Investigations of some aspects of atmospheric pollution by anaesthetic gases. I: Diffusion of halothane across plastic and rubber tubes.
Plastic and rubber tubing, of the types used frequently to convey anaesthetic gases to and from the patient, or anaesthetic waste gases out of the operating theatre, were assessed for their capacity to allow diffusion of halothane through the tube wall. The magnitude of this effect has been calculated in relation to pollution of the operating theatre atmosphere under different circumstances.
Environmental Pollution by Anaesthetic Agents: A Consideration for Developing Countries
tuating quantity of auditory, visual and tactile stimuli, which are superimposed upon an innate varying background of fatigue, stress and emotion. Performance after exposure to sub-anaesthetic doses of anaesthetic agents can be measured in volunteers performing audiovisual tasks, reaction-time tests, psychomotor tests and memory and learning tests. Conflicting reports have been produced. Some workers have reported subtle additive effects of traces of various anaesthetic agents on such parameters (Bentin et al. 1978a,b, Bruce et al. 1974, Bruce & Bach 1976). However, others conclude that commonly found theatre levels of pollution in the absence of active scavenging are unlikely to affect performance (Frankhuisen et al. 1978, Smith & Shirley 1977, Smith 1978, Gambill et al. 1979) except possibly during use of the Magill circuit when local high levels can occur, or in the presence of other factors interrelating to low dose exposure (Smith & Shirley 1978). Performance tests comparing operating theatre staff and non-theatre hospital staff have suggested that theatre staff develop tolerance to anaesthetic gas exposure, possibly by enzyme induction (Kortilla, Pfaffli, Linnoila et al. 1978, Kortilla, Pfaffli & Ertamon 1978). Therefore, although i t is difficult to demonstrate a doseresponse relation between anaesthetic concentration and performance, it would seem wise to reduce the “dose of pollutants given” to minimal safe levels, in order to ensure that performance of theatre staff is maintained a t as high a level as possible. Environmental pollution by anaesthetic agents: A consideration for developing countries
Anaesthetic practice and pregnancy.
Summary 7949 male doctors in the U.K. were surveyed to determine whether there was a relation between operating-theatre work (exposure) and abnormalities in the obstetric history of their marriages. Paternal exposure did not appear to influence the overall abortion-rate or the frequency of major congenital abnormality and involuntary infertility. The frequency of minor congenital abnormality in the children of exposed fathers was 3·09% compared with 2·35% (non-exposed). Maternal exposure was associated with a 15·5% frequency of abortion. Matching of exposed and non-exposed pregnancies with respect to birth order, maternal age, and smoking-habits suggests that the risk of abortion may increase by 158% to 271% with maternal exposure.