Renal failure and occupational exposure to organic solvents: what work-up should be performed?

The etiological work-up of a disease with an occupational component, such as renal failure associated with exposure to organic solvents, may include several complementary investigations. The authors discussed certain elements of the etiological work-up in the light of a clinical case, particularly the individual and collective advantages and disadvantages of this work-up. Further investigations would not have provided the patient with any individual or collective benefit and were therefore not performed, whereas other investigations (environmental studies, screening of fellow workers) may provide collective rather than individual benefits, but must be decided by a multidisciplinary approach. A multidisciplinary study (general practitioner, nephrologist, occupational health physician, and specialist in toxicology) is necessary to discuss the appropriate etiological work-up, taking into account the individual and collective benefit-risk balance.