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Health risks in shoe manufacturing workers at using adhesives based on organic solvents

Health risks in shoe manufacturing workers at using adhesives based on organic solvents

ISSN 2223-6775 Ukrainian Journal of Occupational Health, Vol. 19, 2023, Supplement

https://doi.org/10.33573/ujoh2023.Suppl.404

Health risks in shoe manufacturing workers at using adhesives based on organic solvents

Lototska-Dudyk Ulyana B.

Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, Lviv, Ukraine

Introduction. Glue operations play an important role in modern shoe manufacturing technology. Among the variety of adhesive compounds, the most widely used solution adhesives are polymers dissolved in organic solvents.

The aim of the research – to analyze the main solvents that are part of shoe adhesives-solutions and to assess the potential negative impact on the health of workers in the shoe industry.

Materials and methods of the research. Analysis of domestic and foreign scientific publications.

Results. The organic solvents used in shoe manufacturing technology include: hydrocarbons (gasoline, benzene, toluene, xylene, propane, hexane); alcohols (methanol, butanol, isopropanol); amines (dimethylamine, ethylamine, aniline); ketones (acetone, methyl ethyl ketone); organochlorine compounds (dichloroethane, chloroform, tetrachloroethane); ethers (methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate). Direct contact with these components leads to their entry in organism of workers by inhalation and causes contamination of the skin. The occupational influence of organic solvents in adhesives on the prevalence of cancer among workers (especially due to exposure to toluene and benzene) has been proven. The combined effect of organic solvents, even in low concentrations, can lead to hepatotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and increases the risk of developing multiple sclerosis in shoe industry workers. Deterioration of the reproductive health of female workers exposed to adhesives containing organic solvents has been confirmed. The contact of solvents with the skin is accompanied by the appearance of dryness, cracks, and dermatitis.

Conclusions. Literary data confirm the use of a fairly wide range of organic solvents in adhesive compounds at shoe manufacturing enterprises, which emit chemicals of varying degrees of toxicity and danger into the air of the working area and have a multisystemic negative effect on the organism of workers. In order to reduce the negative impact of solvents, it is necessary both to observe strict control over the safety of the production process of shoe manufacturing, and to monitor the health of shoe workers based on the assessment of the doses of toxic substances entering the organism.

Key words: shoe workers, occupational exposure, shoe adhesives, organic solvents

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