Chia S E, Goh V H, Ong C N
Department of Community, Occupational and Family Medicine, National University of Singapore, Republic of Singapore.
Am J Ind Med. 1997 Sep;32(3):217-22. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0274(199709)32:3<217::aid-ajim6>3.0.co;2-u.
The objective of this study was to examine the endocrine profiles of a group of male workers chronically exposed to trichloroethylene (TCE) in an electronics factory. A total of 124 workers participated in a preliminary study, for which 85 satisfied the selection criteria and were recruited to take part in a more detailed study. Each of the 85 workers had urine collected and analyzed for trichloroacetic acids (TCA) on the day blood was taken for analysis of serum testosterone (T), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS), and sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG). Environmental TCE exposures were conducted for 12 workers. The geometric mean concentration of environmental TCE was 29.6 ppm (range 9-131) and the mean urine TCA was 22.4 mg/g creatinine (range 0.8-136.4). The results showed that years of exposure to TCE were significantly correlated with DHEAS and negatively correlated with SHBG and T levels. Serum FSH, T, and SHBG levels showed a gradual decline with increasing years of exposure to TCE. This dose-response decrease indicated that there was a disruption of peripheral endocrine function. This disruption could be a result of TCE-induced liver malfunction. The most dramatic change was that the increase in DHEAS concentration was associated with years of exposure to TCE, rising from 255 to 717.8 ng/ml for < 3 to > or = 7 years exposure, respectively. This evidence suggests that chronic exposure to TCE may also affect adrenal function. These findings, however, must be confirmed by further investigations.
本研究的目的是检测一家电子厂中一组长期接触三氯乙烯（TCE）的男性工人的内分泌概况。共有124名工人参与了初步研究，其中85名符合入选标准并被招募参加更详细的研究。85名工人中的每一位在采集血液用于分析血清睾酮（T）、促卵泡激素（FSH）、硫酸脱氢表雄酮（DHEAS）和性激素结合球蛋白（SHBG）的当天，都采集了尿液并分析其中的三氯乙酸（TCA）。对12名工人进行了环境TCE暴露检测。环境TCE的几何平均浓度为29.6 ppm（范围9 - 131），尿液TCA的平均浓度为22.4 mg/g肌酐（范围0.8 - 136.4）。结果显示，TCE暴露年限与DHEAS显著相关，与SHBG和T水平呈负相关。血清FSH、T和SHBG水平随着TCE暴露年限的增加而逐渐下降。这种剂量反应性下降表明外周内分泌功能受到了干扰。这种干扰可能是TCE诱导的肝功能障碍的结果。最显著的变化是DHEAS浓度的增加与TCE暴露年限相关，暴露<3年至≥7年时，其浓度分别从255 ng/ml升至717.8 ng/ml。这一证据表明，长期接触TCE也可能影响肾上腺功能。然而，这些发现必须通过进一步的研究来证实。
