[Respiratory pathology caused by exposure to solvents in the shoe industry: description of 3 clinical cases].

Clinical and functional respiratory features of three shoe factory workers exposed to organic solvents from glue or other adhesives are described. All subjects complained of chronic cough, dyspnea and wheezing when exposed to non specific bronchial stimuli, and showed a non specific bronchial hyperresponsiveness to methacholine; symptoms and bronchial hyperreactivity persisted some years after the cessation of work. In two cases the onset of the symptoms was ascribed to the occupational exposure to glue activators (containing usually a considerable percentage of chlorinated hydrocarbons as dichloromethane or methilenedichloride). We supposed that occupational exposure to large amounts of glue solvents in shoe factory might cause a chronic airway impairment with non specific bronchial hyperresponsiveness.