| 1. |
- Eriksson, Kåre, et al.
(författare)
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Tape-stripping as a method for measuring dermal exposure to resin acids during wood pellet production
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Environmental Monitoring. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1464-0325 .- 1464-0333. ; 10:3, s. 345-352
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purpose of this study was to develop a sensitive and specific method for quantifying dermal exposure to the resin acids 7-oxodehydroabietic acid (7-OXO), dehydroabietic acid (DHAA), abietic acid ( AA), and pimaric acid (PA). In addition the method was evaluated in occupational settings during production of wood pellets. Tape-strips were spiked with the substances to evaluate the recovery of the acids from the tape. The removal efficiency of the tape was assessed by tape-stripping a specified area on a glass plate spiked with resin acids. The recovery of the acids from human skin in vivo was evaluated by applying acids in methanol onto the skin of volunteers. Occupational dermal exposure to the resin acids was assessed by tape-stripping the skin of workers involved in the production of wood pellets. The resin acids were analyzed by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The limit of detection was 15 pg (7-OXO), 150 pg ( DHAA), 285 pg ( AA) and 471 pg ( PA) per injection. The recovery from spiked tapes was in general 100%. The removal efficiency of the tape was 48-101%. Recovery tests from human skin in vivo showed a mean recovery of 27%. Quantifiable amounts of resin acids were observed on four different skin areas with an increase in exposure during a work shift. This study shows that occupational dermal exposure to resin acids can be assessed by tape-stripping and quantified by LC-MS.
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| 2. |
- Hagström, Katja, 1975-, et al.
(författare)
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Exposure to wood dust, resin acids and volatile organic compounds during production of wood pellets
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene. - Philadelphia, PA : Taylor and Francis. - 1545-9624 .- 1545-9632. ; 5:5, s. 296-304
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The main aim of this study was to investigate exposure to airborne substances that are potentially harmful to health during the production of wood pellets, including wood dust, monoterpenes, and resin acids, and as an indicator of diesel exhaust nitrogen dioxide. In addition, area measurements were taken to assess background exposure levels of these substances, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and carbon monoxide. Measurements were taken at four wood pellet production plants from May 2004 to April 2005. Forty-four workers participated in the study, and a total of 68 personal measurements were taken to determine personal exposure to wood dust (inhalable and total dust), resin acids, monoterpenes, and nitrogen dioxide. In addition, 42 measurements of nitrogen dioxide and 71 measurements of total dust, resin acids, monoterpenes, VOCs, and carbon monoxide were taken to quantify their indoor area concentrations. Personal exposure levels to wood dust were high, and a third of the measured levels of inhalable dust exceeded the Swedish occupational exposure limit (OEL) of 2 mg/m3. Parallel measurements of inhalable and total dust indicated that the former were, on average, 3.2 times higher than the latter. The data indicate that workers at the plants are exposed to significant amounts of the resin acid 7-oxodehydroabietic acid in the air, an observation that has not been recorded previously at wood processing and handling plants. The study also found evidence of exposure to dehydroabietic acid, and exposure levels for resin acids approached 74% of the British OEL for colophony, set at 50 microg/m3. Personal exposure levels to monoterpenes and nitrogen dioxide were low. Area sampling measurements indicated that aldehydes and terpenes were the most abundant VOCs, suggesting that measuring personal exposure to aldehydes might be of interest. Carbon monoxide levels were under the detection limit in all area measurements. High wood dust exposure levels are likely to have implications for worker health; therefore, it is important to reduce exposure to wood dust in this industry.
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| 3. |
- Lindström, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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Impact of different aspects of social participation and social capital on smoking cessation among daily smokers: a longitudinal study.
