摘要:

AbstractIn order to investigate the possible association between cardiovascular malformations and maternal exposure to organic solvents during the first trimester of pregnancy, 569 cases and 1,052 controls were retrospectively studied. The cases represented all infants with diagnosed cardiovascular malformations born in Finland in 1982–1984, and the controls were randomly selected from all normal births in the country during the same period. All mothers were interviewed approximately 3 months after delivery by a midwife using a structured questionnaire. Exposures to organic solvents at work during the first trimester of pregnancy were slightly more prevalent among the mothers of affected infants (10.4%) than among those of controls (7.8%). Logistic regression analysis of exposure to organic solvents showed an adjusted relative odds ratio of 1.3 (95% confidence interval, 0.8–2.2). In the analysis of ventricular septal defect, exposure to organic solvents showed an adjusted relative odds ratio of 1.5 (95% confidence interval, 1.0

ISSN:0271-3586    

DOI:10.1002/ajim.4700140102

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

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

AbstractAn analysis was made of 193 current and previous pregnancies of women employed at time of conception in the plastics industry, derived from a survey of work and pregnancy in 56,012 women in Montreal, 1982–84. The ratio of observed to expected spontaneous abortions, corrected by logistic regression for seven nonoccupational confounding variables, was elevated (1.27), but not significantly (90% confidence interval [CI] 0.91–1.72), in women engaged in process work. The ratio was significantly raised (1.58, 90% CI 1.02–2.35) in women whose work included the processing of polystyrene. Nonsignificant excesses in women working with polyolefine (1.30) and polyvinyl (1.39) were present only when exposure also included other types of plastic; no excess was observed in women whose work did not include polystyrene. The number of women (17) exposed to polyurethane was too small for any conclusion to be drawn about this

ISSN:0271-3586    

DOI:10.1002/ajim.4700140103

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

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

AbstractProportionate cancer mortality was analyzed among white male carpet and textile workers in five northwest Georgia counties for the years 1970–1984. Compared with other Georgians, carpet and textile workers had higher proportions of lymphocytic leukemia (proportionate cancer mortality ratio [PCMR] = 2.9; 95% CI = 1.4–5.4) and testicular cancer (PCMR = 3.2; 95% CI = 1.0–7.5). The excess mortality from lymphocytic leukemia was even higher when the analysis was limited to workers deemed most likely to work directly in production areas (PCMR = 4.2; 95% CI = 1.7–8.7). Further studies are needed to determine if the observed excesses are the result of workplace ex

ISSN:0271-3586    

DOI:10.1002/ajim.4700140104

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

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

AbstractThis study investigated the effects of emissions from the internal combustion engine on pulmonary function and respiratory symptoms in men collecting tolls and directing traffic in areas with high levels of air pollution. Bridge and tunnel officers (BTOs) were administered pulmonary function tests and respiratory questionnaires for up to 11 consecutive years (n = 944). Carboxyhemoglobin levels were also measured. Regression coefficients on year tested were calculated on 466 individuals (49% of all BTOs) tested at least 3 years. The tunnel workers had significantly lower FEV1s (forced expiratory volume at one second) and FVCs (forced vital capacity), respiratory symptoms, and higher carboxyhemoglobin levels than the bridge workers. BTOs working over 20 years had the lowest mean pulmonary function values, the steepest slopes, and the most respiratory symptoms. We believe that the data show an association between working as a bridge and tunnel officer and decreased pulmonary function and increased respiratory symptoms, but it was not readily evident whether the effects were of clinical importance.

ISSN:0271-3586    

DOI:10.1002/ajim.4700140105

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

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

AbstractThe alveolar fiber load was evaluated by bronchoalveolar lavage and by scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) in 50 subjects with or without occupational exposure to asbestos. The concentration of asbestos fibers in bronchoalveolar lavage was significantly higher in the groups of people currently and formerly occupationally exposed, compared to the concentration found in people only exposed environmentally, despite wide interindividual variation within the groups. Nonasbestos inorganic fibers were present in all groups, but the concentrations did not differ significantly. Both in people occupationally exposed and in those only environmentally exposed, the alveolar load consisted mainly of ultrashort and ultrathin fibers, which can be studied only with TEM. In fact, the percentage of fibers>5 μm long was only around 15% in the occupationally exposed and was minimal in those only environmentally exposed. The geometric mean diameters of asbestos fibers retained in the alveoli ranged from 0.05 μm for chrysotile to 0.15 μm for amphibol

ISSN:0271-3586    

DOI:10.1002/ajim.4700140106

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

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

AbstractThirty‐eight transformer repairmen currently exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 17 former transformer repairmen, and 56 comparison workers not known to be exposed to PCBs were studied. Measurements were made of serum liver function tests, gamma‐glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), lipid profile, thyroid function tests, and other serum biochemistry; hemoglobin; white cell count; 24‐hour excretion of delta‐aminolevulinic acid, porphyrins, 17‐hydroxycorticosteriods and 17‐ketosteroids; sperm count; spirometry; and antipyrine half‐life to evaluate microsomal mixed function oxidase induction. The total exposed group differed significantly from the comparison group in albumin, LDH, T4, T4‐RT3index, and actual/predicted FEV1. Significant differences among all three exposure groups were seen for albumin, T4, T4‐RT3index, and 17‐hydroxycorticosteroid excretion. Differences in FEV1were attributable to smoking. Significant correlations between serum PCBs and serum lipids were removed by adjustment for confounding variables.After adjustment for confounding variables, there was a statistically significant positive correlation between serum PCBs and GGT and a negative correlation between adipose PCBs and 17‐hydroxycorticosteroid excretion. These may reflect subtle meta

