ISSN:0271-3586    

DOI:10.1002/ajim.4700010102

出版商:Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company    

年代:1980

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

AbstractGram‐negative bacterial endotoxins, implicated in adverse worker health responses, were found in settled and airborne dust samples obtained from poultry and swine confinement units. Results of the Limulus amebocyte lysate gel test found endotoxin levels in dust samples ranged from 4.5 to 47.7 μg of FDA Klebsiella endotoxin equivalents/gm. Differences in endotoxin levels between dust samples may have been due to variables in time, geographic locations, confined animals, confinement buildings and equipment, and methods of sample collection. Animal confinement workers are potentially exposed to large amounts of gram‐negative bacterial endotoxins; however, the respiratory health effects of such exposures to animal confinement workers have yet to be determ

ISSN:0271-3586    

DOI:10.1002/ajim.4700010103

出版商:Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company    

年代:1980

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

AbstractAsbestos materials are now infrequently used in new ship construction. However, significant amounts were used in vessels constructed before 1975. As a consequence, for the next 30 or more years, the potential for asbestos exposure in the repair of such vessels will remain.We studied 286 workers who were 20 or more years from onset of employment in ship repair work. Eighty‐six percent had radiological evidence of asbestosis, and five instances of previously undiagnosed lung cancer were found. This suggests that unless industrial hygiene precautions are taken in the future repair of vessels that have been built with asbestos, we will add additional decades to the legacy we already face as the result of uncontrolled shipyard exposures of the pas

ISSN:0271-3586    

DOI:10.1002/ajim.4700010104

出版商:Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company    

年代:1980

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

AbstractMost previous occupational health studies have employed various questionnaires for the quantitative assessment of mental symptoms. However, reporters' errors may reduce the value of the information so obtained. Semistructured psychiatric interviews and rating scales offer another method to collect data on the prevalence of mental symptoms. This paper describes the application of rating techniques in an epidemiological study of the effect on the nervous system of occupational exposure to organic solvents. The results suggest that ratings by trained interviewers are as useful as many neurophysiological and psychometrical methods to detect early neurotoxicity. The contention agrees with a general opinion that slight changes in mental comfort and personality often are the first signs of progressive brain damage.

ISSN:0271-3586    

DOI:10.1002/ajim.4700010105

出版商:Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company    

年代:1980

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

AbstractNeurophysiological and psychological tests were administered to 107 patients ‐ 48 men and 59 women ‐ with a diagnosis of solvent poisoning after longstanding (mean 9.6 years for males and mean 7.6 years for females) occupational exposure. Electroencephalography (EEG) and a wide psychological test battery were applied in all cases, and electroneurographic measurements were performed in 77 subjects. Sixty‐five percent of the patients showed an abnormal EEG, and excessive beta activity, not induced by drugs, was found in 54% of patients. At least one abnormally slow nerve conduction velocity (CV) was found in 48 out of 77 patients. The scores of Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) subtests Digit Span (DSp) and Digit Symbol (DSy) among the men and scores of Similarities (Sim), Digit Symbol (DSy), Picture Completion (PC), and Block Design (BD) among the women were statistically significantly lower than in the Finnish standardization sample. Long duration of exposure was related to poor performance in the Santa Ana Dexterity test in both sexes, to poor visual memory among the men and to poor visuoconstructive intellectual tasks among the women. The background frequency in the EEG showed a correlation to the DSp test of WAIS and some relationship emerged also between the former and the BD, the Symmetry Drawing test, the Santa Ana Dexterity test, and the Mira test. Focal slow wave abnormalities were related to inaccurate hand movements in the psychomotor Mira test. Neurophysiological and psychological tests seem to reflect partly different aspects of neurologic effects and their combined use helps in the evaluation of hazards of solvent exp

ISSN:0271-3586    

DOI:10.1002/ajim.4700010106

出版商:Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company    

年代:1980

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

AbstractBecause of persistent complaints of ozone‐toxicity type symptoms among crew members of commercial airlines, we undertook a survey to determine the extent of the problem and the associated flight factors. Self‐reported questionnaires and flight diaries were completed by 1,330 flight attendants, (FAs) working for three different airlines. Ozone‐toxicity type symptoms were reported three or four times more frequently by FAs with airlines flying at high altitudes than by those with low‐flying airlines. When examined by characteristics of flights, the ozone‐toxicity type symptoms were significantly associated with flight altitude, duration and type of aircraft, but not with years worked, sex, medical history, or home residence. Other symptoms indicative of fatigue or stress were mainly associated with flight duration. While these indirect data cannot implicate ozone specifically, they offer evidence that ozone‐related health problems do exist among a large propor

