A new sampler to assess dermal exposure during wet working

In the UK, approximately 30% of cases of dermatitis reported to the national surveillance scheme are associated with wet working or exposure to aqueous mixtures. There is evidence that the duration and frequency that hands are wet are key determinants of risk, but there are no objective methods to measure these exposure factors. This research aimed to develop a practical tool to measure the duration and the number of occasions hands are wet. We developed an electronic sensor that is worn on the finger, which detects wetness from evaporative cooling. The output signal is recorded in electronic memory and the frequency and duration of exposure calculated using a simple data processing algorithm. The device has been tested in a variety of environmental conditions and for a standardized wet-work task. Wetting events were detectable in all the standardized tests, with the proportion of time the hands were wet ranging from 15 to 49% (mean 30%). The electronic sensor is slightly affected by abrupt changes in air temperature and rapid air movements, but these do not seem to impose any practical limitations. This IOM Wet-Work sampler has the potential to provide reliable measurements of exposure that may be used to assess the risk of contact dermatitis.     

大型设备及其作业场所低频噪声强度及频谱分析

目的　了解大型生产设备作业场所噪声dB(A)值不高而低频强噪声存在的可能性。方法　是根据有关卫生标准及检测方法对生产设备、休息室、控制室等作业场所进行声强和频谱的测量。结果　测量发现聚苯乙烯造粒机、聚乙烯造粒机、休息室。控制室的A 计权网络的等效声级均未超过有关的标准 ,而频谱分析则发现其主要的声强级均分布在 2 0 0Hz以下。结论　提示大型生产设备作业场所存在有低频强噪声。     

A descriptive cross-sectional study of annoyance from low frequency noise installations in an urban environment

In order to improve the living conditions for respondents highly exposed to traffic noise, it has been recommended that one side of the building should face a "quiet side". Quiet may, however, be spoilt by noise from installations such as ventilation and air-conditioning systems. The noises generated by installations of this kind often have a dominant portion of low frequencies (20-200 Hz) and may be a source of great annoyance and sleep disturbance. This paper describes the cross-sectional part of an intended intervention study among residents exposed to traffic noise on one side of the building and to low frequency noise from installations on the other side of the building. A questionnaire masked as a general living environment study was delivered to a randomly selected person in each household. In total 41 respondents answered the questionnaire (71% response rate). Noise from installations was measured indoors in a bedroom facing the courtyard in a selection of apartments and outdoors in the yard. 24h traffic noise outdoor and indoor levels were calculated. The noise levels from installations were slightly above or at the Swedish recommendations for low frequency noise indoors with the window closed and exceeded the recommendations by about 10 dB SPL when the window was slightly opened. The proportion of persons who reported that they were very or extremely annoyed indoors from noise from installations was more than twice as high as for traffic noise. Installation noise also affected respondents' willingness to have their windows open and to sleep with an open window. The high disturbance of installation noises found in this study indicates the importance of also regulating the noise exposure on the "quiet side" of buildings. Further studies will give a better base for the extent of annoyance and acceptable levels of installation noises.     

Effects of low frequency noise up to 100 Hz

This review concentrates on the effects of low frequency noise (LFN) up to 100 Hz on selected physiological parameters, subjective complaints and performance. The results of laboratory experiments and field studies are discussed in relation to the thresholds of hearing, of vibrotactile sensation and of aural pain. The effects of LFN may be mediated trough different ways. Temporary or permanent hearing threshold shifts seem to be due to acoustic stimuli above the individual hearing threshold. However, non-aural physiological and psychological effects may be caused by levels of low frequency noise below the individual hearing threshold. The dynamic range between the thresholds of hearing and of aural pain diminishes with decreasing frequency. This should be taken into account by the setting of limits concerning the health risks. Sufficient safety margins are recommended. The use of a frequency weighting with an attenuation of the low frequencies (e.g. G-weighting) does not seem to be appropriate for the evaluation of the health risks caused by LFN up to 100 Hz. It may be proposed to measure third octave band spectra or narrow band spectra. A comparison with the known human responses caused by the measured levels and frequencies could help to evaluate the health risks. Some proposals for further investigations were given: (1) experimental methods to discover the ways mediating the effects of low frequency noise, (2) consideration of the individual hearing threshold or hearing threshold shift and of the vibrotactile threshold in the low frequency range to be able to judge the effects, (3) consideration of combined body vibration caused by airborne low frequency noise or by other sources, (4) modelling to analyse the transmission of the acoustic energy from the input into the body to the structures containing sensors, (5) consideration of probable risk groups like children or pregnant women.     

Effects of low frequency noise on sleep

Low frequency noise (20-200 Hz) is emitted by numerous sources in the society. As low frequencies propagate with little attenuation through walls and windows, many people may be exposed to low frequency noise in their dwellings. Sleep disturbance, especially with regard to time to fall asleep and tiredness in the morning, are commonly reported in case studies on low frequency noise. However, the number of studies where sleep disturbance is investigated in relation to the low frequencies in the noise is limited. Based on findings from available epidemiological and experimental studies, the review gives indications that sleep disturbance due to low frequency noise warrants further concern.     

