Several gastrointestinal effects have been examined with regard to a potential relationship to solvent exposure. Pancreatitis occurs when inflammation in and around the pancreas disrupts its exocrine and endocrine functions. Autodigestion (during which digestive enzymes that are normally secreted in an inactive form become activated in the pancreas and begin to digest the pancreatic tissue) is one theory of the pathogenesis of pancreatitis (Greenberger et al., 1998). Chronic pancreatitis is a persistent inflammation that can result in extensive damage. Most of the estimated 50,000–80,000 cases of acute pancreatitis annually in the United States are caused by alcohol abuse or gallstones (NIDDK, 2001). Because chronic alcohol consumption is a known risk factor in the development of pancreatitis, researchers have theorized that occupational-solvent exposure, particularly to alcohol-based solvents, could cause chronic pancreatitis.

There are few epidemiologic data on the potential gastrointestinal effects of exposure to solvents.

Yamaguchi and colleagues (1985; Sato et al., 1987) examined the association between trichloroethylene exposure and pneumatosis cystoides coli, a benign condition of the large intestine involving formation of multiple gas-filled cysts. The cases (n=13) and