ISSN:0271-3586    

DOI:10.1002/ajim.4700010107

出版商:Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company    

年代:1980

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

AbstractConventional criteria for spirometric impairment (FVC and FEV1⩽ 79% predicted, FEF25‐75⩽ 74% predicted, FEV1/FVC ⩽ 0.69 for most ages) were applied to 507 healthy nonsmoking male subjects in the 1971 Oregon survey. Frequency of air flow impairment was higher than expected for a normal population. Of all subjects, 17.8% had an “abnormal” FEF25‐75%and 19.7% an “abnormal” FEV1/FVC. “Decreased” lung volumes were seen in older subjects; of those over 55 years of age, 8.8% had a reduced FVC and 11.8% a reduced FEV1. These rates in a normal population may be used as a rough baseline for making inferences about a population under study. Similar rates were found in a cross‐sectional survey of nonsmoking males representative of the population of a large industrial state.The major reason for these high rates of “abnormal” spirometry lies in the conventional definitions of abnormality. Tables showing cut‐off points for abnormal spirometric values based on a 95% confidence interval for adult males of all ages and heights permit an alternative method f

ISSN:0271-3586    

DOI:10.1002/ajim.4700010108

出版商:Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company    

年代:1980

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

AbstractThe changes in psychological performances associated with long‐term exposure to organic solvents and solvent mixtures were studied in a group of 56 male workers diagnosed as having an occupational disease caused by solvents. Their mean duration of exposure was 9.1 ± SD 8.3 years, and they were exposed mainly to halogenated and aromatic hydrocarbons and to mixtures of paint solvents. The psychological performances of these solvent‐exposed patients were compared with those of 98 styrene‐exposed workers and a nonexposed group of 43 construction workers. The applied psychological test variables were factor analyzed, before other statistical analysis, in order to clarify what they measured in the present study. The solvent‐exposed group was characterized by a decline in visuomotor performance and decreased freedom from distractibility. The poor visuomotor performances were also related to the long duration of solvent exposure in this group of patients. The index applied for the exposure level revealed no significant relationships to psychological performances among the solvent‐exposed patients. The psychological performances of the styrene‐exposed group differed only very slightly from those of the non‐e

ISSN:0271-3586    

DOI:10.1002/ajim.4700010109

出版商:Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company    

年代:1980

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

AbstractFollowing an inquiry from the workers of a large newspaper plant in Milan, Italy, a mortality study was undertaken to investigate the reportedly high occurrence of cancer. The study covered the period from 1956 to 1975. Among the 700 workers participating, for a total of 12,198 person‐years, 199 deaths had occurred. Overall mortality was not lower than expected and a significant excess was found among the workers aged 25‐54 years. Cancer mortality was higher than expected; the only significant excess, however, was found among packers and forwarders who had a greater incidence of all neoplasms, all respiratory cancers, and lung cancer. Some possible explanations concerning personal life‐style and occupational exposure previously not considered are proposed. Mortality from circulatory diseases and ischemic heart disease was significantly in excess among the workers aged 25‐54 years and was associated with length of employment, age at the time of hiring, and duration of follow‐up; analysis by job category revealed a significant mortality excess from these causes among packers and forwarders. It is suggested that the mortality pattern observed for cardiovascular disease, as well as for all causes, could be interpreted in the light of the peculiar characteristics of newspaper production. The initial complaint, instigating the study, arose from the packers and forwarders d

ISSN:0271-3586    

DOI:10.1002/ajim.4700010110

出版商:Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company    

年代:1980

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

AbstractIn October 1978, seven construction workers building a pier in Monterey, California, developed symptoms consistent with arsenic intoxication and had elevated urinary levels of arsenic. The wood used for the pier had been pressure‐treated with an arsenic preservative. To evaluate the potential acute medical hazards of preserving wood with arsenic, we evaluated employees at three California plants where arsenic preservatives are mixed and applied to wood. Histories, physical examinations, and urine specimens for arsenic analysis were collected from 44 workers exposed to arsenic and from 37 controls in three woodworking plants where arsenic is not used. A comparison of the groups failed to show any significant differences in history or physical examination. Adjustment for age, length of employment, and smoking histories did not alter the pattern. Urinary arsenic concentration was found to increase with increased exposure. These results do not imply absence of chronic or delayed toxicity, nor do they preclude the presence of a more subtle toxicity such as nerve conduction deficits. The data indicate existence of an arsenic exposure hazard in wood processin

ISSN:0271-3586    

DOI:10.1002/ajim.4700010111

出版商:Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company    

年代:1980

数据来源: WILEY