Yusho disease

Classification according to ICD-10
T53	Toxic effects of halogenated aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons
ICD-10 online (WHO version 2019)

The yushō disease , Yusho poisoning , Kanemi oil poisoning or oil's disease is a symptom complex represented by poisoning with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), polychlorinated dibenzofurans is caused (PCDF), and other chlorinated organic compounds. The word comes from the Japanese name yushō ( Japanese 油 症 ), literally "oil symptom".

The first such case of poisoning occurred in 1968 in the Japanese prefecture of Fukuoka . Respiratory problems were observed in poultry in February and March. As later became clear, rice oil from Kanemi Sōko had been added to its feed . In June, skin rashes and problems with internal organs appeared in humans for the first time. In October, a sample of rice oil provided by one of the patients was examined at Kyushu University and it was found to be contaminated with PCBs and furans. Investigations in the manufacturer's refining plant revealed two leaks in a heating coil, a smaller one as a result of corrosion, and a larger one as a result of faulty welding work in January 1968. These leaks were used to get PCB into the cooking oil. The PCB concentration in rice oil was around 2000 ppm , so that the average total dose of PCBs absorbed was four to five grams within six months.

About 2000 people who prepared their food with this rice oil developed chloracne , skin and mucous membrane lesions, severe lacrimation, emaciation, liver, spleen and kidney damage. Also endocrinological disorders such as altered menstrual cycles and impaired immune responses were observed. The skin of newborn babies of poisoned mothers was dark in color in 90% of cases and led to the name kuroi akachan ("black babies"). An increased incidence of liver tumors was also found in those affected.

There was a similar incident in Taiwan in 1979, for which the Japanese term read in Chinese yucheng (pinyin: yóuzhèng) was adopted.

The use of PCBs in open systems was prohibited in 1978 and has been generally prohibited in Germany since 1989 .

literature

• Tsuguo Suzuki, Hideo Kobayashi: Contamination of rice bran oil with PCB used as the heating medium by leakage through penetration holes at the heating coil tube in deodorization chamber (1968) (Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST): Failure Knowledge Database / 100 Selected Cases (full paper )
• Harukuni Urabe, Masakazu Asahi: Past and Current Dermatological Status of Yusho Patients , Environmental Health Perspectives 59, 11–15, 1985, PMC 1568099 (free full text)
• Yasunobu Aoki: Polychlorinated Biphenyls, Polychloronated Dibenzo- p -dioxins, and Polychlorinated Dibenzofurans as Endocrine Disrupters — What We Have Learned from Yusho Disease . In: Environmental Research . Vol. 86, No. 1 , May 2001, p. 2–11 , doi : 10.1006 / enrs.2001.4244 .
• Shōjirō Akashi ( 明石 昇 二郎 ): 黒 い 赤 ち ゃ ん: カ ネ ミ 油 症 34 年 の 空白 . Kōdansha, Tokyo 2002.
• Hideyuku Kanawa ( 川 名 英 之 ): 検 証 ・ カ ネ ミ 油 症 事件 . Ryokufu Shuppan, Tokyo 2005.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Tsuguo Suzuki, Hideo Kobayashi, 1968
2. ^ Franz Joseph Dreyhaupt (ed.): VDI-Lexikon Umwelttechnik. VDI-Verlag Düsseldorf 1994, ISBN 3-18-400891-6 , p. 1330.
3. ↑ A. Schecter, L. Birnbaum, JJ Ryan, JD Constable: Dioxins: An overview . Environmental Research 101 (2006), pp. 419-428, doi: 10.1016 / j.envres.2005.12.003

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