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| 2. |
- Blanco, Luis E., et al.
(författare)
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The determinants of dermal exposure ranking method (DERM) : A pesticide exposure assessment approach for developing countries
- 2008
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Ingår i: Annals of Occupational Hygiene. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0003-4878 .- 1475-3162. ; 52:6, s. 535-544
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A new method for assessment of dermal exposure to pesticides in subsistence farmers by use of determinants of dermal exposure is described. The method, called the determinants of dermal exposure ranking method (DERM), is a combination of checklists and expert rating assessment. Thus, determinants are listed in a form, which is used to check their presence and to assess them using a simple algorithm based on two factors, the type of transport process (T value) and the area of body surface exposed (A value). In addition, the type of clothing worn during applications is included as a protection factor. We applied the DERM to real pesticide applications, characterizing dermal exposure and comparing DERM estimates with earlier developed semiquantitative visual scores based on fluorescent tracer, the total visual score (TVS) and contaminated body area (CBA). DERM showed a very good level of agreement with both the TVS (r = 0.69, P = 0.000) and the CBA (r = 0.67, P = 0.000). DERM allowed identification of the determinants that had the highest effect on exposure and the farmers with the highest exposure. In conclusion, DERM provided information on the determinants responsible for dermal exposure in a group of subsistence farmers. This can be useful to design monitoring and preventive programs, define priorities for intervention and prioritize and select most adequate measurement strategies. DERM promises to be a low-cost easy-to-use method to assess dermal exposure to pesticides in developing country conditions.
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| 3. |
- Elfman, Lena, et al.
(författare)
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Acute Health Effects on Planters of Conifer Seedlings Treated with Insecticides
- 2009
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Ingår i: Annals of Occupational Hygiene. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1475-3162 .- 0003-4878. ; 53:4, s. 383-390
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess acute health effects on planters caused by planting conifer seedlings treated with two insecticides, with active ingredients imidacloprid and cypermethrin, in comparison with untreated seedlings. Methods: The investigation was a double-blind crossover study, which included a follow-up of 19 planters over a 3-week period. During Week 1, the 19 planters handled untreated conifer seedlings while they planted imidacloprid- and cypermethrin-treated seedlings during study Week 2 and 3, respectively. Signs and symptoms of acute health effects were documented by a questionnaire, administered by the field staff, during these 3 weeks. Inflammation markers in the nasal mucous membrane were also measured as an objective test. Exposure to cypermethrin was further assessed by measuring 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) in urine. No validated biomarker was available to assess internal exposure to imidacloprid. Results: No clear, acute adverse health effects could be found in planters during the week of exposure to conifer seedlings treated with imidacloprid (Merit Forest) or cypermethrin (Forester), as compared to during the week of planting untreated seedlings. During the week of cypermethrin exposure, the individuals had 3-PBA values that were 12-54% higher (P < 0.05), depending on the worker, than those observed during the untreated week. There were no statistically significant correlations between the raised levels of 3-PBA and self-reported health problems. These results have been obtained during planting in late summer/early autumn and with good use of protective clothing. Conclusions: No clear, acute adverse health effects could be found in planters after exposure to conifer seedlings treated with imidacloprid (Merit Forest) or cypermethrin (Forester), as compared with planting untreated seedlings. The metabolite, 3-PBA, was found in low levels in urine and was increased after exposure to cypermethrin. However, no clear relationships could be found between exposure and reported symptoms or between elevated 3-PBA levels and reported symptoms.
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| 4. |
- Heiden, Marina, et al.
(författare)
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A comparison of two strategies for building an exposure prediction model
- 2016
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Ingår i: Annals of Occupational Hygiene. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0003-4878 .- 1475-3162. ; 60:1, s. 74-89
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cost-efficient assessments of job exposures in large populations may be obtained from models in which “true” exposures assessed by expensive measurement methods are estimated from easily accessible and cheap predictors. Typically, the models are built on the basis of a validation study comprising “true” exposure data as well as an extensive collection of candidate predictors from questionnaires or company data, which cannot all be included in the models due to restrictions in the degrees of freedom available for modeling. In these situations, predictors need to be selected using procedures that can identify the best possible subset of predictors among the candidates. The present study compares two strategies for selecting a set of predictor variables. One strategy relies on stepwise hypothesis testing of associations between predictors and exposure, while the other uses cluster analysis to reduce the number of predictors without relying on empirical information about the measured exposure. Both strategies were applied to the same dataset on biomechanical exposure and candidate predictors among computer users, and they were compared in terms of identified predictors of exposure as well as the resulting model fit using bootstrapped resamples of the original data. The identified predictors were, to a large part, different between the two strategies, and the initial model fit was better for the stepwise testing strategy than for the clustering approach. Internal validation of the models using bootstrap resampling with fixed predictors revealed an equally reduced model fit in resampled datasets for both strategies. However, when predictor selection was incorporated in the validation procedure for the stepwise testing strategy, the model fit was reduced to the extent that both strategies showed similar model fit. Thus, the two strategies would both be expected to perform poorly with respect to predicting biomechanical exposure in other samples of computer users.
