Occupational poisoning in Slovakia in the years 1993–2012

Summary

Introduction:
The authors investigated whether the previous two decades changed the incidence and structure of occupational poisoning and the kind of evidence of the work at risk, whether the employees are increasingly exposed to deleterious effects of chemicals which might cause poisoning. The paper should stimulate improvement of the reported unfavorable condition.

Groups and method:
A retrospective analysis of occupational diseases in the SR listed in items 1–18 of the List of Occupational Diseases of SR for the years 1993–2012. Annual reports of UVZ SR Yearbook UZIŠ/NCZI SR served as the source. The paper provides a survey of available data about the works at risk for the category III to IV, correspond­ing to diseases in items 1–18 of the List of occupational diseases of SR for the years 1998–2012. Selected short case reports are present to indicate obstacles in the diagnosis.

Results:
In the twenty year period in the years 1993–2012, 507 cases of occupational poisoning were acknowledged, 121 of them cause by carbon monoxide, 98 cases of halogen hydrocarbons, 85 from the group of item 18 of the List of occupational diseases “The disease from chemical warfare agents or a disease from chemicals of the same action as the chemical warfare agents“, 71 poisoning with carbon disulfide, 71 poisoning of mostly long term character were caused by metals or their compounds, most of them due to lead or its compounds (49 cases). Diseases caused by benzene or its homologues occurred in 28 persons, poisoning with hydrogen sulfide in 14, diseases from nitro- and amino-compounds of benzene or its homologues were determined in 7 persons. The remaining 12 cases of poisoning with other chemicals were encountered in low numbers.

The highest occurrence of occupational poisoning cases was in 1996 (76 cases, predominantly with CO –54 cases) and in 2000 (67 cases, 32 of the in the item 18). The numbers of poisoning were decreasing significantly after 1996. In the years 2011-2012, only 7 cases of occupational poisoning were acknowledged in the item 1-18 annually. Cases of occupational poisoning in the SR in 2012 occupied the 8th position among all occupational diseases.

In 1998, 19,980 employees were registered to work at risk of chemical factors (category III and IV), of those 3,152 in category IV (15.8%). The numbers of workers at risk gradually decreased in the following years. In 2012, 5844 persons were at risk of a chemicals factor and only 146 of them (2.5%) were at the risk of category IV.

Conclusion:
In the decades under observation the decreasing numbers of persons exposed to chemical factors in the category III and IV was reflected in decreasing numbers of occupational poisoning. The Occupational Health service supervision of working environment and health state took its position it this trend covering 73.4% of workers doing work at risk of various kinds. On the other hand it should be pointed out that inadequate evidence of a part of jobs with work at risk especially in small business or craftsmen and other workers who are more often exposed to chemicals at work may have escaped to attention for not being under observation in preventive or follow-up check-ups related to work.

Keywords:
occupational poisoning – longitudinal analysis – chemicals – working environment – work category