The development of occupational nervous system injuries was shown to be followed by systemic immunological disorders. Following 8 years, the patients with occupational neurointoxication were found to have impaired processes of lymphocytic activation (higher lymphocytes expressing CD25 and CD95) in the presence of significant immunosuppression. There was evidence for the involvement of autoimmune reactions in the formation of an immune response to a complex of toxic substances, as suggested by the high level of autoantibodies to nervous tissue antigens and dDNA. In addition to impaired immunoregulation, the established association between HLA antigens and the development of a disease also plays an important role in the development of toxic encephalopathy.

The hair levels of chemical elements (Al, As, Be, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, I, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Se, Si, Sn, V, and Zn) were studied in Orenburg heat and power plant workers. The specific features of the elemental composition of biosubstrates were revealed in relation to the physical and chemical exposures of the workers to industrial factors. The peculiarities of element-to-element relations were established in man under different working conditions.

Comprehensive hygienic studies conducted at the Pervouralsk plant of refractory materials at the section of spinel periclasocarbonated refractory materials in the workshops for preparing and pressing refractory mass have shown that silicon-containing dust that is a mixture of various chemicals entering the air of a working area. In the refractory mass preparation workshop, the concentrations of a number of substances, such as magnesium oxide, phenol, formaldehyde, exceed their maximum allowable levels. In the pressing workshop, the workers are exposed to high noise levels. The working process in the study workshops is considered to be rough labor.

Microbiocenoses were qualitatively and quantitatively determined; the cytomorphological parameters of the upper respiratory tract mucosae were studied, and the concentrations of SIgA were measured in the saliva of firemen. In the latter, nonspecific infection resistance was found to diminish due to the influence of poor occupational factors. A strong correlation was found between the influencing factors and the development of upper airway diseases; the latter were greatly affected by occupational factors.

Numerous epidemiological surveys show the ambiguity of evaluation of stable organic chlorine compounds as a risk factor for breast cancer (BC). This is likely to be, to a certain degree, associated with the specific features of performance of epidemiological surveys. The selection of cases of BC from different areas has provided groups with different levels of exposure that as judged from the content of the above substances in the biological environments. Only few epidemiological surveys have been made in the world to assess stable organic pollutants (SOP) as risk factors of BC mainly in occupational groups. In the local areas highly polluted with dioxins, there is evidence for their role as a risk factor of BS only for women living in Sevezo. These findings are in agreement with the results of the surveys made in Chapayevsk. The analytical epidemiological study using a case-control approach has revealed the significance of biological (BC in relatives, childlessness), occupational (women's work at CVZH) and environmental (pollution, the more frequent ingestion of local pork and fish than in the control group) risk factors of BC. In the 1950-1960s, the largest Russian enterprises of chlorine chemistry worked most actively not only in Chapayevsk, but also in towns with plants of chlorine industry, such as Dzerzhinsk, Novomoskovsk, Sayansk, Usolye-Sibirskoye, and others. Ecological and epidemiological studies should be organized in these towns in order to define the value of SOP as a risk factor of BC for general populational groups.

The atmospheric environment in the town of Solikamsk was estimated by the daily measurements of 9 compounds at 6 stations of the Russian Committee of Hydrometereology during a year. The health status of the children under 14 years was evaluated by the rate of referrals for emergency health care. The results of stimulation of the impacts of short-term variations in the magnitude of ambient air pollution on the rate of referrals suggest that there is a rather clear correlation of the rate of referrals with gradient of the air concentrations of pollutants rather than with the absolute values. The indicators of direct toxic effects on respiratory organs are H2S, Cl, SO2, HCl and those on the skin are formaldehyde, SO2, HCl.

The paper gives a sanitary characterization of working conditions in closed soil vegetable growing, a branch of agriculture. These conditions are one of the factors predisposing to occupational disease in agricultural workers. Studies in this area may evaluate the risk of occupational diseases.

The effects of a complex of ambient air pollutants in the mining- and metallurgy-industry areas on the development of the generation F1 were studied in the experiments on albino rats. The complex of adverse chemical agents of the ambient air was found to exert a pronounced embryotoxic effects on the postnatal development of the generation F1, as manifested by a reduction in the measures of viability, lower size, impairments in the status and physiological development of the central nervous system, in the mechanism of formation of conditioned reflexes, and by the predominance of excitement over inhibition.

The influence of unfavourable factors of the industrial environment on electrolyte balance in the red blood cells and plasma of workers engaged in petroleum-refining industry was studied. All examinees were divided into 3 groups in terms of the exposure to chemical pollutants: 1) workers unexposed to chemical pollutants; 2) those exposed to them 2-3 times a week; 3) those exposed constantly during their work for 3-5 years. A control group included individuals who were not engaged in chemical industry. Groups 2 and 3 showed decreases in the levels of K, Mg, and Ca and increases in the concentrations of Na and P in the red blood cells and in those of K, Mg, and P in the plasma while plasma Na and Ca reduced.

A hygienic assessment of the working conditions and health of the workers engaged in the manufacture of pyromellitic dianhydride is given. A survey of 135 workers has shown changes in blood and urinary chemiluminescence in some of them.

Natural alloy ores contribute to specific pollution of the industrial environment in the blast-furnace department. The latter is characterized by elevated humidity and SO2, the higher incidence of blood circulatory disorders among the workers.

Experiments were conducted on 80 noninbred female rats. Inhalation exposures of the experimental animals to polysulfide of natural gas and condensate was daily made for 4 hours 5 times a week for 20 days. The mean concentration of chemical components was 2.38 +/- 0.125 mg/m3 as calculated for hydrogen sulfide. The findings indicate that this substance has an adverse effect on reproductive function.

Workers contacting with chemicals (pseudocoumole, durole, dioxane-1,4,pyromellitic dianhydride, etc.) underwent biochemical studies which showed that the blood levels of adenosine triphosphoric acid, potassium, magnesium, calcium were decreased in the workers, but those of adenosine diphosphoric acid, adenosine monophoric acid, sodium, phosphorus and other agents were increased.

The study of women exposed to methyl methacrylate (MMA) in the workplace revealed the increased incidence of spontaneous abortions (SA). When women contacted with MMA at the MAC levels, the incidence of SA did not exceed the control levels, but the newborns were recorded to have congenital malformations, cases of hypoxia, signs of prematurity, hypotrophy, which necessitates to make stricter specifications for MAC in the workplace air and/or to lead women of childbearing age from the enterprises manufacturing MMA- and its based acrylic plastic.

Morphologic study of lung specimens obtained during diagnostic thoractomy in 6 workers engaged in smelting brass-bronze alloys showed changes typical of exogenous fibrosing alveolitis, namely, terminal bronchiolitis with pseudopolypous growth in the submucous layer, vasculitis (predominantly arteritis) paralleled by secondary recalibration of vessels, arteriolar and venular shunting, and microcirculatory disorders.

Occupational exposure to vapours, gases and aerosols promotes increase of renal diseases incidence. Wider use of anamnestic data is recommended during preliminary and regular check-ups of this population.

The main occupational hazards in hydrolysis yeast industry of Uzbekistan are protein dust, fungi producers, adverse physical factors. Morbidity of factory workers is higher than in control group (office employees). Infectious diseases of upper respiratory tract, influenza, bronchitis, broncho-tracheitis are prevalent in this factory.

Frequency of staphylococcus carriership in upper respiratory route mucosa of workers engaged in gas industry depends on intensity and duration of occupational contact with chemical pollutants of the working environment.