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| 5. |
- Lillienberg, Linnea, 1942, et al.
(författare)
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Occupational Exposure and New-onset Asthma in a Population-based Study in Northern Europe (RHINE)
- 2013
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Ingår i: Annals of Occupational Hygiene. - Oxford : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0003-4878 .- 1475-3162. ; 57:4, s. 482-492
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In a large population-based study among adults in northern Europe the relation between occupational exposure and new-onset asthma was studied. The study comprised 13 284 subjects born between 1945 and 1973, who answered a questionnaire 19891992 and again 19992001. Asthma was defined as Asthma diagnosed by a physician with reported year of diagnose. Hazard ratios (HR), for new-onset adult asthma during 19802000, were calculated using a modified job-exposure matrix as well as high-risk occupations in Cox regression models. The analyses were made separately for men and women and were also stratified for atopy. During the observation period there were 429 subjects with new-onset asthma with an asthma incidence of 1.3 cases per 1000 person-years for men and 2.4 for women. A significant increase in new-onset asthma was seen for men exposed to plant-associated antigens (HR 3.6; 95% CI [confidence interval] 1.49.0), epoxy (HR 2.4; 95% CI 1.34.5), diisocyanates (HR 2.1; 95% CI 1.23.7) and accidental peak exposures to irritants (HR 2.4; 95% CI 1.34.7). Both men and women exposed to cleaning agents had an increased asthma risk. When stratifying for atopy an increased asthma risk were seen in non-atopic men exposed to acrylates (HR 3.3; 95% CI 1.47.5), epoxy compounds (HR 3.6; 95% CI 1.67.9), diisocyanates and accidental peak exposures to irritants (HR 3.0; 95% CI 1.27.2). Population attributable risk for occupational asthma was 14% for men and 7% for women. This population-based study showed that men exposed to epoxy, diisocyanates and acrylates had an increased risk of new-onset asthma. Non-atopics seemed to be at higher risk than atopics, except for exposure to high molecular weight agents. Increased asthma risks among cleaners, spray painters, plumbers, and hairdressers were confirmed.
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| 6. |
- Rezagholi, Mahmoud, et al.
(författare)
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Cost-Efficient Design of Occupational Exposure Assessment Strategies : A Review
- 2010
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Ingår i: Annals of Occupational Hygiene. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0003-4878 .- 1475-3162. ; 54:8, s. 858-868
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- When designing a strategy for collecting occupational exposure data, both economic and statistical performance criteria should be considered. However, very few studies have addressed the trade-off between the cost of obtaining data and the precision/accuracy of the exposure estimate as a research issue. To highlight the need of providing cost-efficient designs for assessing exposure variables in occupational research, the present review explains and critically evaluates the concepts and analytical tools used in available cost efficiency studies. Nine studies were identified through a systematic search using two algorithms in the databases PubMed and ScienceDirect. Two main approaches could be identified in these studies: comparisons of the cost efficiency associated with different measurement designs, and optimizations of resource allocation on the basis of functions describing cost and statistical efficiency. In either case, the reviewed studies use simplified analytical tools and insufficient economic analyses. More research is needed to understand whether these drawbacks jeopardize the guidance on cost-efficient exposure assessment provided by the studies, as well as to support theoretical results by empirical data from occupational life.
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| 7. |
- Sjöström, Mattias, et al.
(författare)
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A job-exposure matrix for occupational noise : development and validation.
- 2013
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Ingår i: Annals of Occupational Hygiene. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0003-4878 .- 1475-3162. ; 57:6, s. 774-83
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To develop a job-exposure matrix (JEM) for occupational noise in Sweden and to estimate its validity.METHODS: The JEM, developed by a group of experienced occupational hygienists, contains 321 job families with information regarding occupational noise from 1970 to 2004. The occupational noise information derives from measurements collected from different sources. The time period label has a 5-year scale starting in 1970. The estimated average 8h (TWA) noise level in decibel [dB(A)] for every 5-year period was coded either as <75 dB(A), 75-84 dB(A), or ≥85 dB(A) and the risk of peak level exposure assessed. The validity of the JEM is tested, using Svensson's non-parametric methods based on classification consensus, reached by a second group of occupational hygienists.RESULTS/DISCUSSION: Validation results show ~ 80% agreement and no systematic differences, in classification, between the two different groups of occupational hygienists, classifying the occupational noise exposure. However, classification of peak level exposure did show a systematic difference in relative position. The results will give more power to the JEM that it gives a good general estimate for the occupational noise levels in Sweden for different job families during 1970-2004. We, thus, intend to use it in further studies and also make it available to collaborators.
