邻苯二甲酸二辛酯对作业工人的影响

目的 探讨邻苯二甲酸二酯(以下简称DOP)对作业工人的影响。方法 对126名接触DOP的工人和112名健康对照者进行健康检查及现场劳动卫生学调查。结果 车间空气中邻苯二甲酸二辛酯平均浓度在0.09～3.85 mg/m~3;接触组工人症状和体征阳性率、生物化学、胸部X线检查及心电图与对照组的差异均无显著性。结论 未发现DOP对接触工人有不良影响。     

硬质聚氨酯泡沫塑料职业性危害的调查

报道:通过对某厂硬质聚氨酯泡沫塑料防腐保温油管车间的调查,发现车间空气中多次甲基多苯基多异氰酸酯(PAPI)浓度为0.12～7.80mg/m~3,二月桂酸二丁基锡浓度为0.13～0.97mg/m~3,1,1,2—三氯—1,2,2—三氯乙烷(F113)浓度为85.00—1149.50mg/m~3对直接从事生产的54名工人(接触组)进行了体检,同时以不接触毒物的工人51名作为对照组,进行了对比分析,其结果,未发现急慢性中毒病人,但神经衰弱、粘膜刺激及胸闷、胸痛等症状的发生率明显高     

职业性长期接触氯仿对接触者的健康损害

本文对61名接触氟仿工人和23名无明显毒物接触史的对照组工人进行了初步的职业流行病学调查研究。作业车间空气中氯仿浓度的几何均数分别为13.40和29.51mg/m~3。接触工人的健康检查结果表明,29.51 mg/m~3的浓度可引起接触者乏力、嗜睡等症状检出率增高及肝脏合成蛋白的能力降低,表现为血清前白蛋白、转铁蛋白含量异常率明显高于对照组(分别为46.8%vs13%,76.6%vs43.5%)。以血清BUN含量为指标,未发现肾脏功能受损。初步认为,若以30mg/m~3为长期慢性接触氟仿的阈浓度,取1.5～2.0的安全系数,氟仿的最高容许浓度应在15～20 mg/m~3。并建议对血清前白蛋白、转铁蛋白含量测定作为慢性中毒性肝病的应用价值进行进一步的研究。     

低浓度二硫化碳对接触女工月经的影响

本文对337名接触二硫化碳浓度为1.72—14.80mg/m~3 的女工及397名非接触女工1964—1985年间月经情况进行了回顾性前瞻调查。接触组月经异常发病率为35.85％,较对照组(18.21％)显著增高。将接触浓度按低于10m g/m~3 和高于10mg/m~3 分组,发现低于10mg/m~3组女工月经异常率已明显高于对照组,发病率与浓度间呈接触水平-反应关系。分析时平衡了有关混杂因素的影响。     

血清甘胆酸浓度对接触联苯-联苯醚工人肝功能的评价

作者以26名接触联苯—联苯醚(导生A)工人空腹血清甘胆酸(CG)浓度同常规肝功能进行比较,并以24名非接触导生A健康工人为对照。测得车间内导生A平均浓度4.83±6.46mg/m~3,接触者CG平均浓度7.61±4.16μmol/L较对照组4.09±2.88μmol/L明显为高,差异有显著性(P<0.01),而两组肝酶活性及胆虹素浓度相似,接触组工人中69%CG超过5.65μmol/L(正常上限值),相反对照组中超过上限值的仅有17%。结果提示导生A对肝脏有潜在毒性,并对目前导生A车间MAC7mg/m~3提出疑问。本文建议血清胆汁酸可作为职业性接触肝毒物质者的生物学监测指标。     

生产过程中合成洗涤剂粉尘对工人免疫系统的影响

作者为研究合成洗涤剂(CMC)成品粉尘对健康工人的作用特征,调查了阿克拉某洗涤剂厂。该厂产品主要成分是烷基磺酸钠。各车间粉尘浓度超过10 mg/m~3,以包装车间(9.25～17.6 mg/m~3)和成品库(15.2～36.8 mg/m~3)浓度较高。工人主诉有周期性皮肤搔痒、手部皮肤干裂、咳嗽、鼻咽干痒等,绝大多数工人患有上呼吸道和皮肤疾患。作者从包装车间(整班接触)选60名健康女工作研究对象,以30名不接触CMC的女工为对照。两组平均     

长期接触低浓度氯气对工人健康的影响

作者调查了生产氯气的化工厂中隔膜室的工人353人,按专业工龄分成二组:A组220名,工龄为10～20年,B组133名.工龄小于10年.年龄23～52岁(平均42.4岁)。电解车间空气中氯气的浓度在2.6～11mg/m~3之间(平均为4.82±0.36mg/m~3)。目前中国的阈限值为1mg/m~3。对照组共192名,均选择于与接触组同一工厂但不接触氯气的工人。年龄26～55(平均39.7     

