BENEFITS OF USING THE INFORMATION OF THE POSTER AND DATA ON THE GOOGLE DRIVE
Doctors, including industrial and primary care doctors, pharmacists, nurse practitioners and other nurse professionals, litigation lawyers and even industrial hygienists & chemical engineers, and others dealing with worker health, are very busy people dealing with their day-to-day jobs; so, I have summarized all that they need to know about each of the 257 chemicals including the OSHA-regulated chemicals in my Specific Medical Tests Poster, by providing Medical information, Biological and Monitoring information, even Sampling and Analytical Methods to be used by an industrial hygienist, to determine what their worker, or patient, uses in the manufacturing or pharmaceutical facility or uses the chemical for making other chemicals like detergents, pesticides, herbicides, etc. The information from the 257 Files will be the only one that they will need, if I can call it their “Worker Bible” or “Patient Bible,” as I have done all the preliminary work and fortunately, they are reaping the results.
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In order to better understand why you need to buy the Access Data on my Google Drive, included on the website are three files that give an essence of what type of information is provided in each of the 257 files of the Google Drive.
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The first File, o-Toluidine is a Methemoglobin producer and may cause Methemoglobinemia among workers, with continuous exposure to o-Toluidine. (File # 234).
A second File is on Carbaryl which is an anticholinesterase agent that inhibits the action of Cholinesterase in the body of the worker. If the amount of Cholinesterase goes below 40%, the worker is to be removed from further exposure, until the level of Cholinesterase comes back up to 70 %. (File # 37).
A third File is on Trichloroethylene which is an extraction solvent for fats and oils, a metal degreaser; a fumigant, in dry-cleaning. Various researchers have provided information as to how important it is to sample the blood, tissue or urine of the worker at a specific time frame. (File # 236). This Chemical has been described in greater detail in the Section below entitled: “Other Examples of Workers Exposed to Specific Chemical Substances”.
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These three examples are also provided in the Membership Section.
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Other Examples of Workers Exposed to Specific Chemical Substances
It has been common practice to test workers for the presence of chemicals in the urine of workers as many chemicals have been seen in the urine following urinalysis. However, there are cases when the urine sample has not shown the presence of the chemical that was expected to be seen and these will be discussed below.
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In the industrial sector, the urine sample is taken at different times from the worker from research conducted on such samples. Some samples are taken before the start of exposure to the chemical, some are taken at the end of the day and some at the end of the workweek.
Research has shown that, for some chemicals, even when a worker has been heavily exposed to a specific chemical, that particular chemical is not usually seen in the urine of the worker at the end of exposure for the day, or at the end of the workweek because the chemical gets metabolized as it goes through the body.
An example is provided herewith regarding the use of Benzene in the workplace. A Japanese doctor came to CDC/NIOSH with a query as to why he could not find Benzene in the urine of his workers though he knew fully well that they were exposed to Benzene. He was directed to see me so I could explain the situation to the Japanese doctor. I mentioned to the doctor that Benzene is converted to Phenol as it travels through the human body, and that the doctor must measure the amount of Phenol excreted by the worker. In addition, normally, humans excrete Phenol into the urine; so, a background level of Phenol of the worker is to be obtained by taking a urine sample before he starts his work using Benzene. Then, after the end of the shift, another urine sample is to be taken. It is also advisable to take a final sample at the end of the Workweek from the worker to get the total amount of Benzene that the worker has been exposed to, during that week, including the amount of Phenol excreted by the worker. The industrial hygienist will calculate the amount of Benzene that the worker has been exposed to, during that week, by considering the amount of Phenol that he excretes as the background level. In addition, the industrial hygienist will normally take an air sample of Benzene.
A second example is that of Trichloroethylene, a dry-cleaning solvent and which has multiple uses. CDC/NIOSH has designated this chemical to be a Potential Human Carcinogen from research conducted using multiple animals.
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Researchers have tested Trichloroethylene (TCE) using samples of blood, exhaled air, and urine samples. The best sample for this chemical and many other chemicals is the urine sample. TCE gets metabolized to Trichloroethanol and Trichloroacetic Acid. For the analysis, depending upon whether Hydrolysis is used during the analysis, the metabolites Trichloroethanol and Trichloroacetic Acid vary. Also, one researcher used 24-hour urine samples from the workers; he found that males excreted more Trichloroethanol than females in the first 24-hour period, and females excreted more Trichloroacetic Acid than males in the first 24-hour period. In addition, alcohol consumption during exposure decreased both amounts of the metabolites.
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If the electron-capture detector method is used as CDC/NIOSH has done, the Methyl Ester of Trichloroacetic acid is formed. This is normally the end product of many chlorinated hydrocarbons such as Chlorobenzene, Chloroform and many other chlorinated hydrocarbons that are used as insecticides. This method is now available in the Fifth Edition on the Webpage of CDC/NIOSH and is also in my File, Number 236 of the Access Data on Google Drive.
