| 1. |
- Andersson, Lena, et al.
(författare)
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Exposure assessment and modeling of quartz in Swedish iron foundries for a nested case-control study on lung cancer
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene. - Philadelphia : Taylor & Francis. - 1545-9624 .- 1545-9632. ; 9:2, s. 110-119
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Exposure assessment of quartz in Swedish iron foundries was performed based on historical and present measurement data. To evaluate the exposure response relationship between quartz exposure and lung cancer, we modeled quartz exposure from our database of measurements using determinants job title, time period and company. Based on these modeled exposure data, we conducted a nested case– control evaluation.In our database, the overall individual daily time-weighted average (TWA) quartz concentrations of current and historical data varied between 0.0018 and 4.9 mg/m3, averaging 0.083 mg/m3. The job titles with mean TWAs for the whole study period exceeding the European Union recommended occupational exposure limit of 0.05 mg/m3 were fettlers (0.087 mg/m3), furnace and ladle repair (0.42 mg/m3) and maintenance (0.054 mg/m3) workers.The mixed model analysis demonstrated significant determinants on the job level for furnace and ladle repair (β=4.06; 95% CI 2.78-5.93). For all jobs significantly higher exposure levels occurred only during the first time period, 1968-1979 (β=2.08; 95% CI 1.75-2.47), and a decreasing but not significant trend was noted for the three following 10 year time periods up to 2006 (β=1.0, 0.96 and 1, respectively). Two iron foundries had significantly higher quartz concentration levels than the others (β=1.31; 95% CI 1.00-1.71 and β=1.63; 95% CI 1.00-2.65, respectively). The individual cumulative quartz exposure measures were categorized in low, medium and high exposure (0.5-<1, 1-1.9 and ≥2 mg/m3 *years, respectively).In the nested case-control analysis, we found the highest odds ratios of lung cancer (OR 1.17; 95% CI 0.53-2.55) for the medium exposure group. No dose– response trend or significantly increased risk was determined for our high exposed group (≥2 mg/m3), representing 40 years of exposure at >0.05 mg/m3 of quartz. To conclude, certain foundry workers are still exposed to high levels of quartz, but an increased risk of lung cancer caused by quartz exposure in these Swedish iron foundries could not be confirmed at our exposure levels.
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| 2. |
- Andersson, Lena, et al.
(författare)
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Quartz and dust exposure in Swedish iron foundries
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene. - Philadelphia, PA : Taylor & Francis. - 1545-9624 .- 1545-9632. ; 6:1, s. 9-18
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Exposure to respirable quartz continues to be a major concern in the Swedish iron foundry industry. Recommendations for reducing the European occupational exposure limit (EU-OEL) to 0.05 mg/m3 and the corresponding ACGIH® threshold limit value (ACGIH-TLV) to 0.025 mg/m3 prompted this exposure survey. Occupational exposure to respirable dust and respirable quartz were determined in 11 Swedish iron foundries, representing different sizes of industrial operation and different manufacturing techniques. In total, 436 respirable dust and 435 respirable quartz exposure measurements associated with all job titles were carried out and are presented as time-weighted averages. Our sampling strategy enabled us to evaluate the use of respirators in certain jobs, thus determining actual exposure. In addition, measurements using real-time dust monitors were made for high exposure jobs. For respirable quartz, 23% of all the measurements exceeded the EU-OEL, and 56% exceeded the ACGIH-TLV. The overall geometric mean (GM) for the quartz levels was 0.028 mg/m3, ranging from 0.003 to 2.1 mg/m3. Fettler and furnace and ladle repair operatives were exposed to the highest levels of both respirable dust (GM = 0.69 and 1.2 mg/m3; range 0.076-31 and 0.25-9.3 mg/m3 and respirable quartz (GM = 0.041 and 0.052 mg/m3; range 0.004-2.1 and 0.0098-0.83 mg/m3. Fettlers often used respirators and their actual quartz exposure was lower (range 0.003-0.21 mg/m3, but in some cases it still exceeded the Swedish OEL (0.1 mg/m3. For furnace and ladle repair operatives, the actual quartz exposure did not exceed the OEL (range 0.003-0.08 mg/m3, but most respirators provided insufficient protection, i.e., factors less than 200. In summary, measurements in Swedish iron foundries revealed high exposures to respirable quartz, in particular for fettlers and furnace and ladle repair workers. The suggested EU-OEL and the ACGIH-TLV were exceeded in, respectively, 23% and 56% of all measurements regardless of the type of foundry. Further work on elimination techniques to reduce quartz concentrations, along with control of personal protection equipment, is essential.
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| 3. |
- Bloom, Erica, et al.
