| 1. |
- Hammarstrand, Sofia, et al.
(författare)
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Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water and risk for polycystic ovarian syndrome, uterine leiomyoma, and endometriosis: A Swedish cohort study
- 2021
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Ingår i: Environment International. - : Elsevier BV. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 157
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Perfluorinated substances (PFAS) are chemicals with endocrine disruptive properties that may interfere with the female reproductive system. However, few studies have explored the association between benign gynecological diseases and high PFAS exposure. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the possible associations between PFAS exposure and subsequent diagnosis of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), uterine leiomyoma (fibroids), and endometriosis in a cohort exposed to PFAS through drinking water. Material and methods: In 2013, high levels (with sum of PFAS above 10,000 ng/L), dominated by perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), were found in the drinking water from one of the two waterworks in Ronneby, Sweden. The contamination came from firefighting foams used at a nearby airfield. Females of all ages (n = 29,106) who had ever resided in the municipality between 1985 and 2013 formed a cohort. Individual exposure was assessed based on municipality waterworks distribution data linked to annual residential address data; 27% of the females had ever lived at an address with PFAS-contaminated water. Gynecological health outcomes were retrieved from the Swedish National Patient Register. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the association between exposure and each diagnosis. Results: There were in all 161 cases of PCOS, 1,122 cases of uterine leiomyoma, and 373 cases of endometriosis. In women aged 20-50 years (n = 18,503), those with the highest estimated PFAS exposure had increased hazard ratios (HR) for PCOS (HR = 2.18; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.43, 3.34) and uterine leiomyoma (HR = 1.28; 95% CI 0.95, 1.74). No increased HR for endometriosis was found (HR = 0.74; 95% CI 0.42, 1.29). Conclusions: Exposure to high levels of PFAS in drinking water was associated with increased risk of PCOS and possibly uterine leiomyoma, but not endometriosis. The findings for PCOS are consistent with prior studies reporting positive associations between PCOS and PFAS exposure at background levels.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Andersson, Anders, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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Recreational trolling effort and catch of Atlantic salmon and brown trout in Vänern, the EU's largest lake
- 2020
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Ingår i: Fisheries Research. - : Elsevier. - 0165-7836 .- 1872-6763. ; 227
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recreational fishing has grown substantially worldwide; for some recreational fisheries both catch and economic value now exceeds that of commercial fisheries. Monitoring of recreational fisheries effort and catch is therefore important for sustainable fisheries management. We developed and implemented an angler survey to estimate effort and catch for the recreational trolling fishery for landlocked Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and brown trout (S. trutta) in Lake Vänern, Sweden. Major challenges were the large spatial scale and dispersed fishing effort, a lack of revenue from fishing licence sales, and a lack of catch reporting requirements. We developed a complemented roving/mail-in survey to estimate effort and catch during the main fishing periods, spring and fall, 2014. Instantaneous counts from major access sites were used for effort estimates, and mail-in surveys were used for catch rates. Our results show that Vänern supports a salmon and trout fishery of some 28.7 ± 3.3 tonnes per year. Fishing effort was higher in the spring than in the fall, and there were seasonal differences in catch rates for trout but not for salmon. Estimates show that the recreational trolling fishery now harvests more salmon and trout annually than do the commercial and subsistence fisheries combined. This highlights the importance of continuing an angler survey program for Vänern as a key element for sustainable fisheries management, and can serve as a model for other recreational fisheries at large spatial scales.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Andersson, Eva, 1957, et al.
(författare)
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Vem är folkhögskolans studieomdömen bra för?
- 2000
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Ingår i: Paper presenterat vid Mimers årliga forskarkonferens, Eskilstuna, 7-8 november 2000..
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Neitzel, R. L., et al.
(författare)
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Comparison of Multiple Measures of Noise Exposure in Paper Mills
- 2016
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Ingår i: Annals of Occupational Hygiene. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0003-4878 .- 1475-3162. ; 60:5, s. 581-596
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Noise exposures are associated with a host of adverse health effects, yet these exposures remain inadequately characterized in many industrial operations, including paper mills. We assessed noise at four paper mills using three measures: (i) personal noise dosimetry, (ii) area noise measurements, and (iii) questionnaire items addressing several different aspects of perceived noise exposure. We assessed exposures to noise characterized using the three measures and compared the relationships between them. We also estimated the validity of each of the three measures using a novel application of the Method of Triads, which does not appear to have been used previously in the occupational health literature. We collected 209 valid dosimetry measurements and collected perceived noise exposure survey items from 170 workers, along with 100 area measurements. We identified exposures in excess of 85 dBA at all mills. The dosimetry and area noise measurements assigned to individual subjects generally showed good agreement, but for some operations within mill, large differences between the two measures were observed, and a substantial fraction of paired measures differed by > 5 dB. Perceived noise exposures varied greatly between the mills, particularly for an item related to difficulty speaking in noise. One perceived noise exposure item related to difficulty hearing due to noise showed strong and significant correlations with both dosimetry and area measurements. The Method of Triads analysis showed that dosimetry measures had the highest estimated validity coefficient (0.70), and that the best performing perceived exposure measure had validity that exceeded that of area measurements (0.48 versus 0.40, respectively). Workers in Swedish pulp mills have the potential for exposures to high levels of noise. Our results suggest that, while dosimetry remains the preferred approach to exposure assessment, perceived noise exposures can be used to evaluate potential exposures to noise in epidemiological studies.
