Indoor glutaraldehyde levels in the endoscope disinfecting room and subjective symptoms among workers

We measured the environmental glutaraldehyde (GA) levels during the disinfection of endoscopes and also investigated the subjective symptoms of the workers engaged in that work. At 6 hospitals in the Tokyo and Kanagawa area, 8 rooms for endoscope washing and disinfecting the endoscopy equipment were surveyed. The geometric mean environmental GA levels in the 8 rooms were 1.3 to 19.6 ppb. The personal exposure levels at the time of replacing the antiseptic solution containing GA in two of the disinfecting rooms were 94.2 and 84.9 ppb. Subjective symptoms such as ophthalmic, nasal, respiratory, pharyngeal symptoms and nausea were more prevalent among workers than controls as evidenced from the questionnaire survey.     

Health effects of oil mists: a brief review

Metal cutting/grinding fluids are of three basic types: straight oil (insoluble), oil-in-water emulsions (soluble) and synthetic/semisynthetic. All contain a variety of additives to improve performance. Human exposure occurs primarily by direct skin contact with the liquid or by skin and respiratory contact after fluid misting. Dermatitis caused by primary or direct skin irritation is the most prevalent health effect of exposure to cutting fluids. Occasionally allergic dermatitis is seen which is related to the development of sensitization to one or more of the additive components. Recent studies indicate that long-term exposure to cutting fluids does not result in increased incidences of lung cancer, urinary bladder cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, or death from non-malignant respiratory diseases. Long-term exposure to certain cutting fluids, however, is believed to have resulted in certain types of skin cancer, especially scrotal cancer. It is likely that these carcinogenic responses were caused by contact with polycyclic aromatic compounds (PCA) of 3-7 rings. Modern base oils which are severely refined have very low levels of PCA, are not carcinogenic in animal bioassays, and are unlikely to be carcinogenic in man. This is not necessarily true for re-refined oils which may contain significant levels of PCA and polychlorinated biphenyls derived from comingling used cutting oils with used engine oils and transformer oils. Cutting oils, themselves, generally do not accumulate significant levels of carcinogenic PCA during use. Additives, in theory, can cause a variety of health effects either directly or through the generation of reaction products such as nitrosamines. In actual use, adverse health effects appear to be limited to occasional instances of allergic contact dermatitis. Nitrosamines are extremely carcinogenic in test animals; although no human cancer cases directly attributable to nitrosamine contamination have been observed, nitrosating agents and amines should not be combined in cutting fluid formulations. It is difficult to anticipate or predict the potential toxicity of a particular cutting fluid formulation because of the presence of variable amounts of proprietary additives which, themselves, are often complex reaction mixtures. Thus, each additive and final formulation must be evaluated on a case by case basis to appropriately assess potential health hazards.     

Measurement of thyroid volume in children using a portable ultrasound machine: a technical note

The data on thyroid volume measurements that determines prevalence of goitre in children is very important for public health consideration as the presence of goitre in children effectively reflects the status of iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) in the general population. Ultrasound is an excellent modality to evaluate thyroid size. Local experience in using a portable ultrasound machine to measure thyroid volume is presented. The thyroid anatomy and techniques of ultrasound assessment are highlighted. Proper training of public health doctors to perform thyroid gland ultrasonography is crucial to ensure that the thyroid volume data collected would be more accurate and reliable for the planning of health programmes to eliminate IDD in the particular areas.     

Respiratory symptoms and lung function in jute processing workers: a primary investigation

This paper presents the results of an investigation of respiratory symptoms and lung function of 404 workers who had been exposed to jute dust in a jute mill. Measurement of total dust concentration and analysis of dust composition were also conducted. Most workers in the jute mill were exposed to jute dusts containing less than 5% silica, whereas a few workers were exposed to dusts containing approximately 10-15% silica. Male smokers and nonsmokers in the dust-exposed group had a higher prevalence of cough and chest tightness compared with those in the control group. Among dust-exposed workers, female nonsmokers had a significantly higher prevalence of cough, chronic bronchitis, chest tightness, and dyspnea than those in the control group. Lung function tests showed that dust-exposed workers had a greater incidence of abnormal lung function than did control workers, as measured by percentage of predicted forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1.0), and FEV1.0/FVC. Dust exposure was the main cause of respiratory symptoms and abnormal values of FEV1.0, but both cigarette smoking and dust exposure contributed to the abnormal values reported for FEV1.0.     