ISSN:0271-3586    

DOI:10.1002/ajim.4700140107

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

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

AbstractThis paper presents a review and further analysis of a series of New Zealand case‐control studies which have found elevated risks for soft tissue sarcoma (STS), non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in abattoir workers. The first published study involved 82 cases of STS (ICD 171) and found a relative risk of 2.8 (90% confidence interval 1.3–6.3). Interviews with an additional 51 cases reported here revealed a relative risk of 1.6 (90% confidence interval 0.9–3.0). Two further studies involved interviews with 100 cases of the category of NHL involving lymphosarcoma and reticulosarcoma (ICD 200) and 83 cases of other NHL (ICD 202). Relative risk estimates were 1.8 (90% confidence interval 1.1–2.9) and 1.7 (90% confidence interval 1.0–2.8), respectively. A study of 150 cases of AML (ICD 205.0) found a relative risk of 2.5 for abattoir workers (90% confidence interval 1.3–4.7). Finally, a United States cohort study found a standardized mortality ratio of 2.4 (90% confidence interval 0.8–5.4) for Hodgkin's disease (ICD 201) and 2.2 (90% confidence interval 0.8–4.5) for cancer of other lymphatic tissue (ICD 202, 203, 208) among abattoir workers. Abattoir workers are potentially exposed to oncogenic viruses, including bovine leukemia virus. Some workers may also be exposed to the animal carcinogen 2,4,6‐trichlorophenol

ISSN:0271-3586    

DOI:10.1002/ajim.4700140108

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

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

AbstractDuring September‐November, 1985, four employees of a factory were seen at the occupational clinic complaining of cough, shortness of breath, and wheezing. All four worked in the same area of the factory where an adhesive containing toluene diisocyanate (TDI) was applied to velcro‐like tape during manufacturing. To confirm the diagnosis of TDI‐induced asthma and determine the prevalence among workers, 38 workers were interviewed and examined (84%) in the factory. Air samples were also taken from several areas in the factory to determine the TDI concentration. For analysis, the factory was divided into three areas based on the concentration of TDI: low (0.012 ± 0.002 ppm), medium (0.021 ± 0.006 ppm), and high (0.047 ± 0.054 ppm). The distribution of workers with symptoms of asthmatic bronchitis was highly associated with TDI concentration (p<0.001). After stopping work for a period of 10 days, workers in areas with a high concentration of TDI showed marked improvement in pulmonary function tests (PFTs). After isolation of the exposure site, improvement of the ventilation system, and substitution of the TDI with less volatile diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), air concentration of isocyanates was usually below 0.007 ppm. Three of the four clinically overt asthma cases went back to work without any difficulty. The PFTs of affected workers showed a significant improvement 5 months later. We conclude that TDI was responsible for the occupational asthma among velcro‐like tape manufacturers and that the TDI‐induced impairment of pulmonary functions was at least partiall

ISSN:0271-3586    

DOI:10.1002/ajim.4700140109

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

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

AbstractThe epidemiologic literature linking asbestos exposure with gastrointestinal malignancy is reviewed. Problems in comparing studies are discussed, appropriate strategies for comparison are developed, and study results are pooled using a model which accounts for both intrastudy and interstudy variability. Stratification of cohorts by dose reveals that significant asbestos exposure, as indicated by a lung cancer standardized mortality ratio (SMR) of at least 200, is associated with an elevated gastrointestinal cancer SMR for five or six end points examined.

ISSN:0271-3586    

DOI:10.1002/ajim.4700140110

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

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

AbstractPercutaneous absorption has received comparatively little attention in occupational health, although this route of entry has repeatedly caused occupation‐related intoxications. In practice, the evaluation of skin penetration rates is far from simple. Much evidence has been obtained from studies of chemicals used for cosmetics and topical therapeutics, but the information available on compounds encountered in occupational health is limited. The data obtained from experimental studies have confirmed that the concentration, type of vehicle, skin area, skin condition, and extent of occlusion are important factors in determining the degree of percutaneous absorption, but no general model has been developed. Also, too little is known about the basic chemical properties governing the rate of penetration. Thus, prediction is difficult and bound to be rather inaccurate. Current preventive practice follows the procedure used by ACGIH and is mainly based on a “skin” denotation in official listings of chemicals to which exposure limits have been allocated. The number of substances and groups of chemicals which have received skin denotation in 17 selected countries varies between 24 and 179, and a total of 275 are listed as a skin hazard in one or more countries; ACGIH lists 143. Thus, the denotation practice varies. As an unfortunate result of these discrepancies and the dichotomy of skin denotation, the absence of skin denotation may erroneously indicate that efforts to protect the skin are unnecessary. Thus, an evaluation of skin penetration potentials should be incorporated in occupational health practice as a supplement to the official denota

ISSN:0271-3586    

DOI:10.1002/ajim.4700140111

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

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY