| 51. |
- Ragnebro, Oskar, et al.
(författare)
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Chloroform exposure in air and water in Swedish indoor swimming pools : urine as a biomarker of occupational exposure
- 2023
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Ingår i: Annals of Work Exposures and Health. - : Oxford University Press. - 2398-7308 .- 2398-7316. ; 67:7, s. 876-885
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- INTRODUCTION: Disinfection by-products are produced in water disinfected with chlorine-based products. One such group is trihalomethanes, and chloroform is the most abundant trihalomethane in swimming pool areas. Chloroform can be absorbed by inhalation, ingestion, and dermal absorption, and is classified as possibly carcinogenic.AIM: To investigate if chloroform concentrations in air and water affect the chloroform concentration in urine samples of exposed swimming pool workers. METHODS: Workers from 5 adventure indoor swimming pools carried personal chloroform air samplers and provided up to 4 urine samples during one workday. Chloroform concentrations were analyzed with a linear mixed model analysis to investigate a possible correlation between air and urine concentrations.RESULTS: The geometric mean chloroform concentration was 11 μg/m3 in air and 0.009 µg/g creatinine in urine among individuals with ≤2 h at work, 0.023 µg/g creatinine among those with >2-5 working hours, and 0.026 µg/g creatinine in the group with >5-10 working hours. A risk of higher levels of chloroform in urine was associated with longer hours at work (≤2 h versus >5-10 h, odds ratio [OR] 2.04, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.25-3.34), personal chloroform concentrations in air (≤17.00 µg/m3 versus >28.00 µg/m3, OR 9.23, 95% CI 3.68-23.13) and working at least half the working day near the swimming pools (OR 3.16, 95% CI 1.33-7.55). Executing work tasks in the swimming pool water was not associated with higher chloroform concentrations in urine compared to only working on land (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.27-2.45).CONCLUSION: There is an accumulation of chloroform concentrations in urine during a workday and a correlation between personal air and urine concentrations of chloroform among workers in Swedish indoor swimming pools.
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| 52. |
- Ricklund, Niklas, 1979-, et al.
(författare)
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Occupational Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Including Aldehydes for Swedish Hairdressers
- 2023
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Ingår i: Annals of Work Exposures and Health. - : Oxford University Press. - 2398-7308 .- 2398-7316. ; 67:3, s. 366-378
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Working as a professional hairdresser involves the daily usage of many different hair treatment products containing chemicals in complex mixtures. Exposure may induce symptoms in the airways and on the skin. In this study, exposure of hairdressers to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including aldehydes, was measured in the personal breathing zone in the spring of 2017. The study included 30 hairdressers evenly distributed over ten hair salons in the town of Örebro, Sweden. Work tasks and indoor climate were also surveilled. A hazard index (HI) based on chronic reference values for health was calculated to indicate combined exposure risk. In total, 90 VOCs, including nine aldehydes, were identified. Individual exposure expressed as a total concentration of VOCs (TVOCs) were in the range of 50-3600 µg/m3 toluene equivalent (median 460 µg/m3) and the HI was in the range 0.0046-13 (median 0.9). Exposure was more strongly influenced by variability among hairdressers than among salons. The HI indicated an increased risk of non-carcinogenic effects (HI ≥ 1) at four of the 10 hair salons. Individual working procedures, ventilation, volumetric usage of hair treatment products, certain chemicals in products (formaldehyde, isopropanol, and 2,4- and 2,6-toluene diisocyanate), and availability of reference values may have affected estimates of exposure risks. Nevertheless, the HI may be suitable as a screening tool to assess potential exposure risk posed to hairdressers since it considers the complexity of chemical mixtures and the chronic component of VOC exposure occurring in all indoor environments.
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| 53. |
- Ricklund, Niklas, et al.
(författare)
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Self-reported symptoms in Swedish hairdressers and association with exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including aldehydes
- 2023
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Ingår i: BMC Public Health. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 1471-2458. ; 23:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Working as a hairdresser involves combined exposure to multiple chemicals in hair treatment products that may induce symptoms in airways and skin.METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, perceived symptoms among Swedish hairdressers at 10 hair salons were surveyed through a questionnaire. Associations with personal exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including aldehydes, and their corresponding hazard index (HI), based on the estimated risk for non-cancer health effects, were examined. The prevalence of four out of 11 symptoms was compared to available reference datasets from two other studies of office workers and school staff.RESULTS: All 11 surveyed symptoms were reported among the hairdressers (n = 38). For the whole study group, the most prevalent symptoms were dripping nose (n = 7) and headache (n = 7), followed by eczema (n = 6), stuffed nose (n = 5), cough (n = 5) and discomfort with strong odors (n = 5). Significant relationships between exposure and symptoms were scarce. The exception was total VOC (TVOC) exposure adjusted to worked years in the profession; a difference was observed for any symptom between hairdressers in the group with 20 + years compared to 0-5 years in the profession (logistic regression, OR 0.03, 95% CI 0.001-0.70). Out of the four symptoms available for comparison, the prevalence of headache and cough was significantly higher in hairdressers than in controls (OR 5.18, 95% CI 1.86-13.43 and OR 4.68, 95% CI 1.17-16.07, respectively).CONCLUSIONS: Adverse health effects related to occupation was common among the hairdressers, implying a need for exposure control measures in hair salons. Symptoms of headache and cough were more frequently reported by hairdressers than staff in offices and schools. A healthy worker effect among the hairdressers was indicated in the group with 20 + years compared to 0-5 years in the profession. Significant relationships between measured exposure and symptoms were scarce but gave information about advantages and disadvantages of the different exposure measures. The study design could be improved by increasing the size of the study population, using a better match of reference data and increasing the applicability and representability over time of the measured exposure.