Work-related health symptoms among compost facility workers: a cross-sectional study

Background

Industrial composting is a relatively new and expanding activity. Several studies indicate that compost workers are at risk to develop health symptoms. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of work-related health symptoms among compost workers compared with control subjects.

Methods

A questionnaire was distributed among 62 workers (31 exposed and 31 non-exposed workers). Data were analyzed using simple and multiple logistic regression analyses.

Results

Workers exposed to organic dust reported significantly more often respiratory, irritation (e.g., eyes, nose and throat), gastrointestinal, and skin symptoms than the non-exposed group. Moreover, all work-related symptoms were significantly more often reported by exposed than non-exposed workers. After adjustment for smoking status and age, the associations between exposure and respiratory, gastrointestinal, and skin symptoms remained statistically significant, in particular if these symptoms were work-related.

Conclusions

This study confirms that workers at compost facilities are at risk to develop occupational health problems, most likely related to organic dust exposure.     

吐哈油田已婚女职工妇科病普查结果与分析

为了做好妇女保健工作,吐哈油田每两年为在册的已婚女职工进行一次妇科病普查。现将2 0 0 1～2 0 0 2年妇科病检查结果分析如下。1　对象和方法1 1　检查对象　受检单位的已婚妇女1 36 8名,年龄2 3～5 0岁。受检单位包括机关、学校、科研单位及工厂。1 2　检查方法　对受检者进行妇科常规检查、白带常规检查、阴道脱落细胞学检查(巴氏染色镜检) ,B超检查子宫附件和“节育避孕器”,远红外乳腺仪检查乳腺,发现异常者另做相关检查。2　结果　　在检查的1 36 8名女职工中,患有各种妇科病90 6人,平均患病率6 6 2 3% ,患病率居首位的是宫颈炎,…     

Survey on subjective symptoms in VDT workers: complaint rate and years of service

A questionnaire survey was conducted on 271 workers of microelectronics company. The questionnaire included such items as age, years of service, working conditions and subjective symptoms related to visual, musculoskeletal and general status. The following results were obtained: Of these workers, approximately 80% operated visual display terminals (VDT). The years of service for most were less than 4 to 5 years with the average being about 2 years (Fig. 1). The working hours per day on the VDT for most of them was less than 90 min, although some workers operated VDT for 3 or more hours per day (Fig. 2). A high incidence of complaints of visual function, i.e. eye strain and blurring of distant objects, was observed. Some also complained of musculoskeletal and general symptoms (Table 1). The rates of these subjective symptoms increased with years of service (Figs. 4 and 5), while the complaint rates decreased with age (Fig. 3). Significant positive correlations were found between most of these complaint rates and length of service (Table 2), although correlations between the complaint rates and age were generally non-significant but negative. The complaints tended to increase with working hours per day, although the operators who worked for longer period per day did not seem to complain as much as those who did not work so long (Fig. 6). In conclusion, the results of this questionnaire suggest that the effects of visual display terminals (VDT) work accumulate gradually over months and years.     

Work related symptoms among sewage workers: a nationwide survey in Sweden

Aims: To assess the risk for work related symptoms among sewage workers in Sweden using a postal questionnaire.

Methods: All municipalities in Sweden were contacted and asked to provide addresses of sewage workers and controls. Controls were recruited among other municipal workers not exposed to sewage, such as workers in drinking water plants and gardeners. A questionnaire was sent to the subjects and after two reminders, the response rate was 74% among sewage workers and 59% among controls.

Results: Significantly increased risks for airway symptoms, chronic bronchitis, and toxic pneumonitis, as well as central nervous system symptoms such as headache, unusual tiredness, and concentration difficulties were found among the sewage workers compared with controls. Furthermore, an increased risk for non-specific work related gastrointestinal symptoms was found among the sewage workers; an increased risk for joint pains, related to pains in more than four joints but not with loading, was also found.