冷库低温作业工人神经行为功能的变化

目的研究低温作业对工人的神经行为功能的影响。方法选择保鲜冷库作业工人53名,水产冷库作业工人53名作为低温作业暴露组,同时选择当地不接触低温作业的村民58人作为对照组,采用中文版计算机神经行为功能评价系统,选择8个测试项目,由专业人员对每个工人进行测试。结果在情感问卷中,低温作业组工人在紧张、疲惫、忧郁、困惑方面得分明显高于对照组,差异有显著性(P<0.05)。在感知功能方面,冷藏保鲜组和水产冷冻组的线条判断正确数得分分别为(6.87±0.47)、(5.95±0.42),明显低于对照组得分(8.13±0.51),差异有显著性(P<0.05)。在心理运动功能方面,冷藏保鲜组和水产冷冻组视简单反应时分别为(0.580±0.011)、(0.520±0.009),明显高于对照组(0.410±0.008,P<0.05),目标追踪得分分别为(32.78±2.34)、(31.78±2.74),与对照组得分(41.54±3.12)相比差异有显著性(P<0.05)。结论低温作业对工人的神经行为功能有影响。     

A pilot study on the human body vibration induced by low frequency noise

To understand the basic characteristics of the human body vibration induced by low frequency noise and to use it to evaluate the effects on health, we designed a measuring method with a miniature accelerometer and carried out preliminary measurements. Vibration was measured on the chest and abdomen of 6 male subjects who were exposed to pure tones in the frequency range of 20 to 50 Hz, where the method we designed was proved to be sensitive enough to detect vibration on the body surface. The level and rate of increase with frequency of the vibration turned out to be higher on the chest than on the abdomen. This difference was considered to be due to the mechanical structure of the human body. It also turned out that the measured noise-induced vibration negatively correlated with the subject's BMI (Body Mass Index), which suggested that the health effects of low frequency noise depended not only on the mechanical structure but also on the physical constitution of the human body.     

Effect of low frequency noise on the echocardiographic parameter E/A ratio

The hearing condition of the Taiwanese aerospace maintenance workers affected by the low frequency noise had not been reported. The purpose of this research is to clarify the maintenance workers' health effect when exposed to low frequency and/or general noises and to understand the relationship between the variations of the worker's echocardiographic E/A ratio and the low frequency noise. The low frequency noise monitoring and echocardiographic E/A ratio results obtained for 213 aerospace maintenance workers indicated that the workers' hearing loss was more serious at high frequency 4k and 6k when exposed to the low frequency noise and could be more than 40 dB. The abnormality of echocardiographic E/A ratio was also higher than that of control group.     

淄博市高频作业环境电磁场强度的调查报告

随着电子工业的飞速发展,高频技术的应用日趋广泛,其产生的非电离辐射亦日益引起人们的重视。为了摸清我市高频作业点磁场强度,并为今后防护措施提供依据,我们对全市高频作业环境点磁场强度进行了调查,现将调查结果报告如下。1　材料与方法本次调查采用浙江新安江无线电元件厂生产的的H -E -FA型高频电磁场卫生学测定仪。在正常生产状态下,以工人操作位置的垂直中心线为基本测定线,分别测定工人头、胸、腹位置的电磁场强度(立姿头、胸、腹分别距离地面15 0～170、110～13 0、70～90cm ;坐姿头、胸、腹分别距地面为110～12 0、80～10 0、5 …     

Saliva cortisol--a new approach in noise research to study stress effects

Several studies have indicated an association between noise exposure and cardiovascular disease. A noise-induced release of stress hormones has been considered to be a biological pathway of importance in this respect. The described method is of special interest since concentration of cortisol in saliva reflects the concentration of free cortisol in serum and repeated saliva samples can easily be collected. Our objective is to overview the use of saliva cortisol to measure stress in relation to noise as a tool for research on noise-related cardiovascular risk. Previous studies of saliva cortisol in relation to noise exposure are reviewed. In summary, repeated assessments of saliva cortisol seems to be a feasible method to apply in field studies in noise research.     

Impairing effects of noise in high and low noise sensitive persons working on different mental tasks

Objective  There is no information of mental strain in noise sensitive persons working under moderate levels of noise. The aim of the study was to determine relevant dimensions of impairing effects differentiating between noise sensitive and insensitive persons. Methods  56 participants (27 men, 29 women; 18–31 years old) were classified into 28 low and 28 high noise sensitive persons. They worked either on a grammatical reasoning task (GRT) or a mental arithmetic task (MPT) under realistic road traffic scenarios [LAeq 55 dB(A)]. Afterwards they rated their annoyance and subjective mental strain. Results  A multivariate analysis of variance provided significant effects for the individual noise sensitivity (P < 0.01) and the kind of task being performed (P < 0.01). To determine to what extent the rating scales lead to a differentiation of the four groups, a 2-factorial discriminant analysis was carried out subsequently. Results showed, that psycho-physiological effort and emotional strain differentiated best between the noise sensitivity groups and psycho physiological effort and focus on tasks (attention) separated the tasks. Conclusion  Noise sensitive persons are more distracted by noise than insensitive persons. Furthermore the results suggest that noise sensitive subjects do not only evaluate a noisy situation as more annoying but experience higher levels of strain than insensitive persons.     

Exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields among working women and homemakers.

Given concerns with potential health effects of exposure to magnetic fields, the goal of this study was to examine the magnitude and sources of occupational and residential exposure to extremely low frequency (primarily 60 Hz) magnetic fields among women. Exposure to 60 Hz magnetic fields was surveyed among cases and controls recruited for a study of breast cancer in 25 counties in North Carolina. The 273 women who participated wore an integrating personal magnetic-field exposure meter (AMEX 3-D) that measured their time-weighted average (TWA) exposure. A questionnaire was administered to determine the duration and frequency of electric appliance and machinery use. The geometric mean (GM) of the TWA exposure for employed women was 0.138 microT (range 0.022-3.636 microT) and for homemakers 0.113 microT (range 0.022-0.403 microT). Women working in manufacturing and industrial facilities had the highest exposure (GM 0.265 microT, range 0.054-3.436 microT), while nurses and health technicians (GM 0.134 microT, range 0.032-0.285 microT) and teachers and school administrators (GM 0.099 microT, range 0.035-0.673 microT) had the lowest exposures. Job titles, unless very limited in scope and/or environment, self-reported information about equipment use, potential exposure sources, time, and distance were not good predictors of magnetic-field exposure. Furthermore, the results show that occupations previously observed to have increased risk of breast cancer, such as teachers, nurses, administrative support, and housewives, did not have elevated average magnetic field exposures. Therefore, it is questionable whether exposure to power frequency magnetic fields is the cause of the increased breast cancer risk seen in these occupations.     

关注低铅环境作业职业病危害

随着我国城市化、工业和交通业的迅猛发展,环境铅污染程度日益加重,铅中毒已成为社会、医疗关注的焦点.传统铅危害行业及铅接触人群的显著特点是生产工艺过程中使用铅金属,以含铅金属为原料、辅料、中间产品或产品生产为目的,作业人员血铅水平显著高于正常参考值,一般工作场所的铅水平容易超过国家职业卫生标准.而低铅环境作业的职业病危害情况目前报道很少.为此,本文选择了幼儿、铅冶炼工、放射人员、养路工、制造业工人等人群,对铅危害状况进行调研,以铅冶炼作业及非铅作业或环境的作业人员进行对照,调查低铅环境作业铅危害现状并采取相应对策,在广泛查阅国内外相关文献资料的基础上,提出了低铅环境作业(Low lead environmental work)的概念,旨在引起人们对低铅环境作业的铅职业病危害的关注.     

A small sample confidence interval approach to assess individual bioequivalence

The concept of interchangeable pharmaceutical products has been examined in great detail in the literature. Anderson and Hauck proposed a statistical random coefficient model to study 'switchability', and coined the phrase 'individual bioequivalence' which they defined with a probability-based inequality. Since that paper there has been considerable work and discussion. The Food and Drug Administration has recommended the introduction of individual bioequivalence (IBE) and population bioequivalence (PBE) methods in a draft guidance document. The proposal in the draft guidance includes criteria for IBE and PBE and recommends the use of non-parametric bootstrap 95 per cent upper confidence intervals for the conclusion of either IBE or PBE. However, this method requires intensive computations. We have developed an alternative confidence interval procedure to assess IBE by the FDA recommended criteria. This method utilizes Howe's approximation I to a Cornish-Fisher expansion. Our proposed method is applicable to balanced or unbalanced data in a broad class of extended cross-over designs, and can be easily programmed using readily available software.     

A narrative approach to understanding the nursing work environment in Canada

Narrative interviews were conducted with hospital nurses participating in a research study designed to provide support and assistance to hospitals as they addressed work life issues for nurses in an attempt to create quality work environments. The eight interviews were conducted in a sample of Canadian hospitals and generated themes relating to an imbalance between the effort that nurses put into their work and rewards attained from it. Seigrist's ((1996) Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 1, 27-41, (2002) In: P.L. Perrewe & D.G. Ganster (Eds.), Historical perspectives on stress and health. Research in Occupational Stress and Well Being (vol. 2). Boston, MA: Jai Press) effort-reward imbalance model was used to frame this study. The nurses' narratives suggest that multiple factors constitute the nurses' work environment and their experiences and perceptions of it. Issues which surfaced repeatedly in the interviews related to changing needs of hospitalized patients in today's health care system and the associated workload, the widespread shortage of nurses, and the imbalance this creates for nursing work. A crucial finding is the extent to which the nurse is impacted by the adequacy of care they are able to provide. These narratives outline the tremendous burden of guilt and the overcommitment that nurses bear when factors in the work environment prevent them from providing complete, quality care. Nurses are experiencing frustration and stress that is impacting their worklife, family and home life, personal health, and possibly patient outcomes.