Polyamine sensitization in offshore workers handling drilling muds

Saturation diving; physiology and pathophysiology

In saturation diving, divers stay under pressure until most of their tissues are saturated with breathing gas. Divers spend a long time in isolation exposed to increased partial pressure of oxygen, potentially toxic gases, bacteria, and bubble formation during decompression combined with shift work and long periods of relative inactivity. Hyperoxia may lead to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that interact with cell structures, causing damage to proteins, lipids, and nucleic acid. Vascular gas-bubble formation and hyperoxia may lead to dysfunction of the endothelium. The antioxidant status of the diver is an important mechanism in the protection against injury and is influenced both by diet and genetic factors. The factors mentioned above may lead to production of heat shock proteins (HSP) that also may have a negative effect on endothelial function. On the other hand, there is a great deal of evidence that HSPs may also have a "conditioning" effect, thus protecting against injury. As people age, their ability to produce antioxidants decreases. We do not currently know the capacity for antioxidant defense, but it is reasonable to assume that it has a limit. Many studies have linked ROS to disease states such as cancer, insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, and atherosclerosis as well as to old age. However, ROS are also involved in a number of protective mechanisms, for instance immune defense, antibacterial action, vascular tone, and signal transduction. Low-grade oxidative stress can increase antioxidant production. While under pressure, divers change depth frequently. After such changes and at the end of the dive, divers must follow procedures to decompress safely. Decompression sickness (DCS) used to be one of the major causes of injury in saturation diving. Improved decompression procedures have significantly reduced the number of reported incidents; however, data indicate considerable underreporting of injuries. Furthermore, divers who are required to return to the surface quickly are under higher risk of serious injury as no adequate decompression procedures for such situations are available. Decompression also leads to the production of endothelial microparticles that may reduce endothelial function. As good endothelial function is a documented indicator of health that can be influenced by regular exercise, regular physical exercise is recommended for saturation divers. Nowadays, saturation diving is a reasonably safe and well controlled method for working under water. Until now, no long-term impact on health due to diving has been documented. However, we still have limited knowledge about the pathophysiologic mechanisms involved. In particular we know little about the effect of long exposure to hyperoxia and microparticles on the endothelium.

Effects of diethylenetriamine dihydrochloride following 13 weeks of dietary dosing in Fischer 344 rats

Fischer 344 rats were fed a diet containing the dihydrochloride salt of diethylenetriamine (DETA.2HCl) at concentrations of 1000, 7500 or 15,000 ppm for 90 consecutive days. Based on food consumption and body weight, the mean corresponding dosages were 70, 530 and 1060 mg/kg/day for the males and 80, 620 and 1210 mg/kg/day for the females. Decreases in food consumption were observed intermittently throughout the dosing period in both sexes at 15,000 ppm. Dose-related decreases in body weight or weight gain were observed for both sexes at 7500 and 15,000 ppm. Changes in clinical pathology measurements observed at 7500 and 15,000 ppm included increases in mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular haemoglobin in males, and increases in mean corpuscular volume, total leucocytes and urinary pH, and a decrease in serum glucose concentration in females. The relative kidney, brain and testes weights were increased in the 15,000 ppm males. In the females, the relative kidney, brain and liver weights were increased at 7500 and 15,000 ppm, and the relative heart and adrenal weights were elevated at 15,000 ppm. There were no treatment-related clinical signs, gross autopsy or histopathological findings for either sex at any dose level. Animals improved only slightly from the effects of treatment following a 4-wk recovery period. A no-observable-effect level of 1000 ppm DETA.2HCl in the diet was established in this subchronic toxicity study.

Occupational allergic contact dermatitis caused by diethylenetriamine in carbonless copy paper

Carbonless copy paper, or 'no carbon required' (NCR) paper, has often been implicated as the cause of skin, respiratory, or general symptoms, but allergy has been verified in only a few cases. A 43-year-old machinist whose work involved the manufacture of NCR paper developed occupational dermatitis on the hands. On patch testing, both the NCR paper and 1 of the chemicals used to produce the microcapsules of the NCR paper, namely diethylenetriamine (DETA), provoked an allergic reaction. Analysis of the paper showed that it contained enough DETA to induce allergic contact dermatitis. People who handle NCR paper and develop symptoms of contact dermatitis should be patch tested with DETA.

Airborne contact dermatitis: an update

This review is an update of a previously published one on airborne-induced contact dermatoses. Because reports in the literature often omit the term 'airborne', 12 volumes of Contact Dermatitis (July 1985-April 1991) were screened, and the cases cited were classified as to history, lesion locations, causative agents, and other factors. The number of reports of airborne dermatoses has increased considerably in recent years.