Conclusions: The results of this questionnaire survey show an increased risk for airway, gastrointestinal, and general symptoms such as joint pains and central nervous system symptoms among sewage workers. Clinical investigations are needed to determine the cause of the reported symptoms among sewage workers, and further field studies are required to assess the causal agents.

     

Field evaluation of a portable blood lead analyzer in workers living at a high altitude: a follow-up investigation

BACKGROUND: Field-portable instruments can offer expeditious analytical results to health professionals in field settings and in areas lacking laboratory infrastructure. This study further evaluated an electroanalytical field-portable instrument, which rapidly analyzes blood lead concentrations. METHODS: A portable anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) instrument was evaluated utilizing paired samples from 243 employees working at an elevation of approximately 3,800 meters in Peru. Each worker donated two venous blood samples, one of which was analyzed by the ASV device and the other by a reference analytical method, graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). RESULTS: According to the GFAAS results, the mean blood lead concentration measured was 46(+/-16) mug/dl; this was significantly greater than the mean ASV measurement of 32(+/-11) mug/dl (paired t-test; P < 0.0001). The accuracy of the ASV estimation decreased as the measured blood lead concentration increased. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this investigation were significantly different from the previous study, which was conducted near sea level. The exact causes for the discrepancies between the portable ASV results from the two studies are unclear, but are thought to be related to differences in blood chemistry between the Midwestern United States and Peruvian Andes worker cohorts. Portable ASV blood lead measurements from populations living at high altitudes should be viewed with caution. Am. J. Ind. Med. 46:656-662, 2004. Published 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Indoor particles and symptoms among office workers: results from a double-blind cross-over study

BACKGROUND: We studied the effects of removing small airborne particles in an office building without unusual contaminant sources or occupant complaints. METHODS: We conducted a double-blind crossover study of enhanced particle filtration in an office building in the Midwest United States in 1993. We replaced standard particle filters, in separate ventilation systems on two floors, with highly efficient filters on alternate floors weekly over 4 weeks. Repeated-measures models were used to analyze data from weekly worker questionnaires and multiple environmental measurements. RESULTS: Bioaerosol concentrations were low. Enhanced filtration reduced concentrations of the smallest airborne particles by 94%. This reduction was not associated with reduced symptoms among the 396 respondents, but three performance-related mental states improved; for example, the confusion scale decreased (-3.7%; 95% confidence limits (CL) = -6.5, -0.9). Most environmental dissatisfaction variables also improved; eg, "stuffy" air, -5.3% (95% CL = -10.3, -0.4). Cooler temperatures within the recommended comfort range were associated with remarkably large improvement in most outcomes; for example, chest tightness decreased -23.4% (95% CL = -38.1, -8.7) for every 1 degrees C decrease. CONCLUSIONS: Benefits of enhanced filtration require assessment in buildings with higher particulate contaminant levels in studies controlling for temperature effects. Benefits from lower indoor temperatures need confirmation.     

Byssinosis: environmental and respiratory symptoms among textile workers in Sudan

Summary This study has been carried out to investigate the prevalence of byssinosis and other respiratory symptoms among 311 Sudanese workers in different sections of the Khartoum Weaving and Spinning Company. The prevalence of byssinosis was 67% among blowers, 40% in carders and draw-frame workers, 42% in simplex workers and 37% in ring-frame workers. The prevalence of chronic bronchitis ranged between 29 to 47% in all groups. A significant fall in FEV₁ was recorded in carders and draw- and ring-frame workers. There was also a statistically significant decrease in FVC after shift in all groups except in the ring-frame group. The result of the present study revealed that the prevalence of byssinosis was very high in mills processing coarse cotton. Application of control measures and the early detection of exposure effects will reduce the prevalence of byssinosis and other respiratory impairments.     

