Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Case Report

Work-related olfactory disorder: a case series and review: Soon Woo Park, Young Joong Kang, Huisu Eom, Hyun-Jin Cho, Jungho Ahn, Sang-Gil Lee; Ann Occup Environ Med 2018;30:18. Published online March 12, 2018; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40557-018-0230-3

Background

The olfactory bulb is anatomically exposed and thus can be directly damaged by external stimulation. This can occur as an occupational injury owing to contact with organic solvents or other causes. We present cases of eight patients who sustained occupation-related exposure to potentially toxic substances and later presented with signs and symptoms of anosmia. We examined the occupational and medical characteristics of the patients and evaluated their work-relatedness.

Case presentation

Case 1: A 50-year-old man performed high-frequency heat treatments for approximately 11 years. He experienced decreased senses for olfaction and taste during the later years culminating in the diagnosis of anosmia after 3 years (high work-relatedness). Case 2: A 54-year-old man whose work involved exposure to various organic solvents, such as spray painting and application of paint and thinners for approximately 4 years, was subsequently diagnosed with anosmia based on rhinorrhea, headache, and loss of olfaction (high work-relatedness). Case 3: A 44-year-old-man who performed spray painting for approximately 17 years developed anosmia (high work-relatedness). Case 4: A 44-year-old man was involved in ship engine cleaning once a month, for approximately 7 h per cleaning session; he was diagnosed with anosmia based on loss of olfaction (low work-relatedness). Case 5: A 41-year-old man worked in ship building block construction for approximately 13 years; anosmia diagnosis was based on loss of olfaction (low work-relatedness). Case 6: A 47-year-old woman performed product inspection and labeling at a plant manufacturing automobile parts; anosmia diagnosis was based on decreased olfaction and taste (low work-relatedness). Case 7: A 50-year-old woman performed epoxy coating in a plant manufacturing automobile parts; anosmia diagnosis was based on diminishing olfaction (low work-relatedness). Case 8: A 57-year-old woman performed cleaning of the area where mobile phone parts were manufactured; anosmia diagnosis was based on diminishing olfaction (low work-relatedness).

Conclusion

The study results confirmed work-relatedness when the subject was young, and the duration of exposure was long without any other cause of anosmia. Regarding compensation for occupational diseases, work-relatedness can be recognized as a relative concept.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Predictors of Olfactory Decline in Aging: A Longitudinal Population-Based Study
Ingrid Ekström, Maria Larsson, Debora Rizzuto, Johan Fastbom, Lars Bäckman, Erika J Laukka, Anne B Newman
The Journals of Gerontology: Series A.2020; 75(12): 2441. CrossRef

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Case Report

Acute liver injury in two workers exposed to chloroform in cleanrooms: a case report: Young Joong Kang, Jungho Ahn, Yang-In Hwang; Ann Occup Environ Med 2014;26:49. Published online November 4, 2014; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40557-014-0049-5

Abstract PDF PubReader ePub

We report 2 cases of hepatotoxicity in cleanroom workers due to high retained chloroform air concentrations. The women, aged 34 and 41 years, who had been working in a medical endoscopic device manufacturer as cleanroom workers for approximately 40–45 days suffered severe liver damage. Two measured time-weighted averages of the chloroform concentration in the air in the cleanroom were 82.74 and 64.24 ppm, which are more than 6 times the legal occupational exposure limit in Korea. Only 7% of the cleanroom air was newly introduced from outside. The clinical courses of these cases and workplace inspection, led us to conclude that both cases of hepatotoxicity were caused by chloroform exposure.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity evaluation of chloroform using Vicia faba roots
Xue Li, Ang Li, Ming Zhang, Tianpeng Gao
Toxicology and Industrial Health.2023; 39(10): 603. CrossRef
Acute liver injury in a non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patient with chloroform exposure: a case report
Yosuke Suehiro, Takuro Uchida, Masataka Tsuge, Eisuke Murakami, Daiki Miki, Tomokazu Kawaoka, Michio Imamura, Hiroshi Aikata, Koji Arihiro, Shiro Oka
Clinical Journal of Gastroenterology.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
A case report of toxic hepatitis caused by chloroform in automotive parts manufacturer coating process
Jong Hyun Hwang, Jung Il Kim
Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Exposure to organic solvents and hepatotoxicity
Cristiano Brauner, Dvora Joveleviths, Mário R. Álvares-da-Silva, Norma Marroni, Silvia Bona, Elizângela Schemitt, Raissa Nardi
Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A.2020; 55(10): 1173. CrossRef
Chronic, Recreational Chloroform-Induced Liver Injury
Emily A. Minor, Mackenzie S. Newman, Justin T. Kupec
Case Reports in Hepatology.2018; 2018: 1. CrossRef
3-methyadenine attenuates chloroform-induced hepatotoxicity via autophagy activation
Lei WANG, Xiankui LI, Cai CHEN
Biomedical Research.2018; 39(2): 87. CrossRef
Chloroform ingestion causing severe gastrointestinal injury, hepatotoxicity and dermatitis confirmed with plasma chloroform concentrations
Dushan Jayaweera, Shawkat Islam, Naren Gunja, Chris Cowie, James Broska, Latesh Poojara, Michael S. Roberts, Geoffrey K. Isbister
Clinical Toxicology.2017; 55(2): 147. CrossRef

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