TERATOGENESIS CAUSED BY INDUSTRIAL ORGANI C-SOLVENT OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE

Objective. To inform of a new teratogenic syndrome in human beings and its confirmation in rats. Material and Methods. The study comprised t hree phases: a field study; a case-control study; and a genetic epidem iology study, aiming at identifying the causes of the occurrence of co ngenital malformations and psychomotor retardation in the city of Mata moros, Tamaulipas. The second-phase clinical multidisciplinary study w as carried out at a general hospital, to conduct a comprehensive evalu ation of patients identified during the first phase and offer them the necessary treatment. The third-phase experimental study was done in r ats in order to confirm the teratogenic effect of the agents detected in the first phase. Results. A total of 44 patients had a peculiar phe notype and mental retardation of varying degrees, all children of ex-w orkers of the same factory who were in direct contact, without protect ion, with organic solvents (methyl cellosolve and ethylene glycol). In the clinical study a syndrome was delineated, previously unreported, consisting of a peculiar facies, mental retardation, and musculo-skele tal and sensorial abnormalities. In the experimental study it was demo nstrated that both methyl cellosolve and ethylene glycol cause cranio- facial, musculo-skeletal and central nervous system abnormalities, whi ch confirmed the teratogenic effect of these solvents. Conclusions. Th e results of this study establish the existence of a new teratogenic s yndrome in humans, produced by methyl cellosolve and ethylene glycol, whose teratogenic capacity had not been reported previously.