[Results of the exposure to ethylene oxide with special reference to its carcinogenic and hematotoxic effects]

The aim of the present paper is to present a review of the effects of exposure to ethylene oxide. Carcinogenic and genotoxic effects of this gas are particularly dangerous for medical staff employed at nonthermal sterilizing of medical equipment. In these workers ethylene oxide induces various chromosomal aberrations, an increased sister chromatid exchange frequency and leukemias, alimentary tract tumors and urogenital malignancies incidence. Moreover, in patients dialysed using ethylene oxide sterilized equipment, anaphylactoidal reactions were observed. Ethylene oxide increased incidence of brain tumors, stomach cancer and malignancies of hemopoietic tissue in experimental animals. Additionally, ethylene oxide caused a decrease in stem cell number in mice spleen, disturbances in the mitotic cycle of bone marrow cells and alkylation of hemoglobin in erythrocytes. An increase in the total number of peripheral blood leukocytes accompanied by the elevation of neutrophil percentage and a decrease in the proportion of lymphocytes represent another aspect of the effect of ethylene oxide.