The article presents results of longstanding studies on influence of occupational physical factors on workers health. Experimental and nature studies helped to justify basic concepts of sensory conflict theory, a trigger of occupational disease formation. Patients having occupational disease present disorders of cortex-subcortex relationships on diencephal level, central and peripheral regulatory mechanisms, central sensory mechanisms participation in pathologic processes development, changes in vegetative regulation on cerebral level, demyelination and axon demyelination changes in peripheral nerves of upper and lower limbs. Findings are also changes in central nervous, peripheral nervous systems, endocrine, immune systems, severe emotional negative strain and high level of nervous system excitation, perivascular edema in brain cortex of experimental animals. Based on key principles of the theory, the authors specified and tested new methods of treatment and prevention of occupational diseases caused by physical factors, aimed to unblock the sensory conflict.

The article covers retrospective evaluation of workplace air pollution with mercury in caustic production, and mercury content of swabs from coveralls and of biologic materials in the workers under study. The highest mercury content of biologic materials (blood, hair) was seen in workers of electrolysis workshop and mercury-containing sludge regeneration workshop. The authors revealed correlation between individual value of exposure to mercury and mercury content of biologic materials.

Prospective cohort study covered individuals with preclinical and clinical stages, in early and remote periods of chronic mercurial intoxication and intact workers with length of service over 5 years. Tests included levels of serotonine, histamine, dophamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine and their metabolites (normetanephrine and metanephrine). Increased level of norepinephrine at clinical stage of mental sphere disorders was partially compensated by its transformation into normetanephrine and not associated with increase in its metabolites levels at early stage of chronic mercury intoxication. Remote period of the intoxication was characterized also by increased levels of dophamine, serotonine and histamine.

Stationary medical examination covered chemical production workers (47 individuals) with long length of service, exposed to metallic mercury vapors, and patients in remote stage of chronic mercury intoxication (51 individuals). The examination included registration of somatosensory evoked potentials and levels of neuronal antibodies. Analysis of results helped to reveal relationship between intensity of structural disorders involving central afferent conduction tracts and changes in levels of auto-antibodies to S-100 proteins, general myelin protein, myelin-associated glycoprotein - that can indicate general neurodegeneration process in central structures. Level of neuronal antibodies can serve as a unique marker of demyelination intensity of central conduction tracts under exposure to neurotoxic chemicals and considerably decrease cost of examination during regular medical checkup.

To differentiate cognitive disorders in toxic (mercurial) and alcohol encephalopathy, the authors determined peculiarity of mental disorders in patients with toxic encephalopathie of various origins. Discriminant analysis helped to evaluate totality of informative neurophysiologic and psychologic parameters to assign patients to a group with cognitive disorders due to mercurial toxic encephalopathy or to a group with that due to alcohol encephalopathy.

The article presents results of histologic and immunohistochemical examination of nerve tissue of outbred white rats subjected over 9 days to nanobiocomposite containing nanoparticles of silver and natural biopolymer arabinogalactane. Exposure to the studied chemical was proved to cause structural and functional changes in nervous tissue. Comparing results of structural study of nervous tissue with expression of proteins caspase-3 and bcl-2 proves ability of nanosilver incapsulated into polymer matrix to penetrate through blood-brain barrier and induce apoptosis in neurons of brain cortex.

Ambient air of aluminium production appeared to contain over thirty pollutants. Identification and quantitative evaluation of these pollutants are very difficult. Nature of occurring mixtures and their physical and chemical aggregate state remain unclear. Topical problem is to expand a list of detectable components via contemporary chemical analytic studies.

The authors studied potential and actual health risks for adult population of Shelekhov town. Production of aluminium and crystalline silicon is characterized by high general toxicity and increased risk of respiratory and immune disorders. Health risk for industrial workers is 2 times higher than that for general population.

The studies prove that local vibration in workers alters parameters of immune, nervous, endocrine systems interconnected and demonstrating pathologic process degree. Findings are that workers with long length of service, having no health disorders, increased CNTF level is associated with high TSH, increased IgG level is connected with ACTH growth. In vibration disease, increase of neurospecific protein S-100ß is associated with lower level of T₄. Increase of anti-inflammatory IL-4 is accompanied by high level of T₃ - that can prove disbalance in main regulatory systems (immune, nervous, endocrine).

The indices of working conditions and occupational morbidity are analyzed in 5 economic branches of Russian Federation in 2004-2013. The official statistical data of Rosstat and Rospotrebnadzor are used. The growth of proportion of working in conditions that do not meet hygienic requirements is noted. The change of occupational morbidity structure is revealed while maintaining the overall level. This requires further analysis with quantitative assessment of trends.