Chemical and traumatic occupational eye exposures in aviation personnel

The eye is vulnerable to chemical exposure and foreign body infiltration in the occupational setting. Individuals working in the aviation field are prone to these types of exposures.

We conducted a 28-mo retrospective chart review to document the number of airline workers complaining of chemical or foreign body exposure to the eye at an onsite airport medical clinic. The International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9), code for chemical conjunctivitis (372.5), was used to identify patients' charts. We documented the type of treatment that was initiated and whether there was eye damage. We further investigated the chemical composition of the products and whether there was any associated toxicity.

Few instances of chemical exposure and foreign body infiltration were found. Patients were exposed to the following products: lubricants (e.g., naphthenic oils), hydraulic fluid (e.g., petroleum or phosphate ester based), jet fuel (e.g., kerosene), and de-icing agents (e.g., propylene glycol). There was no documentation regarding the use of personal protection equipment in the patients' charts. All patients received eye irrigation with normal saline. No sequelae were documented.

Airline personnel are exposed to a variety of chemical agents in the workplace. None of the agents that workers were exposed to in this small study exhibited toxic effects to the eye. Proper use of personal protection equipment in aviation personnel may limit the number of chemical and foreign body eye exposures.