(författare)
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Molds and mycotoxins in indoor environments — a survey in water-damaged buildings
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1545-9624 .- 1545-9632. ; 6:11, s. 671-678
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mycotoxins are toxic, secondary metabolites frequently produced by molds in water-damaged indoor environments. We studied the prevalence of selected, potent mycotoxins and levels of fungal biomass in samples collected from water-damaged indoor environments in Sweden during a 1- year period. One hundred samples of building materials, 18 samples of settled dust, and 37 samples of cultured dust were analyzed for: (a) mycoflora by microscopy and culture; (b) fungal chemical marker ergosterol and hydrolysis products of macrocyclic trichothecenes and trichodermin (verrucarol and trichodermol) by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry; and (c) sterigmatocystin, gliotoxin, aflatoxin B1, and satratoxin G and H by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Sixty-six percent of the analyzed building materials samples, 11% of the settled dust samples, and 51% of the cultured dust samples were positive for at least one of the studied mycotoxins. In addition, except in the case of gliotoxin, mycotoxin-positive building material samples contained 2,6 times more ergosterol than mycotoxin-negative samples. We show that (a) molds growing on a range of different materials indoors in water-damaged buildings generally produce mycotoxins, and (b) mycotoxincontaining particles in mold-contaminated environments may settle on surfaces above floor level. The mass spectrometry methods used in this study are valuable tools in further research to survey mycotoxin exposure and investigate potential links with health effects. © 2009 JOEH, LLC.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Elihn, Karine, et al.
(författare)
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Exposure to Ultrafine Particles in Asphalt Work
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1545-9624 .- 1545-9632. ; 5, s. 771-779
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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| 7. |
- Gerger, Heike, et al.
(författare)
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Exposure to hand-arm vibrations in the workplace and the occurrence of hand-arm vibration syndrome, Dupuytren’s disease, and hypothenar hammer syndrome. A systematic review and meta-analysis
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1545-9624 .- 1545-9632. ; 20:7, s. 257-267
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study provides an overview on the relationships between exposure to work-related, hand-arm vibration and the occurrence of pre-defined disorders of the hands. We searched Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Central, and PsycINFO for cross-sectional and longitudinal studies on the association between work-related vibration exposure and the occurrence of hand-arm vibration syndrome (including vibration-induced white finger), Dupuytren’s contracture, or hypothenar hammer syndrome. We used a 16-item checklist for assessing risk of bias. We present results narratively, and we conducted random effects meta-analyses if possible. We included 10 studies with more than 24,381 participants. Our results showed statistically significant associations between the exposure to hand-arm vibrations and the occurrence of the selected disorders, with pooled odds ratios ranging between 1.35 (95% CI: 1.28 to 2.80) and 3.43 (95% CI: 2.10 to 5.59). Considerable between-study hetereogeneity was observed. Our analyses show that exposure to vibrating tools at work is associated with an increased risk for the occurrence of selected disorders of the hands. Due to the majority of studies being cross-sectional, no firm conclusion is possible regarding causal relationships between vibration exposure and disorder occurrence. Future research should specifically address whether reducing the exposure to hand-held vibrating tools at work reduces the incidence of the disorders of the hands investigated in this systematic review.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Gummesson, Karl, et al.
(författare)
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Short-term variation in occupational exposure to air contaminants
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1545-9624 .- 1545-9632. ; 12:5, s. 294-301
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Many industrial workers are exposed to air contaminants. A significant proportion of this exposure is found to occur as short peaks, a fact that has received limited attention in the literature. The present study focuses on short-term variation in air contaminant exposure measured at the level of seconds, linking exposure peaks to typical work situations in selected Swedish industries. The video exposure monitoring method was used to characterize this variation. Ten different videos were analyzed, from recordings varying in length between 15 and 34 minutes. Cumulative exposure for sampling intervals ranked from high to low, relative to the total exposure was calculated as a function of time. Measures of exposure variation included geometric standard deviation and maximum exposure divided by arithmetic mean. The results show that the characteristics of the variation differ between industrial situations. Samples from the stone, wood, and pharmaceutical industries generated the highest variation, implying that exposure peaks of short duration explain a large proportion of the total exposure. It can be concluded that video monitoring of exposure, combined with calculation of exposure variation as percentage of time accounting for given percentages of exposure, can help to reduce exposure to air contaminants in industrial situations by introducing more targeted control measures.
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| 10. |
- Hagberg, Stig, et al.
(författare)
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Exposure to volatile methacrylates in dental personnel.
- 2005
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Ingår i: Journal of occupational and environmental hygiene. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1545-9624 .- 1545-9632. ; 2:6, s. 302-6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Dental personnel are exposed to acrylates due to the acrylic resin-based composites and bonding agents used in fillings. It is well known that these compounds can cause contact allergy in dental personnel. However, in the 1990s, reports emerged on asthma also caused by methacrylates. The main volatile acrylates in dentistry are 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and methyl methacrylate. The aim of this study was to quantify the exposure to these acrylates in Swedish dental personnel. We studied the exposure to 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and methyl methacrylate in five randomly selected public dental clinics and at the Faculty of Odontology at G?teborg University. In total, 21 whole-day and 46 task-specific short-term (1-18 min) measurements were performed. The median 8-hour time-weighted averages were 2.5 microg/m3 (dentists) and 2.9 microg/m3 (dental nurses) for 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and 0.8 microg/m3 (dentists) and 0.3 microg/m3 (dental nurses) for methyl methacrylate. The maximum short-term exposure levels were 79 microg/m3 for 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and 15 microg/m3 for methyl methacrylate, similar in dentists and dental nurses. The observed levels are much lower than in complete denture fabrication. We found only one previous study in dentistry and it showed similar results (though it reported short-term measurements only). Irritant effects would not be expected in healthy people at these levels. Nevertheless, occupational respiratory diseases due to methacrylates may occur in dental personnel, and improvements in the handling of these chemicals in dentistry are warranted. This includes better vials for the bonding agents and avoiding evaporation from discarded materials.
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