IN A case unprecedented in the annals of medical science, 10 workers in a Nasik paint factory became infertile due to exposure to some chemicals used in the manufacturing process.

The workers, between 22 and 24 years of age, first complained of sterility in September last year. When this was reported to the Maharashtra state labour department, labour minister Shrawan Parate, who is also a practising medico, pursued the case personally. It was found that the infertility in the workers was caused by 2 chemicals - ethyl cellosolve and methyl cellosolve -- used in the factory. A medical examination showed that 9 workers were suffering from absence of sperms (azospermia) and the 10th from less sperms (aligospermia). The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, US, to whom the matter had been referred, also confirmed the diagnosis in March. The institute, however, said the process was reversible.

Investigations revealed that, ignoring prescribed safety stipulations, the factory workers had been using the solvent to wash their hands as they felt it was more effective than ordinary soap. Points out Parate, "The chemical vapours entered the body through the skin."