Studies on kidney function in subjects exposed to organic solvents. III. Excretion of cells in the urine.

The excretion of erythrocytes and leucocytes in the urine from 101 men professionally exposed to styrene or toluene or to a combination of xylene and toluene was compared with the cell excretion in the urine from 39 non-exposed controls. The men exposed to organic solvents excreted significantly more cells than the controls. The findings are in agreement with the present discussion regarding the role of organic solvents in glomerular disease.