苯乙烯作业工人外周血淋巴细胞微核测定

对90(男56,女34)名苯乙烯作业工人和80(男52,女28)名年龄、工龄相似的非接触苯乙烯工人进行了外周血淋巴细胞微核测定。接触苯乙烯平均浓度在65.1mg/m~3的为接触1组;31.3mg/m~3的为接触2组。结果显示:接触1组微核检出率为2.83‰,     

氯丁二烯对作业工人生殖影响的调查

调查了生产氯丁橡胶工人265名,其中已婚男性218人,已婚女工47人,接触工龄都在2年以上。车间空气氯丁二烯浓度近年11—59mg/m~3(最高容许浓度2mg/m~3)。对照组为某食品厂的84名男工和142名女工。接触组女工月经异常率46.8％,显著高     

甲苯对作业工人听力改变的调查

目的探讨甲苯对作业工人听力改变的影响.方法选择接触甲苯超标组(浓度＞100mg/m3)和未超标组(浓度＜100mg/m3)的作业工人各50名,对照组为不接触甲苯作业工人50名,进行纯音测定.结果超标组的甲苯浓度(264.42±36.99)mg/m3,未超标组甲苯的浓度(66.60±14.11)mg/m3;超标组发生听力异常率36%,对照组为4%,两组比较差异有显著性(P＜0.01),超标组与未超标组(16%)比较差异亦有显著性(P＜0.05);超标组听力异常出现的频率范围主要在2～6 kHz,并且听力下降率有随工龄增加而升高的趋势.结论职业性长期接触浓度超标甲苯对作业工人的听力可能有一定的影响.     

Calcium intake in the elderly: validation of a dietary questionnaire

Epidemiological studies of calcium and osteoporosis have been hampered by the lack of a suitable tool for assessing calcium intake. This report describes a new frequency and amount questionnaire for measuring present and past calcium intake in the elderly. The validity of the questionnaire was tested against two commonly used standards of dietary assessment, five-day duplicate diets and seven-day weighed dietary inventories. The resulting correlation coefficients were, respectively, r = 0.76 and r = 0.69, while that for repeatability was r = 0.84. Furthermore, the questionnaire categorized subjects into thirds of the distribution of intake with almost no gross misclassification. It is suggested that the present findings may be extended to the majority of normal, healthy elderly subjects, implying wide application for the questionnaire in the assessment of calcium intake in the elderly.     

The occurrence of antimicrobial substances in toilet,sink and shower drainpipes of clinical units: A neglected source of antibiotic residues

Antibiotics represent one of the most important drug groups used in the management of bacterial infections in humans and animals. Due to the increasing problem of antibiotic resistance, assurance of the antibacterial effectiveness of these substances has moved into the focus of public health. The reduction in antibiotic residues in wastewater and the environment may play a decisive role in the development of increasing rates of antibiotic resistance. The present study examines the wastewater of 31 patient rooms of various German clinics for possible residues of antibiotics, as well as the wastewater of five private households as a reference.To the best of our knowledge, this study shows for the first time that in hospitals with high antibiotic consumption rates, residues of these drugs can be regularly detected in toilets, sink siphons and shower drains at concentrations ranging from 0.02?μg·L^?1 to a maximum of 79?mg·L^?1. After complete flushing of the wastewater siphons, antibiotics are no longer detectable, but after temporal stagnation, the concentration of the active substances in the water phases of respective siphons increases again, suggesting that antibiotics persist through the washing process in biofilms. This study demonstrates that clinical wastewater systems offer further possibilities for the optimization of antibiotic resistance surveillance.     

Self-reported health problems among Swedish miners one year after unemployment

Unemployment is considered to be a public health concern sincedeterioration in the health of the unemployed is often anticipated.However, for some groups, such as miners, unemployment mightimprove health due to a cessation of potentially harmful occupationalexposures. This study evaluates the health of 79 miners in oneSwedish iron-ore mine, and 226 age-matched controls from thegeneral population, during one year after the closure of themine. The participants received a questionnaire regarding medicalhistory and subjective symptoms at the beginning of the studyperiod, and after one year. Statistically significant negativeeffects on self-reported health attributable to unemploymentwere not found, although neuropsychiatric symptoms were morecommon among the unemployed miners. The miners reported a statisticallysignificant improvement in grip force (p=0.031). They had asignificantly higher prevalence of symptoms associated withmining related exposures when compared with the population controls;pain in the upper extremities [relative risk (RR)=2.27, 95%confidence interval (Cl)=1.44–3.59), back pain (RR=1.84;Cl=1.237–2.75), vasospastic disease of the fingers (RR=2.05;Cl=1.18–3.57) and obstructive respiratory symptoms (attacksof dyspnea and wheezing: RR=3.67; Cl=1.167–11.6).     

