OCCUPATIONAL PORPHYRIA-CUTANEA-TARDA DUE TO EXPOSURE TO SYMMETRICAL TRIAZINE HERBICIDES

Here we report a case of porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) associated with chronic occupational exposure to symmetrical triazine herbicides (atr azine, simazine) in a 63-year-old male who had been working for more t han 30 years in a chemical factory. The history of this patient seems free from usual PCT-risk or predisposing factors, and until now his di seases has responded well to simple venesection, with a dramatic reduc tion of porphyrin excretion indices and a tendency to normalization of hepatic involvement. A short review of the literatures follows, and c hemical structures of symmetrical triazine molecules are compared with those of recognized porphyrogenic compounds. As the natural history o f chronic triazine herbicide intoxications has not yet been detailed, we add our case to the list of circumstantial evidence of PCT associat ed with various aromatic compound exposure.