- 2003
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Ingår i: Tobacco Control. - : BMJ. - 1468-3318 .- 0964-4563. ; 12:3, s. 274-281
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To investigate differences in different aspects of social participation and social capital among baseline daily smokers that had remained daily smokers, become intermittent smokers, or stopped smoking at one year follow up. Design/setting/participants/measurements: 12 507 individuals, aged 45–69 years, interviewed at baseline between 1992 and 1994 and at a one year follow up were investigated in this longitudinal study. The three groups of baseline daily smokers were compared to the reference population (baseline intermittent smokers and non-smokers) according to different aspects of social participation and social capital. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to assess differences in different aspects of social participation and social capital. Results: The baseline daily smokers that remained daily smokers at the one year follow up had significantly increased odds ratios of non-participation in study circles in other places than at work, meeting of organisations other than unions, theatre/cinema, arts exhibition, church, sports events, large gatherings of relatives, and private parties compared to the reference population. The baseline daily smokers that had become intermittent smokers at the one year follow up had significantly increased odds ratios of non-participation in church services. The baseline daily smokers that had stopped smoking had increased odds ratios of non-participation in having attended a meeting of organisations other than labour unions during the past year, having been to a theatre or cinema, and of having visited an arts exhibition during the past year. All three categories of baseline daily smokers had significantly decreased odds ratios of non-participation in night club/entertainment. Conclusions: The baseline daily smokers that had remained daily smokers at the one year follow up had particularly high rates of non-participation compared to the reference population in both activities specifically related to social capital, such as other study circles, meetings of organisations other than labour unions, and church attendance and cultural activities such as theatre/cinema and arts exhibition, although significantly lower participation in cultural activities and meetings of other organisations was also observed among daily smokers that had stopped smoking. All three baseline daily smoker groups had higher rates of having visited a night club during the past year.
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| 4. |
- Hedman, Linnea, et al.
(författare)
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Agreement between parental and self-completed questionnaires about asthma in teenagers
- 2005
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Ingår i: Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. - : Wiley. - 0905-6157 .- 1399-3038. ; 16:2, s. 176-181
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In studies of asthma in children, a common method is for the parents to complete questionnaires about their child's asthma symptoms. With longitudinal studies of asthma, children reach an age when they can complete the questionnaire themselves. The aim of this paper was to compare the prevalence of asthma symptoms as well as the agreement between responses to an asthma questionnaire completed by teenagers and their parents. As a part of the Obstructive Lung Disease in Northern Sweden Study (OLIN) pediatric study, where 3345, 13-14-yr-old children completed an asthma questionnaire, 294 (84%) randomly selected parents also completed the questionnaire, which included the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire. There were no significant differences in the prevalence of wheeze in the last 12 months, ever asthma, or physician diagnosed asthma as reported by the parents compared with the teenagers. However, the teenagers reported a significantly higher prevalence of wheeze during or after exercise. The absolute agreement was generally very high while the level of agreement (kappa-value) was slightly lower. The highest results in both absolute agreement and kappa-value, were reached by the questions on diagnosis of asthma (98.9% and 0.93), use of asthma medicines (95.5% and 0.78), and whether the child ever had had asthma (97.2% and 0.86), respectively. In conclusion, the agreement between the parents' and the teenagers' responses to the asthma questionnaire was good. The change in methodology from parental to self-completion of the questionnaire did not affect the results in the study.
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| 5. |
- Lindgren, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Traffic exposure associated with allergic asthma and allergic rhinitis in adults. A cross-sectional study in southern Sweden.
