Otorhinolaryngological assessment and psychological adjustment in tanning industry workers

The purpose of the study was to verify the presence of any symptoms and oto rhinolaryngological pathologies and to determine any discomfort and psychop hysical changes among workers in the tanning industry. The study involved 1 29 subjects working in tanning industries in the Chiampo valley (Veneto reg ion of Italy). Their clinical history was recorded and they underwent objec tive ENT examination and pure-tone audiometry. For the psychodiagnostic eva luation, four questionnaires were administered (EPI, STAI, ZUNG and GHQ). E NT assessment revealed no objective problems and findings were within the n ormal range in the majority of cases. Hearing function was also generally n ormal or within the normal range for an individual's age. Psychological eva luation revealed a valid psychological adjustment in almost all cases, desp ite the majority of workers reporting some subjective discomfort attached m ainly to the particularly unpleasant smell in a micro-climate with a high r ate of humidity. The findings of this preliminary investigation enable us t o claim that the working environment in the tanning industries is not sever ely harmful for the upper airways and hearing function. It is worth noting the normality of the workers' psychological adjustment, which indicates a v alid psycho-physical balance in these subjects who operate in an environmen t with unpleasant features.