[The factors affecting the immune status of the workers in chemical plants]

The characteristics of immune status were studied in 284 employees of chemical plants of Novomoskovsk, producing synthetic detergents, aniline, diamine, maleic anhydride, etc. For control, 100 healthy residents of Novomoskovsk, not employed in chemical industry, were used. The employees of chemical plants were found to have significant deviations in their humoral and cell-mediated immunity. The intensity of the manifestation of these immunological changes correlated with the duration of their work in chemical industry and did not depend on the nature of the chemical substance dealt with during work and its amount, as well as on the sex or age of the employees under examination. These findings are of importance for the development of the system of prophylactic medical checks of the workers of chemical industry.