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| 54. |
- Saers, Johannes, 1975-, et al.
(författare)
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Occupational Dust Exposure as a Risk Factor for Developing Lung Function Impairment
- 2024
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Ingår i: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 1076-2752 .- 1536-5948. ; 66:3, s. e93-e98
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: Dust exposure is high in several industries. We investigated associations of exposure in paper mills, wood pellet plants and iron foundries with lung function impairment.METHODS: Respirable silica, inhalable paper dust or inhalable wood dust were collected in personal samples and spirometry was performed. Multiple linear regression analyzed associations with FEV1%pred and FVC%pred.RESULTS: Wood pellet workers with high exposure to inhalable dust had lower FEV1%pred (95%CI) (-9.4(-16,-2.6)) and FVC%pred (-9.8(-15,-4.0)) compared with lowest exposure level. Workers at paper mills and foundries had no dose-dependent association but lower FEV1%pred and FVC%pred than in workers at wood pellets plants.CONCLUSIONS: Increased exposure to inhalable wood dust is associated with decreased lung function. Foundry and paper mill workers have generally lower lung function than wood pellet workers. Spirometry should be considered in workers in industries with airborne particulate matter pollution.
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| 55. |
- Sjöström, Ylva, 1974-, et al.
(författare)
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Exposure to phthalates and DiNCH among preschool children in Sweden : Urinary metabolite concentrations and predictors of exposure
- 2023
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Ingår i: International journal of hygiene and environmental health (Print). - : Urban & Fischer. - 1438-4639 .- 1618-131X. ; 250
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Several plasticizing chemicals induce endocrine disrupting effects in humans, and the indoor environment is suggested to be a source of exposure. As children are particularly vulnerable to the effects from exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), it is essential to monitor exposure to EDCs such as phthalates and non-phthalate plasticizers in indoor environments intended for use by children. The aim of this study was to assess everyday plasticizer exposure among preschool-aged children in Sweden by measuring urinary plasticizer metabolite concentrations. In addition, it was investigated whether the concentrations would be altered as a result of the children spending part of the day at preschool, in comparison with weekend exposure, when they may spend more time in home environments or engage in various weekend and leisure activities. For this purpose, fourteen metabolites from eight phthalates (di-ethylhexyl phthalate, DEHP; di-n-butyl phthalate, DnBP; di-isobutyl phthalate, DiBP; butyl-benzyl phthalate, BBzP; di-iso-nonyl phthalate, DiNP; di-propylheptyl phthalate, DPHP; di-iso-decyl phthalate, DiDP; and di-ethyl phthalate, DEP) and one non-phthalate plasticizer (di-isononyl cyclohexane 1,2-dicarboxylate, DiNCH) were measured in 206 urine samples collected at four occasions, i.e. twice during the winter and twice during the spring from 54 children (mean 5.1 years, SD 0.94) enrolled at eight preschools in Sweden. A detection frequency (DF) of 99.9% for the 14 metabolites indicates a widespread exposure to plasticizers among children in Sweden. Compared to previous Swedish and international studies performed during approximately the same time period, high urinary concentrations of monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP), a metabolite from the strictly regulated BBzP, were measured in this study (median 17 ng/mL). Overall, high urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations were observed in this study compared to the US CDC-NHANES from the same time period and similar age-group. Compared to European studies, however, similar concentrations were observed for most metabolites and the urinary concentrations from few participating children exceeded the human biomonitoring guidance values (HBM-GV) for children. After days with preschool attendance, lower urinary concentrations of metabolites originating from DEP and phthalates that are strictly regulated within the EU REACH legislation (DEHP, DnBP, and DiBP) and higher concentrations of metabolites originating from DiNP, DPHP, and DiDP, i.e. less or non-regulated phthalates were found compared the urinary concentrations of these metabolites in weekends. This may indicate that factors in the indoor environment itself are important for the extent of the plasticizer exposure. All the analyzed metabolites were measured in lower concentrations in urine collected from children attending preschools built or renovated after the year 2000, while no seasonal differences were observed in this study.
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| 56. |
- Svartengren, Magnus, et al.