- 2009
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Ingår i: International Journal of Health Geographics. - 1476-072X. ; 8:May 6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: There is conflicting evidence that traffic-related air pollution is a risk factor for allergic conditions. Few studies have investigated this in adults. In adults, a high proportion of asthma, rhinitis and eczema is triggered by non-allergic factors. We investigated traffic as a risk factor for allergic versus non-allergic asthma and rhinitis, and eczema, in adults. A questionnaire from 2000 (n = 9319, 18-77 years) provided individual data about disease outcome and self-reported traffic exposure. Additional exposure assessments were obtained using Geographical Informations Systems (GIS). Residential addresses were linked to the national Swedish Road Database and to a pollutant database with modelled annual means of NOx (Nitrogen Oxids). RESULTS: Living within 100 m from a road with a traffic intensity of >10 cars/min (24 hour mean) was associated with prevalence of current asthma reported to be triggered by allergic factors (OR = 1.83, 95% CI = 1.23-2.72) and with allergic rhinitis (OR = 1.30, 95%CI = (1.05-1.61). No relation was seen with asthma or rhinitis triggered by other factors. Living within 100 m of a road with >10 cars/min was also associated with hand-eczema during the last 12 months (OR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.19-2.23), but not with allergic eczema or diagnosed hand-eczema. Consistent results were seen using self-reported traffic, but the associations with NOx were less consistent. CONCLUSION: Exposure to traffic was associated with a higher prevalence of allergic asthma and allergic rhinitis, but not with asthma or rhinitis triggered by non-allergic factors. This difference was suggested by the overall pattern, but only clear using GIS-measured traffic intensity as a proxy for traffic exposure. An association was also found with hand-eczema during the last 12 months. We suggest that asthma and rhinitis should not be treated as homogenous groups when estimating effects from traffic in adults.
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| 6. |
- Lindgren, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Traffic-related air pollution associated with prevalence of asthma and COPD/chronic bronchitis. A cross-sectional study in Southern Sweden
- 2009
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Ingår i: International Journal of Health Geographics. - 1476-072X. ; 8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: There is growing evidence that air pollution from traffic has adverse long-term effects on chronic respiratory disease in children, but there are few studies and more inconclusive results in adults. We examined associations between residential traffic and asthma and COPD in adults in southern Sweden. A postal questionnaire in 2000 (n = 9319, 18-77 years) provided disease status, and self-reported exposure to traffic. A Geographical Information System (GIS) was used to link geocoded residential addresses to a Swedish road database and an emission database for NOx. Results: Living within 100 m of a road with > 10 cars/minute (compared with having no heavy road within this distance) was associated with prevalence of asthma diagnosis (OR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.04-1.89), and COPD diagnosis (OR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.11-2.4), as well as asthma and chronic bronchitis symptoms. Self-reported traffic exposure was associated with asthma diagnosis and COPD diagnosis, and with asthma symptoms. Annual average NOx was associated with COPD diagnosis and symptoms of asthma and chronic bronchitis. Conclusion: Living close to traffic was associated with prevalence of asthma diagnosis, COPD diagnosis, and symptoms of asthma and bronchitis. This indicates that traffic-related air pollution has both long-term and short-term effects on chronic respiratory disease in adults, even in a region with overall low levels of air pollution.
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| 7. |
- Dellve, Lotta, 1965, et al.
(författare)
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“Making it work in the frontline” explains female home care workers´ defining, recognising, communicating and reporting of occupational disorders.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Qualitative Studies On Health And Wellbeing. - Abingdon : Informa UK Limited. - 1748-2623 .- 1748-2631. ; 3:3, s. 176-184
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Epidemiological research has so far failed to explain the high incidence of occupational disorders among home care workers (HCWs) and the great differences in organizational incidence rate. A qualitative approach may contribute to a deeper understanding of work group reasoning and handling in a more contextual manner. The aim of this grounded theory study was to gain a deeper understanding of the main concern in the processes of recognizing, communicating and reporting occupational disorders among HCWs. Focus group interviews were conducted with 40 HCWs in 9 focus groups. The selected municipalities represented variations in municipality type and incidence rate of occupational disorders. Making it work in the frontline was identified as the core category explaining that the perceived work situation in home care work was the main concern but interacted with work-group socialising processes as well as with the communicability and derivability of the occupational disorder when defining and reporting occupational disorders. Complex problems could be reformulated and agreed within the workgroup to increase communicability. Described significances for reporting/non-reporting were related to financial compensation, to a part of organizational political game or to an existential uncertainty, i.e. questioning if it belonged to their chosen work and life. Our conclusion is that working situation and work group attitudes have importance for reporting of occupational disorders. To support work-related health for HCWs, integrating communication should be developed about work-related challenges in work situation, as well as about attitudes, culture and efficiency within work-group.
