Headache and blood pressure among triethylamine-exposed foundry workers

This study attempted to determine whether cold box core makers exposed to triethylamine in foundries experienced headaches or had elevated blood pressure more often than workers without TEA exposure, as proposed by earlier reports. Forty-one core makers in three foundries and 82 referents were interviewed according to a structured questionnaire, and their blood pressure was measured. TEA exposure was determined from breathing-zone measurements. The 8-h time-weighted average TEA exposure varied between 0.3-60 mg/m3. The core makers did not report that they had the general symptoms of headaches more often than the referents. However, they had mild weekly headaches more often (44% vs. 17%). The core makers also reported headaches more often during the workweeks (45% vs. 19%). It seems likely that TEA exposure provokes mild headache among persons prone to suffer from vascular headaches. There was no difference in the occurrence of severe headaches or in the duration of headaches between the groups. The blood pressures were similar in both groups.