Abstract
Six hundred diaphragm cell workers and 382 control workers from 25 plants manufacturing chlorine in North America were studied in an epidemiological survey conducted by Wayne State University. Chlorine exposure on a time-weighted average basis ranged from 0.006 ppm to 1.42 ppm with a mean of 0.146 ± 0.287 but almost all workers were exposed to less than 1 ppm. There were no exposure data available for 268 workers. Among 332 chlorine cell workers, for which time-weighted exposure data were available, there were no statistically significant signs or symptoms on a dose-response relation basis. Tooth decay based on medical history was the only finding showing a moderate degree of dose-response relationship, but this was not corroborated by the physical examination findings. There was no higher incidence of abnormal chest X-rays, abnormal EKG or abnormal pulmonary function tests among diaphragm cell workers compared to controls on a dose-response basis.