Erects of Low-Dose Solvents on the Blood of Art Restorers

Effects on the Blood among Art Restorers: Francesco TOMEI, et al. Department of Occupational Medicine, University of Rome "La Sapienza"-Restoration of art works is usually assessed from an artistic viewpoint, and little attention is paid to the restorers'' health. There appear to be no specific published reports. Art restoration is a craftsman''s job, often done by students as part of their art courses, and they are exposed to low doses of a hard-to-classify range of different substances. This study employed a protocol designed for use in the workplace to check whether art restoration work had effects on the blood of the young people doing it. We studied 65 art restorer students and teachers, most of them young, who did different types of restoration work: on stone and archaeological findings, frescoes, paintings on wood and canvas, paper and parchment, plaster, fabrics, metals, wood or painted linings. Seventy-one non-exposed workers were compared as controls. We found significant reductions in RBC, Hb and Ht among exposed workers but no change in WBC. These findings suggest there may be problems in the effect on the blood of art restorers exposed to low doses of solvents. It would appear useful for these workers to undergo periodic blood screening tests, and the protocol we employed appeared suitable for identifying subjects at risk in their workplace. (J Occup Health 1996; 38: 190-195)