Exposure to solvents in the shoe and leather goods industries.

The shoe and leather goods industries are two of the main economic sectors in Tuscany. Organic solvents are the most important risk factors responsible for leukaemias and polyneuropathies. Job exposure matrices for solvents have been developed with two different aims: to contribute to the general matrix in different industries involving exposure to solvents and to provide a data source for use by health professionals. The matrices have been constructed on the basis of: scientific literature, notices of chemical compositions of trade products, technical reports collected by local services, the survey of a sample of industries in the province of Florence.