LIVER-FUNCTION TESTS AND URINARY ALBUMIN IN-HOUSE PAINTERS WITH PREVIOUS HEAVY EXPOSURE TO ORGANIC-SOLVENTS

The serum activities or concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase ( ASAT), alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), al bumin, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), bilirubin (BIL), cholic ac id (CHOL), chenodeoxycholic acid (CHENO), and transferrin with isoelec tric point 5.7, and the urinary excretion of albumin were determined a mong male current or former house painters (n = 135) and house carpent ers (n = 71) who had worked in their trades for at least 10 years befo re 1970. Workers who showed a value above the 90th percentile among th e carpenters in at least one of the tests ASAT, ALAT, GGT, BIL, CHOL, or CHENO were regarded as showing ''possible signs of liver dysfunctio n''. Each participant's Lifetime Solvent exposure was evaluated by int erview. The painters were divided into categories with low, intermedia te, and heavy cumulative exposure during life (LTSE) or during the mos t exposed year (MEYSE). Ah participants stated none or slight recent e xposure. The prevalence of possible signs of liver dysfunction increas ed with solvent exposure category according to LTSE as well as MEYSE w ith a numerically higher risk estimate in the heavy exposure category for MEYSE than for LTSE. ALP activity increased with exposure category according to both exposure estimates. This increase seemed to be due to an interaction between exposure to solvents and current or previous long term intake of medicines potentially toxic to the liver. None of these results was affected by whether or not the subjects had been ex posed to solvents during the year before the investigation. The exposu re to solvents was not significantly related to any other outcome vari able. It is concluded that long term heavy exposure to solvents may el icit changes in conventional liver function tests indicative of a mild chronic effect on the liver. The findings also suggest that heavy sol vent exposure during shorter time periods is a more likely cause of th e findings than lifetime cumulative solvent exposure and that an inter action between solvent exposure and medicines potentially harmful to t he liver may be important in the causation of the effects.