| 1. |
- Forsberg, Bertil, et al.
(författare)
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Daily air pollution levels and acute asthma in southern Sweden
- 1998
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Ingår i: European Respiratory Journal. - Copenhagen : Munksgaard Forlag. - 0903-1936 .- 1399-3003. ; 12:4, s. 900-905
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study aimed to investigate the association between daily air pollution levels and the occurrence of acute respiratory signs and symptoms among people with asthma or asthma-like problems.Thirty eight subjects in the southern Swedish city of Landskrona kept a daily diary for 10 weeks. The daily prevalence of symptoms, supplementary bronchodilator use and peak flow deviations were compared with measurements of environmental nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide, temperature and humidity in the city.The occurrence of severe asthma, both during the day and during the evening, was significantly positively associated with the concurrent 24 h average concentration of NO2, which never exceeded 72 microg x m(-3). A correlation of borderline significance was found between the use of on-demand medication and the NO2 level. However, peak flow deviations were not associated with air pollution or weather conditions, which may be explained by the beneficial effect of bronchodilators used by 28 of the subjects.The results of this study confirm those of some earlier studies and suggest that aggravation of asthma is related to daily variations in air quality, as indicated by relatively low ambient concentrations of nitrogen dioxide. These results also indicate that it may be appropriate to examine severe asthma symptoms separately.
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| 2. |
- Forsberg, Bertil, et al.
(författare)
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People can detect poor air quality well below guideline concentrations : a prevalence study of annoyance reactions and air pollution from traffic
- 1997
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Ingår i: Occupational and Environmental Medicine. - : BMJ. - 1351-0711 .- 1470-7926. ; 54:1, s. 44-48
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: Motor vehicle exhaust fumes are the main source of atmospheric pollution in cities in industrialised countries. They cause respiratory disease and annoy people exposed to them. The relation between ambient exposure to air pollution mainly from motor vehicles and annoyance reactions in a general population was assessed. Also, the importance of factors such as age, sex, respiratory disease, access to the use of a car, and smoking habits on the reporting of these reactions was studied.METHODS: A postal questionnaire was sent out in 55 urban areas in Sweden that had nearly identical air quality monitoring stations of the urban air monitoring network. From each area, 150 people aged 16-70 were randomly selected. The questionnaire contained questions on perception of air quality as well as a question on how often exhaust fumes were annoying.RESULTS: Six-monthly nitrogen dioxide concentrations correlated consistently with the prevalence of reported annoyance related to air pollution and traffic exhaust fumes. Black smoke and sulphur dioxide had no significant effects. The frequency of reporting annoyance reactions was higher among people with asthma, women, and people with lack of access to a car.CONCLUSIONS: In this study town dwellers could detect poor air quality at concentrations well below current guidelines for outdoor air pollution. This suggests that questionnaire studies have a place in monitoring air quality.
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| 3. |
- Forsberg, Bertil, et al.
(författare)
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Prevalence of respiratory and hyperreactivity symptoms in relation to levels of criteria air pollutants in Sweden
- 1997
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Ingår i: European Journal of Public Health. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1101-1262 .- 1464-360X. ; 7:3, s. 291-296
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Our knowledge of the adverse health effects from exposure to low levels of air pollution is still insufficient. Early indicators, such as respiratory symptoms, need more attention. We made use of the fact that possible weak effects can be detected more easily when the relevant exposure and other determinants are well controlled. A postal questionnaire was sent to random samples of inhabitants registered as residing in the Vicinity of 55 centrally located air quality monitoring stations in Swedish towns. There were 6,109 questionnaires (76%) returned. Multivariate analyses with confounding control were used to examine the effects of different levels of criteria pollutants on the prevalence of symptoms. The ranges of the half year values were 9-32 and 2-16 mu g/m(3) for nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide respectively. Logistic regression analyses showed higher risks for respiratory problems such as coughs, throat irritation and nose irritation among the persons most exposed, The associations were most obvious for nitrogen dioxide exposure among women. The suggested effects of air pollution exposure cannot be medically evaluated today but they are nevertheless interesting since they are found within common levels usually considered to be safe.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Lundström, Nils-Göran, et al.
(författare)
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Cumulative lead exposure : relationship to mortality and lung cancer morbidity in a cohort of smelter workers
- 1997
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health. - : Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health. - 0355-3140 .- 1795-990X. ; 23:1, s. 24-30
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the mortality and cancer incidence of long-term lead smelter workers at a primary smelter.Methods: A cohort of 3979 workers employed for at least 1 year during 1928-1979 and a subcohort of 1992 workers employed in lead-exposed departments (lead only workers) was formed. The expected mortality in 1955-1987 and cancer incidence in 1958-1987 were calculated relative to the county rates, specified for cause, gender, 5-year age groups, and calendar year. A cumulative blood-lead index was used for the dose-response analyses.Results: The lung cancer incidence of the total cohort [standardized incidence ratio (SIR) 2.8, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 2.1-3.8] and the group with the highest exposure (SIR 3.1, 95% CI 2.0-4.6) was high. Similar risk estimates were observed with a latency of 15 years. The workers hired before 1950 had higher lung cancer risk estimates (SIR 3.6, 95% CI 2.6-5.0) than the workers hired later (SIR 1.3, 95% CI 0.6-2.6, no latency period). The risk estimates for lung cancer were further elevated in the subcohort of lead-only workers (SIR 5.1, 95% CI 2.0-10.5 in the highest exposed subgroup; latency period of 15 years). No excesses of other malignancies were noted.Conclusions: The increased relative risks were probably mainly due to interactions between lead and other carcinogenic exposures, including arsenic. Further study is required concerning such possible interactions before a role in the induction of lung cancer can be ascribed to lead.
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| 6. |
- Sandström, Monica, 1946-, et al.
(författare)
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Skin symptoms among VDT workers and electromagnetic-fields : a case-referent study
- 1995
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Ingår i: Indoor Air. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0905-6947 .- 1600-0668. ; 5:1, s. 29-37
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Th is case referent study is a part of the Office illness Project in Northern Sweden. From a questionnaire study among 5986 office workers, 75 VDT workers with self-reported facial skin symptoms and the same number of referents were selected for this study. The environmental electric and magnetic fields in the office as well as electromagnetic fields associated with the VDT at the workplace were measured, The aim of this part of the project was to explore the role of the measured electromagnetic parameters in relation to skin symptoms. For most of the measured parameters there was no difference between cases and referents. However, more cases than referents were found in the highest exposure group for two of the measured parameters. Fm the background electric field in the mom the relative risk in terms of crude odds ratio (OR) was 3.0 (95% CI: 1.2-7.2) for the high exposed group (greater than or equal to 31 V/m) compared with the lowest group (less than or equal to 10 V/m). The same comparison for the magnetic field in the ELF-range (greater than or equal to 0.30 mu T vs less than or equal to 0.145 mu T) in front of the VDT gave an OR of 2.7(95% CI: 1.0-6.9).
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| 7. |
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