Acute liver dysfunction among workers exposed to 2,2-dichloro-1,1,1-tryfluoroethane (HCFC-123): a case report.

2,2-Dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoroethane (HCFC-123; CAS No. 306-83-2), a colorless light-ether-odor liquid with a boiling point of 27.6°C (at 1 Torr) and an ozone depletion potential of 0.02, is a substitute for a well-known ozone depleting substance trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11) as a refrigerant, and 500 tons a year was shipped in Japan in 1996 according to the statistics surveyed by the Japan Fluorocarbon Manufacturers Association. In August, 1997, a workplace was set up to produce a small container (ca. 15 ml in volume) including HCFC123 as a refrigerant. The manufacturing process consisted of a preparation process, a refrigerant enclosure process in which HCFC-123 liquid is injected into a container, its leakage is checked, and the container is welded, and an inspection process. Use of HCFC-123 increased in mid-September when the refrigerant enclosure process started. This report describes the incident of liver dysfunction among 14 workers repeatedly exposed to HCFC-123 in the processes, and the results of their health surveillance.