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| 8. |
- Neitzel, R. L., et al.
(författare)
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Development of a Job Exposure Matrix for Noise in the Swedish Soft Tissue Paper Industry
- 2018
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Ingår i: Annals of Work Exposures and Health. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 2398-7308 .- 2398-7316. ; 62:2, s. 195-209
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: Noise exposure is a common occupational hazard, but has not been sufficiently characterized in paper mills. We developed a job-exposure matrix (JEM) for noise exposure for use in estimating exposures among Swedish soft tissue paper mill workers.& para;& para;Methods: We used a combination of area and personal dosimetry noise exposure measurements made at four soft tissue paper mills by industry and research staff between 1977 and 2013 to estimate noise exposures by department, location, and job title. We then utilized these estimates, in conjunction with information on process and facility changes and use of hearing protection collected via focus groups, to create a seven-category, semi-quantitative JEM for all departments, locations, and job titles spanning the years 1940-2010.& para;& para;Results: The results of the 1157 area and personal dosimetry noise measurements indicated that noise levels have generally declined in Swedish paper mills over time, though these changes have been neither uniform nor monotonic within or across the four mills. Focus group results indicated that use of hearing protection has generally increased over time. The noise JEM totals 1917 cells, with each cell representing a unique combination of operation, job title, and single year. We estimated that -50% of workers at the four mills assessed were exposed at or above the Swedish 8-h average noise exposure limit of an 85 dBA at the conclusion of the study period in 2010.& para;& para;Conclusions: Our results highlight the continuing need for hearing loss prevention and noise control efforts at these and similar mills, and the completed JEM now represents a tool for use in epidemiological studies of noise-related health outcomes.
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| 9. |
- Neitzel, Richard L, et al.
(författare)
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Dust Exposures in Swedish Soft Tissue Paper Mills.
- 2022
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Ingår i: Annals of work exposures and health. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 2398-7316 .- 2398-7308. ; 66:1, s. 14-26
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Paper dust has previously been linked to adverse health effects. However, a comprehensive dataset of paper dust exposures does not appear to have been published previously. Our study was intended to address this need by describing a large dataset of measurements made in Swedish soft tissue paper mills.We compiled personal and area total dust exposure measurements collected from a range of operations by our research staff at four soft tissue paper mills in Sweden. We also compiled measurements made by the occupational health staff at each mill and the Swedish Work Environment Authority. We analyzed these measurements to describe patterns and trends in exposures and used mixed-effects regression models to identify measurement characteristics that predicted exposure levels.We compiled 1578 measurements from 1971 to 2009, of which 1026 (65%) were personal samples. Statistically significant differences were found between measurements made by research, mill, and Swedish Work Environment Authority staff, as well as between personal and area measurements. The measurement data suggest that, beginning in the 1980s, exposures declined at three of the four mills, but that overexposures were still common at the end of the period. Papermaking and converting operations had the highest observed dust exposures. One mill had significantly lower exposures than the others. Type of measurement (personal versus area) and source of measurement (research staff, company, or regulatory agency) were not significant predictors of measured total dust exposure after controlling for mill, operation, and time.Our analysis of measured paper dust exposures may be useful for historical and contemporary exposure assessment in our own and other epidemiological studies. We have identified specific characteristics (i.e. papermaking operations and mill) and time trends that are important data features to consider, and documented continuing overexposure situations. Our results highlight the ongoing need for application of exposure controls to reduce paper dust exposures in the soft tissue paper industry.
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| 10. |
- Olin, Anna-Carin, 1960, et al.
(författare)
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Prevalence of asthma and exhaled nitric oxide are increased in bleachery workers exposed to ozone.
- 2004
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Ingår i: The European respiratory journal : official journal of the European Society for Clinical Respiratory Physiology. - 0903-1936. ; 23:1, s. 87-92
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aims of the present study were to determine whether exposure to high peaks of ozone resulted in an increased prevalence of asthma or respiratory symptoms among bleachery workers and whether nitric oxide (NO) was elevated in the exhaled air of these workers. Bleachery workers (n=228) from three Swedish pulp mills who had been exposed to ozone, together with 63 unexposed control subjects, were investigated by means of spirometry, Phadiatop, exhaled and nasal NO and answers to a questionnaire concerning respiratory symptoms and exposure. Exposure to an ozone peak that gave rise to respiratory symptoms was defined as a "gassing". Bleachery workers reporting four or more gassings involving ozone had an increased prevalence of adult-onset asthma, wheeze, and current asthma symptoms. They also had a higher median concentration of exhaled NO in comparison with those who reported no such gassings (19.2 versus 15.7 parts per billion). No such associations were found in respect of nasal NO. The results from this study show that bleachery workers who have been repeatedly exposed to ozone gassings have an increased prevalence of adult-onset asthma. The results also indicate exhaled nitric oxide may be a marker of airway inflammation in bleachery workers who have been exposed to high peaks of ozone.
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