| 1. |
- Anticona, Cynthia, et al.
(författare)
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Sources and risk factors for lead exposure in indigenous children of the Peruvian Amazon, disentangling connections with oil activity
- 2012
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Ingår i: International journal of occupational and environmental health. - : Maney Publishing. - 1077-3525 .- 2049-3967. ; 18:4, s. 268-277
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: In the Corrientes river basin, Peruvian Amazon, lead exposure among indigenous communities was first reported in 2006. To address controversy regarding the main source of exposure, this study aimed to identify the sources and risk factors for lead exposure among children from the communities in question, and to clarify the potential relationship with oil activity.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in six communities. Participants were children aged 0–17 years and their mothers. Data collection included blood lead levels (BLLs) and hemoglobin determination, a questionnaire on risk factors and environmental sampling. We used age-stratified multivariate regression models, with generalized estimating equation to account for correlation within households.Results: Twenty-seven percent of the children had BLLs ≧10 μg/dl. Mother's BLLs ≧10 μg/dl, playing and chewing lead scraps, fishing ≧three times/week, and living in highly oil-exposed communities increased the risk of having BLLs ≧10 μg/dl. Lead concentrations in sediment, soil, dust, and fish samples were below reference values.Conclusions: Mother's BLLs ≧10 μg/dl, playing and chewing lead scraps to manufacture fishing sinkers were the most important risk factors for children’s BLLs ≧10 μg/dl. The connection with oil activity appears to be through access to metal lead from the industry's wastes.
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| 2. |
- Arnetz, Judith E., et al.
(författare)
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Worker-on-worker Violence among Hospital Employees
- 2011
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Ingår i: International journal of occupational and environmental health. - 1077-3525 .- 2049-3967. ; 17:4, s. 328-335
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Violence toward hospital workers is an internationally recognized occupational hazard. While patients are frequently perpetrators of physical violence, other employees are often responsible for acts of nonphysical violence. However, few hospitals have systems for documenting and monitoring worker-on-worker violence. This study encompassed all incidents of worker-on-worker violence recorded by employees in a hospital system database over a six-year period. Incidence rates per 100 full-time equivalents (FTEs) and rate ratios (RR) were calculated by year, hospital, and job category. The majority (87%) of worker-on-worker incidents involved nonphysical conflict. The overall incidence rate was 1.65/100 FTEs, ranging among the six hospitals from 0.54 to 3.42/100 FTEs. Based on multivariate analysis, no single professional group was at increased risk for worker-on-worker violence. Co-worker violence threatens the well-being of hospital employees and should be regularly tracked with other forms of work-place violence so that suitable intervention programs can be implemented and assessed.
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| 3. |
- Hernandez, Danilo, et al.
(författare)
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Respiratory Symptoms among Waste-Picking Child Laborers A Cross-Sectional Study
- 2010
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Ingår i: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health. - 1077-3525. ; 16:2, s. 124-135
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study evaluates respiratory symptoms, lung function, and exposure to airborne particles among waste-picking children. We enrolled 103 waste-picking children at a dump in Managua, Nicaragua and 103 children who do not pick waste. Exposure to airborne particles was assessed by area sampling. Health data were obtained from a questionnaire, clinical examination, and spirometry. Exposure effects were evaluated with multivariate regression analysis. Exposure to particles exceeded national and international standards. Wheezing among children was related to exposure status, with waste-picking children who are both "never highly exposed" and "ever highly exposed" having greater prevalence of wheezing compared to the children who do not pick waste. FEV1 among "ever highly exposed" waste-picking children with wheeze was 13% lower than non-waste-picking children with wheeze. Exposure to small particles was unacceptably high and associated with wheeze and decreased lung function.
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| 4. |
- Khurana, Vini G, et al.
(författare)
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Epidemiological evidence for a health risk from mobile phone base stations
- 2010
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Ingår i: International journal of occupational and environmental health. - 1077-3525 .- 2049-3967. ; 16:3, s. 263-267
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Human populations are increasingly exposed to microwave/radiofrequency (RF) emissions from wireless communication technology, including mobile phones and their base stations. By searching PubMed, we identified a total of 10 epidemiological studies that assessed for putative health effects of mobile phone base stations. Seven of these studies explored the association between base station proximity and neurobehavioral effects and three investigated cancer. We found that eight of the 10 studies reported increased prevalence of adverse neurobehavioral symptoms or cancer in populations living at distances < 500 meters from base stations. None of the studies reported exposure above accepted international guidelines, suggesting that current guidelines may be inadequate in protecting the health of human populations. We believe that comprehensive epidemiological studies of long-term mobile phone base station exposure are urgently required to more definitively understand its health impact.
