Liver damage associated with occupational exposure to organic solvents in house painters

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Abstract
Among 156 patients admitted to hospital because of suspected solvent intoxication or dementia following long-term occupational exposure to organic solvents, 23 had elevated aminotransferases in serum. In 13 of these no particular cause of this elevation could be found; chronic exposure to aliphatic and aromatic organic solvents may have played a pathogenetic role. Liver histology revealed significant steatosis in 11 patients and focal necroses were observed in 6 of them. Moreover, 6 of the biopsies showed enlarged portal tracts with fibrosis. Necrosis was only observed in liver specimens from patients who recently had been exposed to solvents. A causal relation between occupational exposure to aliphatic and aromatic organic solvents such as white spirit, xylene, toluene and styrene, and toxic liver injury is suggested by this descriptive study but needs confirmation.