接触氯仿工人的神经行为功能研究

为阐明职业性长期接触氯仿对接触者神经行为功能的影响特点,本文对60名氯仿接触工和60名对照工人进行WHO-NCTB测试。结果发现,长期接触4.27～141.25mg/m~3(几何均数21.85mg/m~3)浓度氯仿可致接触者消极性情感明显增强,反应时间延长,心理运动能力、视感知能力降低。接触浓度增高,影响明显增强。作者认为,长期接触21.85mg/m~3浓度氯仿可致接触者神经行为功能明显改变。     

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。     

农药氧乐果生产的劳动卫生学调查

本文报导了对氧化乐果生产2年的劳动卫生学调查结果。空气中氧乐果平均浓度在合成工段为0.502±0.293mg/m~3,包装车间为1.177±0.302和3.203±2.856mg/m~3。包装车间工人手污染量平均为9.56±13.85μg/cm~2。体检表明所有受检的接触者均无明显的症状和体征,仅发现包装工人血液胆硷酯酶活力有轻度下降,接触者尿中代谢产物二甲基磷酸酯和外周血淋巴细胞SCE与对照组相比无显著差异。本文建议车间空气中氧乐果的最高容许浓度可定为0.3mg/m~3。     

聚氯乙烯生产工人的氯乙烯接触剂量调查

1987年4～10月,我们用本所研制的无泵型氯乙烯个体采样器查测了吉林等6家工厂工人的氯乙烯接触剂量,采样217人次,区域采样近50次。结果表明,清釜工虽然接触氯乙烯浓度较高,但由于工时短,每周工作按40小时计的时间加权平均浓度各地为11～370mg/m~3,平均为110mg/m~3。合成工平均接触剂量83mg/m~3、压缩工43mg/m~3、离心干燥工为22mg/m~3。通过调查认为,我国氯乙烯清釜工累积接触剂量不高,也许是迄今未发现患肝血管肉瘤的缘故。     

氰戊菊酯农药职业性危害的调查

本文调查某厂氰戊菊酯农药的合成与分装车间空气中氰戊菊酯的平均浓度为0.01～0.084mg/m~3;接触者(0.5～2年)表现暴露皮肤、粘膜刺痛症状,和神经行为功能改变以及红细胞增高等现象。对此,作者提出了有关防毒措施。     

车间空气中丙烯酸甲酯最高容许浓度的研究

急性丙烯酸甲酯吸入毒性研究表明,大鼠、小鼠和家兔LC_(50)分别为6400、8800和6800mg/m~3。对人的嗅阈为1.5mg/m~3,刺激阈浓度为31mg/m~3。慢性阈浓度为100mg/m~3。对大鼠有胚胎毒性。Ames试验阳性。工人接触丙烯酸甲酯平均浓度为21.3mg/m~3,出现神经衰弱和刺激作用的症状、体征。建议丙烯酸甲酯的最高容许浓度为15mg/m~3。经劳动卫生标准分委员会审议通过为20mg/m~3。     

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。     

接触甲苯工人肺泡气中甲苯浓度监测

对接触甲苯工人及志愿者测定其肺泡气中甲苯浓度。结果表明:班中肺泡气平均浓度及脱离接触后各时点肺泡气浓度与空气甲苯浓度有较好的相关,采样时间以脱离接触后30分钟为佳,接触空气浓度100mg/m~3时,肺泡气中甲苯的建议生物阈限值为:班中平均肺泡气浓度50mg/m~3,脱离接触后0分、30分和180分钟相应的值为:70、20和10mg/m~3。     

铅接触女工的月经状况和妊娠结局

本文报告了铅对接触女工的月经状况和妊娠结局的影响。 车间空气铅平均浓度蓄电池厂0.61mg/m~3、冶炼厂0.41mg/m~3、钢丝绳厂0.06mg/m~3,印刷厂0.01mg/m~3;对照厂0.002mg/m~3 调查575名铅接触女工及736名对照组,接触     

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。     

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.     

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.