The Effect of Chemicals Used in the Petrochemical Industry on Liver Health

The liver is a very important organ in the human body and performs important functions in maintaining the body's health, among which the following can be mentioned: 1/ producing proteins and blood-clotting factors 2/ producing and excreting bile through the bile ducts and the gallbladder, which is located beneath the liver 3/ metabolizing and distributing various types of fat in the body 4/ metabolizing and neutralizing most of the chemicals that enter the body

 

∴ To assess the liver's health status, various laboratory methods are used, some of which are: 1/ AST (SGOT), ALT (SGPT) They are usually used as routine tests. They are accessible and inexpensive but have about 60 to 70 percent sensitivity in detecting liver disorders, and they increase in numerous cases such as fatty liver disease, weight gain, high blood lipids, diabetes, alcohol consumption, the use of certain drugs, hepatitis, heatstroke, and exposure to certain chemicals.

2/ Other laboratory tests such as blood platelet count, bilirubin level, blood-clotting time, the amount of albumin protein in the blood, etc., which are requested by the physician in specific cases and examine the status of the liver's various functions.

3/ Radiology procedures such as ultrasound, CT scan, and MRI, which have about 80 to 90 percent sensitivity in detecting widespread liver disorders and lesions.

4/ Liver biopsy is the most accurate way to diagnose liver disorders, but due to its lack of easy accessibility and the possibility of causing side effects, it is usually used as the last diagnostic resort.

∴ Fatty liver disease When fat occupies more than five percent of the liver's weight, it is called fatty liver, which is the most common cause of elevated liver enzymes. However, it usually has no specific clinical sign and only causes a mild to moderate increase (about 2 to 3 times normal) in the enzymes.

∴ The most important causes of this disease are: 1/ being overweight or obese, when the body mass index exceeds 25. 2/ high blood lipids, when the cholesterol or triglyceride level exceeds 200 mg/dl. 3/ chronic alcohol consumption. 4/ having diabetes, when the fasting blood sugar level exceeds 125 mg/dl. 5/ the use of certain drugs, such as estrogen compounds, cortisone, amiodarone, and tetracycline, which in some people can lead to the development of fatty liver. 6/ exposure to certain chemicals.

∴ Some of the chemicals present in the petrochemical industries that have the ability to cause liver disease include: 1/ Vinyl chloride monomer (VCM): It has the ability to cause fatty liver disease, liver cirrhosis, and even liver cancer, but it results from long-term exposure (about 20 years) and is completely reversible in the early stages of the disease.

2/ Halogenated hydrocarbon compounds: such as carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, trichloroethylene, and carbon tetrabromide; with high and long-term exposure to these substances, fatty liver disease and, over several years, liver cirrhosis can develop, but this group does not have the ability to cause liver cancer.

3/ Aromatic hydrocarbon compounds: These substances can only cause an increase in liver enzymes, but so far no cirrhosis, failure, or liver cancer has been reported as a result of exposure to these substances. Other compounds such as ammonia, mercury, lead, olefinic hydrocarbons, acids, and alkalis do not cause liver disease.

∴ Prognosis Without treatment, 10 to 20 percent of people develop liver cirrhosis after about 20 years, while liver cancer develops not as a result of this disease, but in the context of diseases such as chronic active hepatitis, chronic alcohol consumption, and hemochromatosis.

∴ Treatment The treatment of fatty liver disease consists of eliminating the following underlying causes, which must be done under the supervision of a physician:

1/ gradual weight loss 2/ controlling and treating high blood lipids 3/ controlling and treating diabetes 4/ engaging in regular physical exercise 5/ following a suitable diet including: high consumption of vegetables, fruit, salad, foods containing plant fiber and wheat bran, and limiting the consumption of fats and simple and complex sugars (starchy compounds such as rice, bread, macaroni, and potatoes) 6/ taking medication as prescribed by a physician and avoiding self-medication with various drugs 7/ vaccination and treatment of hepatitis 8/ not consuming alcohol 9/ reducing exposure to chemicals in the workplace