Abstract des Autors

Objective: Racquets used in table tennis are composed of rubber-covered coatings which can be changed when damaged: they are unglued and new ones are pasted in place. The present survey documents the health risk presented to "clean" glue by a prospective study involving 300 competitors in the Lorraine region (eastern France). Results: Seven questionnaires were omitted. Of the 293 subjects (254 males, 39 females, mean aged 24.2 years), 143 reported having used glue and 130 being exposed to passive glue inhalation. (One player said he adds trichlorethylene to his glue to improve it). Of the 143 users, 24% reported having expericenced clinical symptoms related to glue exposure (headache, eye irritation, etc) and of the 130 non-users, 18% also reported having experienced clinical symptoms. Conclusions: The clinical signs described either by users or by non-users should be better documented by an epidemiologic survey, regardless if "clean" glues seem harmless to athletes over a long term period. Verf.-Referat