[Hydrocarbons and non-neoplastic kidney diseases].

Substituted and nonsubstituted hydrocarbons are suspected of causing nonneoplastic kidney diseases. Although the problem was already known about 100 years ago, epidemiological studies have only been conducted since 1975. This paper attempts to give an overview on the present situation, first of all on the cross-sectional and case-control studies. Practical recommendations for the prevention of such damage are done, but should be considered as preliminary until our knowledge has been completed by better designed epidemiological studies.