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| 5. |
- Kjellström, Tord, et al.
(författare)
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Climate change, workplace heat exposure, and occupational health and productivity in Central America
- 2011
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Ingår i: International journal of occupational and environmental health. - : Maney Publishing. - 1077-3525 .- 2049-3967. ; 17:3, s. 270-81
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Climate change is increasing heat exposure in places such as Central America, a tropical region with generally hot/humid conditions. Working people are at particular risk of heat stress because of the intrabody heat production caused by physical labor. This article aims to describe the risks of occupational heat exposure on health and productivity in Central America, and to make tentative estimates of the impact of ongoing climate change on these risks. A review of relevant literature and estimation of the heat exposure variable wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) in different locations within the region were used to estimate the effects. We found that heat stress at work is a real threat. Literature from Central America and heat exposure estimates show that some workers are already at risk under current conditions. These conditions will likely worsen with climate change, demonstrating the need to create solutions that will protect worker health and productivity.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Perez-Alonso, Aranzazu, et al.
(författare)
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Outbreak of silicosis in Spanish quartz conglomerate workers
- 2014
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Ingår i: International journal of occupational and environmental health. - 1077-3525 .- 2049-3967. ; 20:1, s. 26-32
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: To describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of an outbreak of occupational silicosis and the associated working conditions. Methods: Cases were defined as men working in the stone cutting, shaping, and finishing industry in the province of Cadiz, diagnosed with silicosis between July 2009 and May 2012, and were identified and diagnosed by the department of pulmonology of the University Hospital of Puerto Real (Cadiz). A census of workplaces using quartz conglomerates was carried out to determine total numbers of potentially exposed workers. A patient telephone survey on occupational exposures and a review of medical records for all participants were conducted. Results: Silicosis was diagnosed in 46 men with a median age of 33 years and a median of 11 years working in the manufacturing of countertops. Of these cases, 91.3% were diagnosed with simple chronic silicosis, with an abnormal high-resolution computerized tomography (HRCT) scan. One patient died during the study period. Employer non-compliance in prevention and control measures was frequently reported, as were environmental and individual protection failures. Conclusions: The use of new construction materials such as quartz conglomerates has increased silicosis incidence due to intensive occupational exposures, in the context of high demand fuelled by the housing boom. This widespread exposure poses a risk if appropriate preventive measures are not undertaken.
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| 8. |
- Schenk, Linda
(författare)
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Comparison of Data Used for Setting Occupational Exposure Limits
- 2010
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Ingår i: International journal of occupational and environmental health. - : Maney Publishing. - 1077-3525 .- 2049-3967. ; 16:3, s. 249-262
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It has previously been shown that occupational exposure limits (OELs) for the same substance can vary significantly between different standard-setters. The work presented in this paper identifies the steps in the process towards establishing an OEL and how variations in those processes could account for these differences. This study selects for further scrutiny substances for which the level of OELs vary by a factor of 100, focussing on 45 documents concerning 14 substances from eight standard-setters. Several of the OELs studied were more than 20 years old and based on outdated knowledge. Furthermore, different standard-setters sometimes based their OELs on different sets of data, and data availability alone could not explain all differences in the selection of data sets used by standard-setters. While the interpretation of key studies did not differ significantly in standard-setters' documentations, the evaluations of the key studies' quality did. Also, differences concerning the critical effect coincided with differences in the level of OELs for half of the substances.
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| 9. |
- Schenk, Linda
(författare)
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Comparison of Data Used for Setting Occupational Exposure Limits
- 2010
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Ingår i: International journal of occupational and environmental health. - 1077-3525 .- 2049-3967. ; 16:3, s. 249-262
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It has previously been shown that occupational exposure limits (OELs) for the same substance can vary significantly between different standard-setters. The work presented in this paper identifies the steps in the process towards establishing an OEL and how variations in those processes could account for these differences. This study selects for further scrutiny substances for which the level of OELs vary by a factor of 100, focussing on 45 documents concerning 14 substances from eight standard-setters. Several of the OELs studied were more than 20 years old and based on outdated knowledge. Furthermore, different standard-setters sometimes based their OELs on different sets of data, and data availability alone could not explain all differences in the selection of data sets used by standard-setters. While the interpretation of key studies did not differ significantly in standard-setters' documentations, the evaluations of the key studies' quality did. Also, differences concerning the critical effect coincided with differences in the level of OELs for half of the substances.
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| 10. |
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