Collection Occupational hygiene, Issue 25, 1989 year
Diseases of the digestive system in electric welders
E.P. Krasnyuk
doi
Kiev Research Institute of Occupational Hygiene and Occupational Diseases
When studying the influence of working conditions on the health of electric welders, the main attention is paid to the state of the respiratory, cardiovascular and nervous systems. At the same time, a complex of factors of the working environment can contribute to the development of diseases of other organs and systems, as well as aggravate the course of diseases that are not directly related to working conditions. Analysis of the medical examination data of more than 1,500 electric welders engaged in various types of welding of ferrous and non-ferrous metals (copper, aluminum, titanium), alloy steels, as well as the study of medical records held by the medical units of enterprises, showed that electric welders are often diagnosed with pathology of the digestive system (chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, chronic hepatitis and hepatocholecystitis).
The frequency of diseases of the digestive system among electric welders often reaches a high level. Diseases of the digestive canal, liver and biliary tract were detected in 37.3% ± 6.5% of workers engaged in cutting aluminum with carbon electrodes. The level of these diseases is also high among welders of low- and medium-alloyed steels, ferrous metals (35.7% ± 2.7% and 32.8% ± 4.7%, respectively) - In welders of other groups, the frequency of this pathology is 24.1— 29.1%, and only among workers engaged in welding titanium and copper (16.0% ± 2.5% and 19.0% ± 7.8%, respectively), did it not exceed the indicators of the control group (15.7% ± 2.6%).
An important link in the prevention of diseases of the digestive system in the system of measures for the prevention of occupational diseases in welders is a rational diet, including products that bind the elements of the welding aerosol that have entered the digestive canal and contribute to their neutralization and elimination (dairy products, pectin-containing substances, fruit juices, etc.). Compliance with the diet also plays an essential role in ensuring the normal functioning of the glands of the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines, bile secretion and enzymatic activity of the pancreas.
It is especially necessary to explain to workers in this profession the harm of such habits as smoking and alcohol abuse, which can not only contribute to the development of diseases of the alimentary canal and liver, but also aggravate the course of existing diseases.