الفهرس 
AcknowledgmentOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
An ever increasing number of chemicals are being used in the rapidly expanding industry. Many of the effects of Ihese chemicals on the different organs of the body are not sufficiently known. The cardio”Yascular system, being an active system called upon the usual daily acti vi ty, is one of the most vulnerable target to many ot these chemicals. ~f the suspected chemicals accused to have some effects on the cardiovascular system are lead, carbon disulfide and carbon monoxide. The aim of this study was to define the cardiovascular effects of exposure on workers exposed to lead; carbon usulfide and carbon monoxide. The effects mainly included c~8nge8 in the blood pressure, ECG changes especially ischaemic changes and findings suggesting peripheral vascu lar disease s. To achieve this goal, three factories in the vicinity \ of Alexandria were chosen, where workers are exposed to one of the J pollutants. The workers were selected random 1y from the departments with the highest exposure, and from non exposed departments to serve as control groups. ~ from the electric accumulators plant at Ras el Soda .~ 96 exposed workers exposed to lead and 43 control workers, and from Misrayon faci70ry at Kafr el Dawar, 118 workers 1 exposed to carbon disulfide and 51 control workers; and ~ from the Sand brick factory at Agamy, 25 exposed workers to carbon monoxide, and 25 control workers represented the sample of this study. Exposed workers were of the s~e sex and socio-economic conditions with their corres ponding controls. Adjustment of this- sample of worker.- as regards risk factors was achieved through oomparing exposed and control workers for age, smoking habit, family history of cardiovascular diseases and obesity with no statistically signi ficant difference among groups, except for obesity in workers exposed to carbon disulfide, which was considered to be an effe et of exposure re ther than 11 se para te risk factor. Palpitation and functional intermittent claud~cations were only statistically significant in workers exposed to carbon disulfide ( 37..3 & 6.8 ) respectively compared to their controls ( 9.8& 0 ). . . The se change 8 were not significantly different in workers exposed to lead or carbon monoxide in comparison to their controls. The blood pressure changes were not statistically significant in workers exposed to any of three pollutants wen compared to their control groups; yet the mean systolic blood pressure ( 121.5 mmHg ) and the mean diasto lie blood pressure ( 82.2 mmHg ) showed significant diffe , ranee only in carbon disulfide exposed workers compared to their controls ( 113 mmHg & 11.5 mmHg ) respectivelpt slthough within the normal range ot blood pressure. On the other hand, carbon monoxide exposed workers had both figures lower than in their control gro:ups i.e for syatolic 132.6 mmHg compared to 135 mmHg t and for diastolic 88.6 mmHg compared to 91.4 mmHg in controls. This effect was verified by several other authors. Aa regards ischaemic changes, pain denoting angina ~8 statistically significant in workers exposed to carbon diaulfide ( 10.2 ) compared to their controls ( 0 ) while ischaemic ECG changes were statistically significant in exposed group to lead compared to the control group in the age group of less than 40 years ( 20.9 compared to 0 ). Also for workers exposed to carbon disulfide 9.1compared to 0 in controls. These changes were not observed in both exposure after the age of 40 years. In workers exposed to carbon monoxide, ischaemic changes were statistically significant in the group - of exposed workers above 40 years of age; (27.3 & 0) Other ECG features were not statistically significant in all three exposures except for ventricular extrasystoles wich were prevalent in carbon disulfide exposed workers more than in their controls; (3.4 & 0). Sinus bradycardia ~8 more prevalent among carbon monoxide exposed workers (24) compared to their control group (4), also the mean heart rate in exposed (68.8 + 12.3) beat/minute was less than in the control group (77.8 + 10.5) beat/minute .