Excès de cas humains et animaux de tularémie en France au cours de l’hiver 2007–2008 : émergence ou phénomène isolé ?

Context

Tularemia is a zoonosis affecting humans and hares in France. We describe the results of surveillance in both species, in 2007 and 2008.

Methods

Human tularemia cases are mandatorily notifiable in France since 2003. In hares, surveillance relies on volunteer hunter associations in all districts of the country. Data from mandatory reports and volunteer surveillance in 2007/2008 were analyzed and compared with previous results.

Results

In 2007/2008, 144 cases were reported in humans and 117 cases in hares. This was a 100% increase compared to previous years. Human cases differed from those of previous years only by the frequency of contact with breeding animals. Human cases without any documented risk exposure were also more frequent.

Conclusion

An increase of tularemia cases occurred in 2007/2008 in both species. Complementary studies are needed to identify the species reservoir in France to understand the causes of this peak of cases.     

Occupational health hazards in mining: an overview

This review article outlines the physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic and psychosocial occupational health hazards of mining and associated metallurgical processes. Mining remains an important industrial sector in many parts of the world and although substantial progress has been made in the control of occupational health hazards, there remains room for further risk reduction. This applies particularly to traumatic injury hazards, ergonomic hazards and noise. Vigilance is also required to ensure exposures to coal dust and crystalline silica remain effectively controlled.     

Manufacture and use of nanomaterials: current status in the UK and global trends

This paper provides an overview of the production and use of nanomaterials (NMs), particularly in the UK. Currently, relatively few companies in the UK are identifiable as NM manufacturers, the main emphasis being the bulk markets in metals and metal oxides, and some niche markets such as carbon nanotubes and quantum dots. NM manufacturing in the UK does not reflect the global emphasis on fullerenes, nanotubes and fibres. Some assumptions have been made about the types of NM that are likely to be imported into the UK, which currently include fullerenes, modified fullerenes and other carbon-based NMs including nanotubes. Many university departments, spin-offs and private companies have developed processes for the manufacture of NMs but may only be producing small quantities for research and development (R&D) purposes. However, some have the potential to scale up to produce large quantities. The nanotechnology industry in the UK has strong R&D backup from universities and related institutions. This review has covered R&D trends at such institutions, and appropriate information has been added to a searchable database. While several companies are including NMs in their products, only a few (e.g. manufacturers of paints, coatings, cosmetics, catalysts, polymer composites) are using nanoparticles (NPs) in any significant quantities. However, this situation is likely to change rapidly. There is a need to collect more information about exposure to NPs in both manufacturing and user scenarios. As the market grows, and as manufacturers switch from the micro- to the nanoscale, the potential for exposure will increase. More research is required to quantify any risks to workers and consumers.     

深圳公立医院管理体制改革制度设计

深圳公立医院管理体制改革实行政事分开、管办分开,在理事会架构下按法定机构模式组建市医管中心,落实公立医院运营管理自主权.作者从当前公立医院管理体制的弊端入手,介绍了深圳市进行公立医院管理体制改革的基本思路及改革方案设计的主要举措,深入剖析了的改革方案的特点,并对改革效果进行了预测.     

Effects of nitrogen dioxide on red blood cells of rats: Changes in components of red cell membranes during in vivo exposure to NO2

Red cell membranes, prepared from red blood cells of rats exposed to 4, 10, or 20 ppm nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) for 1 to 10 days, were examined for evidence of changes in membrane components. Appreciable changes were not found in contents of phospholipid and cholesterol during exposure to 10 ppm NO₂. By contrast, protein content altered with the time of exposure. Moreover, changes in protein composition were observed by employing sodium dodecyl sulfate — polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Twenty-four-hour exposure to NO₂ at the concentration above 10 ppm resulted in a marked increase in the percentage of lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LysoPE) to the total phospholipids. The prolonged exposure to 10 ppm NO₂ gave rise to a further increase in LysoPE, whereas the percentage of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) showed a gradual decrease. A 1-day exposure to 4.0 ppm NO₂ also caused an increase in sialic acid content and decreases in those of PE and hexose. In addition to contents of these components the percentage of LysoPE increased 5 days after exposure and the elevated values were maintained up to the end of exposure period. These results demonstrate that red blood cells in circulation exhibit different membrane properties in terms of lipid and carbohydrate composition during 10 days of exposure to 4.0 ppm NO₂.     

Investigating clusters in the workplace and beyond

Clusters of disease are common and occur in the workplace and in the general community. They often arouse considerable concern among the population. Investigations have sometimes lead to exciting new knowledge, but in general the investigation of clusters is difficult and often unrewarding, especially for community clusters. In the workplace, investigations are more likely to find associations and even new causes, but still many clusters remain enigmatic. Despite this, there are many reasons for investigating clusters, including allaying community concern and identifying uncontrolled exposures. A structure for investigating clusters in the workplace is suggested.