Recently, the news of a toxic school exploded all major media: CCTV reported that the pollutants in the school’s new site exceeded the standard, including chlorobenzene, carbon tetrachloride, etc.
The report pointed out that after the school moved to the new site, nearly 500 students became ill, and even some students found lymphoma, leukemia, etc.
Dr. Clove not only expressed sympathy and regret for the sick students in this incident, but also expressed deep concern for another group of people.
They are workers who come into contact with benzene and its homologues.
These workers may be workers who make leather shoes or paint. They may work on the production line of plastic products, and they may also be engaged in the production of dyes.
Because they need to use benzene every day in their daily work, they may be exposed to benzene in the working environment, resulting in benzene poisoning.
In the publicity week of the “Occupational Disease Prevention Law” in 2016, let’s look at these workers and listen to Dr. Clove that what is occupational benzene poisoning.
Can occupational benzene poisoning occur when doing what work?
Benzene, as a common organic solvent, is used in many industries in production, such as footwear industry, chemistry, medicine and rubber industry, printing industry and gasoline additives. People working in these industries may be exposed to benzene in the working environment and suffer from poisoning, which is called occupational benzene poisoning.
Occupational benzene poisoning, like other statutory occupational diseases, is listed on the list of occupational diseases promulgated by the state and requires qualified units to carry out diagnosis and treatment.
Benzene poisoning, how?
All of a sudden exposure to a large amount of benzene, or long-term exposure to a small amount of benzene, may be poisoned.
1. Acute poisoning is caused by inhaling a large amount of benzene vapor for a short time, which may have anesthetic effect on the brain.
- Mild cases are characterized by excitement, facial flushing, vertigo, etc. Like drunk alcohol. If poisoning develops further, symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and unconsciousness will occur. For people with severe poisoning, the symptoms of unconsciousness will worsen, and coma or convulsions, even respiratory and cardiac arrest may occur.
2. Chronic poisoning is caused by long-term exposure to low-concentration benzene, which may include headache, dizziness, insomnia, memory decline, etc.
Chronic benzene poisoning will also cause serious damage to hematopoietic system.
- When the degree of poisoning is relatively mild, there may be no obvious symptoms of what, but if physical examination and blood drawing can be carried out at this time, some different situations may be found. Poisoning is serious, and fever, gingival, nasal cavity, mucosa and subcutaneous hemorrhage often occur due to various infections. Blood examination can also find obvious abnormalities. Chronic benzene poisoning can also cause aplastic anemia, leukemia and other hematological diseases. Leukemia caused by benzene is also a kind of occupational tumor.
How to treat occupational benzene poisoning?
Acute poisoning: The poisoned person should be quickly moved to a place with fresh air, immediately take off his clothes contaminated by benzene, clean his skin, pay attention to quietness and heat preservation, and treat the patient in time according to the principle of first aid. At the same time, dial 120 emergency calls and wait for further treatment by professional emergency doctors.
Chronic poisoning: Since there is no specific antidote for chronic benzene poisoning, corresponding treatment is generally given according to hematological diseases caused by benzene, such as oral drugs, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, bone marrow transplantation, etc.
No matter acute or chronic poisoning, diagnosis and treatment can be carried out in hospitals or institutions with occupational disease diagnosis and treatment qualifications. The list of these diagnosis and treatment institutions can be found on the provincial health and family planning websites.
How to prevent occupational benzene poisoning?
Personal prevention of occupational benzene poisoning is mainly to strengthen occupational health protection, including:
Health examination: Carry out careful physical examination before, during and after taking up the post, and find abnormalities in time.
Personal protection: Wearing gas masks, female workers must be removed from benzene work during pregnancy and lactation to avoid adverse effects on the fetus.
What other occupational diseases?
According to the “Catalogue of Occupational Diseases” issued by the Health Planning Commission and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, there are 115 kinds of statutory occupational diseases in China.
The following occupational diseases are also quite common. Should workers prevent them how?
Click on the link to learn about the situation:
> > > Silicosis
> > > Occupational acute carbon monoxide poisoning
> > > Occupational noise deafness
> > > Brucellosis
Let’s learn about occupational diseases together, care about workers, and let everyone go to work happily, go home safely, and retire healthily.