Hematological follow-up of an intervention program adding rubber glove-wearing to local ventilation for 2-ethoxyethanol acetate-exposed workers.

The objective of this study was to evaluate an intervention program, implemented in year 1999, of wearing rubber gloves in addition to engineering control, and to follow-up the hematological effects of 2-ethoxyethanol acetate (2-EEA) exposure among workers in a silk-screening factory. All workers from the printing department with direct exposure to 2-EEA were recruited as the exposed group. Workers from the other departments were recruited as the comparison group. Hematological parameters were measured during health surveys conducted 3 times every two years. Information on personal characteristics and working habits was obtained through a structured questionnaire. More female workers were involved in manual printing resulting in higher exposure to 2-EEA. Hemoglobin and haematocrit levels in female exposed workers were significantly lower than those of female comparison workers in the 1st (1998) health survey, but not in the 2nd (2000) and 3rd (2002) health surveys. No difference was found between male exposed and comparison workers for all three surveys. Longitudinal analysis after adjusting for confounders using the general estimating equation model showed the hemoglobin, haematocrit, and RBC count were significantly higher for 2-EEA exposed workers than comparison workers across the 3 surveys (n=42). The results show that wearing rubber gloves in addition to local ventilation was effective at preventing direct dermal exposure to 2-EEA and ameliorated the hematological effects of 2-EEA exposure.