Increased concentrations ofhaemoglobin X andY in theerythrocytes ofworkers ina chemical plant in

Whenaromatic compounds suchasaminophenols' andnitrobenzenes2 areabsorbed they cause oxidation oftheintracellular haemoglobin ofcirculating erythrocytes andsometimes induce severe methaemoglobinaemia. We havealsofoundthathalf oxidised haemoglobins aregreatly increased inthe erythrocytes ofpatients withhereditary methaemoglobinaemia owingtoadeficiency ofNADH methaemoglobin reductase.3 Thisprompted usto analyse theoxidised haemoglobins incirculating erythrocytes ofworkers inchemical plants. Wefound that half oxidised haemoglobins such as(a2+f3+)2 and (a"P+)2 weresignificantly increased intheerythrocytes ofworkers ofsomechemical factories ofthe Kansai areaofJapan(ATomodaetal, unpublished data). Whenanalysing thehaemoglobin patterns of workers fromthese factories byisoelectric focusing electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gelplates, we found that twounusual haemoglobins, which migrate toanodic positions onelectrophoresis, weresignificantly increased intheerythrocytes ofallthe workers studied inachemical plant producing 4-chloraminophenol. Oneofthese haemoglobins movedtoan anodic position consistent withthat ofhaemoglobin X,4andanother movedtotheposition between haemoglobins XandA.Thepresent report deals with cases with apronounced increase intheconcentrations of haemoglobins X and Y, halfoxidised haemoglobins, andmethaemoglobin intheerythrocytes ofworkers inachemical plant. Materials andmethods