(författare)
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Cancer Incidence Among Hardmetal Production Workers : The Swedish Cohort
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. - Philadelphia, USA : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 1076-2752 .- 1536-5948. ; 59:12, s. e365-e373
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The cancer incidence was determined for 3713 workers from three plants from 1958 to 2011. The exposure measures were ever/never exposed, duration, cumulative, and mean cobalt concentrations.The incidence of all malignant neoplasms was increased at one plant, but standardized incidence ratio (SIR) was 0.96 for all workers. Lung cancer incidence was increased for all workers, SIR 1.38 (1.01 to 1.85). The lung cancer incidence was associated with shorter employment time and showed no exposure-response. There was decreased incidence for skin cancer. Increased lip cancer incidence found at one of the production plants might be related to diagnostic intensity.Lung cancer incidence showed no correlation to cobalt exposure based on internal comparison. The increased SIR for all workers might be associated with other factors.
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| 57. |
- Thorneus, Erik, et al.
(författare)
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Occupational Exposure to Metalworking Fluid and the Effect on Health Symptoms-An Intervention Study
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. - : LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. - 1076-2752 .- 1536-5948. ; 63:10, s. E667-E672
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Exposure to metalworking fluid has been shown to cause health problems among workers. The aim of this study was to compare health outcomes and levels of exposure among workers exposed to metalworking fluid before and after the implementation of preventive measures. The frequencies of self-reported symptoms, as well as the concentrations of measured substances were lower after the implementation of preventive measures. Logistic regression showed statistically significant differences in the report of irritations, a stuffy or runny nose, eye irritation, a hoarse or dry throat, and a cough with odds ratios of 0.31 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.21 to 0.47), 0.12 (95% CI 0.05 to 0.29), 0.13 (95% CI 0.06 to 0.28), and 0.24 (95% CI 0.12 to 0.46), respectively. This confirms the efficiency of the performed intervention and highlights the importance of eliminating the recirculation of contaminated air.
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| 58. |
- Vihlborg, Per, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
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Association between vibration exposure and hand-arm vibration symptoms in a Swedish mechanical industry
- 2017
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Ingår i: International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics. - : Elsevier. - 0169-8141 .- 1872-8219. ; 62, s. 77-81
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Work with vibrating tools is common in many industries. Exposure to hand-arm vibrations is associated with a risk of hand injury in the form of: Vascular disorders, nerve malfunction, and effects on the musculoskeletal system. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of hand-arm vibration symptoms among employees at a mechanical company, as well as to follow-up with patients presenting symptoms and evaluate the effects of certain proposed measures. We found that 21% of the employees were judged to have vibration-related problems even though the exposure to vibrations was judged to be relatively low. There seems to be an over-representation of Carpal tunnel syndrome among participants; this may suggest that ergonomic conditions at the investigated company, such as grinding with flexed wrists, are unfavorable.Relevance to industry: Regular screening for early signs of vibration-related damage, even if workers are subject to only moderate vibration exposure, is an important part of preventing the aggravation of health problems.
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| 59. |
- Vihlborg, Per, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Hand-Arm Vibration : A Swedish National Registry Case-Control Study
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 1076-2752 .- 1536-5948. ; 64:3, s. 197-201
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To investigate the increased risk for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in men and women with hand-arm vibration (HAV) exposure.DESIGN: Case-control study of CTS where 4396 cases was obtained from National Outpatient Register between 2005 through 2016. Cases were matched to controls and exposure was estimated using a job exposure matrix.RESULTS: Exposure to HAV increased the risk of CTS with an OR of 1.61 (95% CI 1.46-1.77). The risk was highest in men <30 years of age and among women <30 years no increased risk was observed. The risk increased with a mean year exposure above 2.5 m/s2 to OR 1.84 (95% CI 1.38-2.46).CONCLUSIONS: HAV exposure increase the risk of CTS in both genders, with highest risk increase in younger men. This emphasize identification of HAV exposure in patients with CTS.
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| 60. |
- Vihlborg, Per, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
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Risk of sarcoidosis and seropositive rheumatoid arthritis from occupational silica exposure in Swedish iron foundries : a retrospective cohort study
- 2017
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Ingår i: BMJ Open. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 2044-6055. ; 7:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To study the impact of occupational silica exposure on the incidence rates of sarcoidosis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a cohort of exposed workers in Swedish iron foundries.DESIGN: The prevalence of sarcoidosis and RA in a cohort of silica exposed workers was compared with the prevalence in the general Swedish population in this register study. A mixed model was used to calculate silica exposure, and individual silica exposures were used to compute dose responses.SETTING: Personnel records from 10 iron foundries were used to identify workers whose employment began before 2005 which was then linked to the national non-primary outpatient visits register.PARTICIPANTS: The final cohort consisted of 2187 silica-exposed male workers who had been employed for at least 1 year and were still alive without having emigrated when the follow-up study began. The cohort's employment period covers 23 807 person-years at risk.MAIN OUTCOME: The presented results indicate that moderate to high levels of silica exposure increase risks for sarcoidosis and seropositive RA.RESULTS: Mean levels of airborne silica dust in the foundries decreased significantly between the 1970s and 2000s. Incidence rates of sarcoidosis (3.94; 95% CI 1.07 to 10.08) and seropositive RA (2.59; 95% CI 1.24 to 4.76) were significantly higher among highly exposed individuals.CONCLUSION: Our results reveal increased risks for sarcoidosis and seropositive RA among individuals with high exposure to silica dust (>0.048 mg/m(3)) compared with non-exposed and less-exposed groups.
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