Evaluation of skin symptoms among workers at a swedish paper mill

Process and office workers at a Swedish paper mill (n + 274) and dairy workers (n + 45) were investigated with questionnaires regarding skin symptoms. In the second part of the study, subjects reporting skin symptoms and a random sample of subjects without symptoms were examined and investigated with patch testing. Pruritus and skin irritation probably related to exposure to dust were found. The results do not indicate an increased prevalence of contact allergy. In two cases, positive patch test reactions to paper size (rosin) and a slimicide, mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT), were noted. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Lung function and respiratory symptoms among workers in a soft paper mill

Summary The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to investigate whether long-term exposure to soft paper dust causes impairment of lung function. Exposed workers (n = 287) and referents (n =79) were investigated, using spirometry and questionnaires. Personal samplings of total dust showed that the actual mean concentrations did not exceed 3 mg/m³. The exposed subjects were divided into three categories according to historical and present exposure to paper dust; low exposure, moderate exposure and high exposure. The study did not show any lung function impairment due to exposure to paper dust. However, the exposed subjects had a significantly increased prevalence of symptoms from both the upper and lower airways as well as an increased prevalence of reported asthma. On the basis of our study, we conclude that lung function impairment does not occur among workers exposed to mean levels of soft paper dust below 5 mg/m³.     

Perceived health and its correlation with depression and subjective symptoms of nurses and care workers

The objective of this study was to identify psychological and physical health characteristics of nurses and care workers employed at a psychiatric hospital and to characterize depressive symptoms by means of correlation analysis. Subjects were 89 nurses and 78 care workers employed at a psychiatric and rehabilitation hospital in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. They responded to a structured questionnaire, the Total Health Index (THI). Mean scores of the four THI scales, Vague Complaints, Respiratory, Depression and Neurotics, of all the 167 study subjects were significantly higher than those of three reference groups. The smoking rate was almost two times higher than that of adult Japanese women. These results may be attributed to psychological stress these workers suffer in their daily human service. However, we found little difference in THI scores based on shift work or responsibilities (nursing vs. care taking). Our findings suggest that it is necessary to provide these workers some support for stress management. THI scores that correlated most strongly with the Depression score were Mental Instability, Irregularity of Life, Irritability, and Vague Complaints (correlation coefficients were 0.75, 0.54, 0.53, and 0.52, respectively). THI scores that correlated most weakly with the Depression score were Digestive, Respiratory, and Mouth and Anal (correlation coefficients were 0.35, 0.34, and 0.32, respectively). Depression in our subjects appeared to be related exclusively to vague psychological symptoms rather than organ-specific symptoms.     

Comparison of subjective symptoms and hot prevention measures in summer between traffic control workers and construction workers in Japan

In the present study, a survey on subjective symptoms and hot prevention measures in summer was conducted in 204 male traffic control workers and 115 male construction workers. Work loads of traffic control workers and construction workers were estimated at RMR 1-2 and RMR 2-4, respectively. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information on age, occupational career, working habit, present or past history of diseases, individual preventive measures to the heat, and subjective symptoms in the summer. Daily working hours in the sunshine of the traffic control workers were significantly longer than those of the construction workers. Prevalence rates of changing clothes frequently, avoiding direct exposure of face and neck to sunlight using towel like materials, and wearing sunglasses in the traffic control workers were significantly lower than the construction workers. Prevalence rates of symptoms in the upper extremities in the traffic control workers were significantly lower than those in the construction workers. Prevalence of work difficulty due to hot weather during work in the traffic control workers was significantly lower than the construction workers. On the basis of the results obtained, some preventive countermeasures to improve working environment are presented.     

Autonomic nervous activity changes in relation to the reporting of subjective symptoms among male workers in an information service company

Objectives: The objective of the study was to clarify the relationship between major subjective symptoms and autonomic nervous system function by power spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV). Methods: Short-term HRV was examined for 413 male workers in a Japanese information service company aged 19–45 years, and questionnaire survey on subjective symptoms and biochemical measurements were conducted at annual health checkup. Results: The most prevalent subjective symptom (≥10%) was dullness, followed by fatigue, backache, diarrhea, sleep disorder, and irritation. HRV in high frequency (HF 0.15–0.40 Hz) bands and the coefficient of variance in the electrocardiographic R-R interval (CVrr) were lower in the subjects with any of these six symptoms than in those without the symptoms. Both parameters were negatively associated with the reporting of any of the six symptoms by multiple regression analyses, controlling for the significant effects of age (HF and CVrr) and plasma cortisol levels (HF). Conclusion: It was suggested that the reporting of the subjective symptoms is one of good predictors for reduced parasympathetic tones.