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A third example is of a different type where no chemicals were being used but the workers were having problems with tearing of the eyes, running nose and sneezing. In this case, meat packers were using Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film to fill the meat, weighing them and vacuum sealing the PVC film filled with the meat. The Intern Doctor who came from the Netherlands to NIOSH, conducted a survey of the workplace, gave the company appropriate information to appease the cough & sneeze, and the industrial hygienist sampled for Vinyl Chloride. Three weeks later, the company called and said that the symptoms were increasing. Since I am a biochemist, and have assisted in such surveys, the Intern Doctor asked me what could be happening to those workers as no Vinyl Chloride was seen by the industrial hygienist and no other chemical was being used by the workers.
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After listening to more details about the work environment, including the meat packing process, I mentioned to the Doctor that Polyvinyl chloride gets heated during the sealing process & perhaps may have released Hydrogen chloride gas and that the industrial hygienist should go back and check for Hydrogen Chloride gas and not Vinyl Chloride, for all the Vinyl Chloride would have been converted into Polyvinyl Chloride during the manufacturing process itself. I also recommended that the meat packers wear masks to cover the nose and mouth & use special goggles for their eyes, so the eyes will not tear, and perhaps wear a Face Shield to cover their entire face; I presumed that they were using appropriate Gloves and Protective Clothing during the packing and weighing process. In addition, I recommended that their industrial engineer should be involved in creating a Local Exhaust System close to & above the meat packing area, to capture the Hydrogen Chloride gas & keep it out of the meat workers’ workspace.
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A non-work-related example, i.e., drinking coffee, is mentioned here. Researchers have found that the Caffeine in the Coffee gets converted to Theophylline and Theobromine when boiling water is used; this usually prevents heartburn. The same experience is seen with the drinking of tea, but it is milder than that seen due to coffee. Also, the addition of milk gives a cushioning effect in the prevention of heartburn.
These are just a few examples cited but they show that all chemicals do not behave in the same way and that they may be even formed during some industrial processes.
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Such data can be used by doctors, pharmacists, nurse professionals, scientists, researchers and others who are involved with workers, patients, etc. on a regular basis as such information is not available to them in any pamphlet or book. The doctor who sees a patient with a specific condition, e.g., a simple cough, should ask the patient where he works, what chemical(s) is he exposed to in his work, etc. so the doctor could prescribe the proper medication. The term ‘cough” has been used as an example for it could be work-related and even prescription medicine may not cure the constant cough. Perhaps some changes in his work habits or other work conditions should be changed, e.g., appropriate ventilation, use of exhaust fans or other conditions should be checked by the company's engineers and the company doctor. The primary care doctor should recommend that the patient see his company doctor but, at the same time, remain as his patient for routine check-ups.
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People who have seen previous editions of my Posters displayed in a Doctor’s office were also intrigued by the contents of the Poster and read the information. I have personally received calls from friends and colleagues for further information on some chemicals that someone in their family was exposed to. Manufacturers, including Pharmaceutical industry, also would take heed and change/modify their processes to produce safer chemicals once they read the full information from the Poster and from the Access Data Files on Google Drive.
Industrial hygienists, Chemical engineers, Pharmacists, and Litigation lawyers would also benefit from the Access Files on Google Drive as they may not be aware of the industrial environment that the patient or worker may be experiencing during their work. The survey by NIOSH conducted on the problems of the meat packers, and the hazardous chemical, Hydrogen Chloride gas formed as a result of the heating of the polyvinyl film, serves as an example.
I might mention that this type of data will not be obtained by Googling. That is why CDC/NIOSH recommends using precautionary measures such as using both personal protection and engineering controls to provide the workers a good, clean and safe place to work. Thus, with Appropriate Personal Protective Measures and Periodic Medical Surveillance of the workers, all this can be achieved.
The statement “Prevention is Better than Cure” is a true statement.
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I hope I have convinced you: doctors, pharmacists, scientists, litigation lawyers, and manufacturers, including the pharmaceutical industry, as to why you need to buy this product that I have put together. You will not have to Google for information from the various Books and Journals, for I have done all the preliminary work and you can use my files that are placed on this Website Access Data – the Google Drive that are for sale.
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If you have questions and would like to know more about this Project and the Poster thereof, please feel free to write to me as my email is provided in the "Sample" Poster as well as on this website.
If you request the Posters and the Files in both languages, it would be very helpful to you as I have “linked” each File in English into the corresponding File in Spanish using the Mexican Flag, and vice versa through the American Flag, along with an Alphabetical Index which is also “linked” to each File through the Host Flag. The information from both the English and Spanish Files would be useful to the doctors, company or manufacturer as there are many Spanish-speaking workers in the USA.
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Thank you. God bless you.
