No change in serum dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity in workers exposed to trichloroethylene

To determine whether occupational exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE) influences sympathetic nerve activity, serum dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) activities were analyzed in 84 male workers exposed to TCE and 83 male age-matched controls. The workers were exposed to about 22 ppm TCE in air. There were no significant differences between the mean serum DBH activity levels for the exposed workers and the corresponding controls. No significant correlation was found between the serum DBH activities and the urinary TCE-metabolite levels or the duration of employment of the workers. The results suggest that chronic occupational exposure to TCE did not influence sympathetic nerve activity of the workers.