State of the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract provides an opportunity to study the functional aspects of inflammatory processes and predict the formation of pathological changes in the entire respiratory tract, that is especially important for workers of manufacturing facilities where the main occupational hazard is chemical, which has a direct impact on the primary protective barriers of the body.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the detection frequency and features of clinical manifestations of the upper respiratory tract mucosal pathology in workers in the caustic soda manufacturing facility.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A study of the upper respiratory tract state in 292 employees of a facility for caustic soda manufacture, representing 16 different professions, divided into 4 comparison groups, was performed. A complex of hygienic, clinical laboratory, instrumental, morphological, and statistical methods was used for the research.

RESULTS

A high risk of developing vasomotor and subatrophic changes in the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract has been established in cases of combined exposure to mercury and chlorine, vasomotor and catarrhal changes — in cases of exposure to mercury and subatrophic changes — in cases of exposure to chlorine. Risk zones based on length of service, which determine the tactics of regular medical check-up for workers in the caustic soda manufacturing facility, have been identified.

CONCLUSION

The features of the upper respiratory tract pathology in employees of the facility for caustic soda manufacture, determined by the exposure to chemicals in the air of the working zone, have been established, and the risk of their formation has been assessed.