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| 8. |
- Eklund, Mona, et al.
(författare)
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Outcomes of activity-based assessment (BIA) compared with standard assessment in occupational therapy
- 2008
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy. - : Informa Healthcare. - 1103-8128 .- 1651-2014. ; 15:4, s. 196-203
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study was aimed at investigating the outcomes of an activity-based assessment (BIA) compared with standard assessment (SA) for evaluating clients undergoing psychiatric occupational therapy. Patients admitted to a psychiatric occupational therapy unit were randomized into the BIA or the SA assessment. The outcome indicators were (a) clients' satisfaction with the occupational therapy during the assessment period, (b) clients' awareness of capacities and occupational problems, (c) satisfaction with the assessment among the referring physicians, and (d) outcomes of the intervention following the assessment, in terms of changes in occupational performance and satisfaction. The groups did not differ in awareness of occupational problems, but the BIA group was more satisfied than the SA group with the support of their contact person and with the group leader during the period of assessment. Furthermore, physicians receiving feedback on patients in the BIA group were more satisfied than those receiving feedback on patients in the SA group. However, the groups did not differ concerning change during the treatment period in occupational performance or satisfaction. Thus, there was no difference between the assessment methods regarding the outcomes of the treatment following assessment. Minor advantages from the patients' perspective were found, in terms of better satisfaction in the BIA group, and from the referring physicians' perspective the BIA clearly seemed more satisfying than the SA. Thus, the findings showed that the BIA possessed better qualities than the SA regarding the indicators pertaining to satisfaction, but not concerning awareness of capacities and problems or the outcome of the subsequent treatment.
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| 9. |
- Axmon, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Fertility among female hairdressers.
- 2006
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Ingår i: Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health. - 0355-3140. ; 32:1, s. 51-60
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The study investigated whether working as a hairdresser has a negative impact on fertility, measured as time to pregnancy and miscarriage risk.
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| 10. |
- Björklund, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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The assessment of symptoms and functional limitations in low back pain patients : validity and reliability of a new questionnaire
- 2007
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Ingår i: European spine journal. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0940-6719 .- 1432-0932. ; 16:11, s. 1799-1811
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Many of the existing low back pain (LBP) questionnaires of function and symptoms have a content of different domains of disability presented as a single sum score, making it difficult to derive changes within a specific domain. The present study describes the development of a clinically derived back-specific questionnaire incorporating both a functional limitation and a symptom scale, with a further subdivision of the symptom scale in separate indices for severity and temporal aspects. The aims of the study were to assess the overall reliability and validity of the new questionnaire, named the Profile Fitness Mapping questionnaire (PFM). A total of 193 chronic LBP patients answered the PFM together with five validated criterion questionnaires. For the internal consistency of the questionnaires, the three indices of the PFM had the highest Cronbach's alpha (0.90-0.95) and all items had item-total correlations above 0.2. The correlation coefficients between the PFM and the back-specific criterion questionnaires ranged between 0.61 and 0.83, indicating good concurrent criterion validity. The best discriminative ability between patients with different pain severities was demonstrated by the functional limitation scale of the PFM. Well centered score distribution with no patient's score at the floor or the ceiling level indicates that the PFM has the potential to detect the improvement or worsening of symptoms and functional limitations in chronic LBP patients. Classification according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and health (ICF) of WHO revealed a high degree of homogeneous item content of the symptom scale to the domain of impairments, and of the functional limitation scale to the domain of activity limitations. The present study suggests that the PFM has a high internal consistency and is a valid indicator of symptoms and functional limitations of LBP patients. It offers the combination of a composite total score and the possibility of evaluations within specific domains of disability. Complementary evaluation of test-retest reliability and responsiveness to change is warranted.
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