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| 8. |
- Svedberg, U. R. A., et al.
(författare)
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Emission of hexanal and carbon monoxide from storage of wood pellets, a potential occupational and domestic health hazard
- 2004
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Ingår i: Annals of Occupational Hygiene. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0003-4878 .- 1475-3162. ; 48:4, s. 339-349
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: The objective of the present study was to investigate and describe the emissions of volatile compounds, particularly hexanal and carbon monoxide, from large- and small-scale storage of wood pellets.Methods: Air sampling was performed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and adsorbent sampling in pellet warehouses, domestic storage rooms, lumber kiln dryers and experimental set-ups. Literature studies were included to describe the formation of hexanal and carbon monoxide and the toxicology of hexanal.Results: A geometric mean aldehyde level of 111 +/- 32 mg/m(3) was found in one warehouse, with a peak reading of 156 mg/m(3). A maximum aldehyde reading of 457 mg/m(3) was recorded at the surface of a pellet pile. Hexanal (70-80% w/w) and pentanal (10-15% w/w) dominated, but acetone (821 +/- 24 mg/m(3)), methanol (18 7 mg/m(3)) and carbon monoxide (56 +/- 4 mg/m(3)) were also found. The emissions in a domestic storage room varied with the ambient temperature and peaked after 2 months storage in the midst of the warm season. Aldehyde levels of 98 +/- 4 mg/m(3) and carbon monoxide levels of 123 +/- 10 mg/m(3) were recorded inside such storage rooms. Elevated levels of hexanal (0.084 mg/m(3)) were recorded inside domestic housing and 6 mg/m(3) in a room adjacent to a poorly sealed storage area. Experimental laboratory studies confirmed the findings of the field studies. A field study of the emissions from industrial lumber drying also showed the formation of aldehydes and carbon monoxide.Conclusions: High levels of hexanal and carbon monoxide were strongly associated with storage of wood pellets and may constitute an occupational and domestic health hazard. The results from lumber drying show that the emissions of hexanal and carbon monoxide are not limited to wood pellets but are caused by general degradation processes of wood, facilitated by drying at elevated temperature. Emission of carbon monoxide from wood materials at low temperatures (<100degreesC) has not previously been reported in the literature. We postulate that carbon monoxide is formed due to autoxidative degradation of fats and fatty acids. A toxicological literature survey showed that the available scientific information on hexanal is insufficient to determine the potential risks to health. However, the data presented in this paper seem sufficient to undertake preventive measures to reduce exposure to hexanal.
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| 9. |
- Wahlström, Jens, et al.
(författare)
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Full-Shift Trunk and Upper Arm Postures and Movements Among Aircraft Baggage Handlers
- 2016
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Ingår i: Annals of Occupational Hygiene. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0003-4878 .- 1475-3162. ; 60:8, s. 977-90
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: The present study assessed full-shift trunk and upper arm postural exposure amplitudes, frequencies, and durations among Swedish airport baggage handlers and aimed to determine whether exposures differ between workers at the ramp (loading and unloading aircraft) and baggage sorting areas.METHODS: Trunk and upper arm postures were measured using inclinometers during three full work shifts on each of 27 male baggage handlers working at a large Swedish airport. Sixteen of the baggage handlers worked on the ramp and 11 in the sorting area. Variables summarizing postures and movements were calculated, and mean values and variance components between subjects and within subject (between days) were estimated using restricted maximum likelihood algorithms in a one-way random effect model.RESULTS: In total, data from 79 full shifts (651h) were collected with a mean recording time of 495min per shift (range 319-632). On average, baggage handlers worked with the right and left arm elevated >60° for 6.4% and 6.3% of the total workday, respectively. The 90th percentile trunk forward projection (FP) was 34.1°, and the 50th percentile trunk movement velocity was 8° s(-1). For most trunk (FP) and upper arm exposure variables, between-subject variability was considerable, suggesting that the flight baggage handlers were not a homogeneously exposed group. A notable between-days variability pointed to the contents of the job differing on different days. Peak exposures (>90°) were higher for ramp workers than for sorting area workers (trunk 0.6% ramp versus 0.3% sorting; right arm 1.3% ramp versus 0.7% sorting).CONCLUSIONS: Trunk and upper arm postures and movements among flight baggage handlers measured by inclinometry were similar to those found in other jobs comprising manual material handling, known to be associated with increased risks for musculoskeletal disorders. The results showed that full-shift trunk (FP) and, to some extent, peak arm exposures were higher for ramp workers compared with sorting workers.
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