摘要:

Whether low-level benzene exposure produces health effects is controversial. We used routinely collected data from our medical/industrial hygiene system to study 387 workers with daily 8-hour time-weighted exposures averaging 0.55 ppm. The cross-sectional repeated survey design included 553 unexposed workers. Lymphopenia is considered to be the earliest and most sensitive indicator of benzene toxicity. We found no increase in the prevalence of lymphopenia among benzene-exposed workers (odds ratio, 0.6; 95% confidence interval, 0.2 to 1.8), taking into account smoking, age, and sex. There also was no increase in risk among workers exposed 5 or more years (odds ratio, 0.6; 95% confidence interval, 0.2 to 1.9). Examination of other measures of hematotoxicity, including mean corpuscular volume and counts of total white blood cells, red blood cells, hemoglobin, and platelets, produced similar results. We conclude that risk of lymphopenia and other early indicators of hematotoxicity are not increased among workers in this study who were exposed to low levels of benzene.

ISSN:1076-2752    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1997

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

Hazardous materials releases can cause substantial morbidity and mortality, and an increasing number of communities have developed hazardous materials (HAZMAT) teams to deal with such incidents. Little is known, however, about the health effects of chemical accidents on HAZMAT team participants. Baseline and periodic medical surveillance of all 40 fire fighters from the Metrofire Haz-mat team was conducted in 1992/1993 and 1995, respectively. A database on incidents responded to by the team during the study period was also developed. From June 1990 through April 1995, the team responded to a total of 34 hazardous materials incidents. No injuries to HAZMAT team members were reported. Few biochemical abnormalities were observed, and those that were could not be linked to specific exposures or incidents. Four individuals had abnormal audiometry on both occasions. There was a trend toward a lower percent predicted FEV1for the entire group on follow-up: 106 ± 13% vs 105 ± 12%, P = 0.07. For fire fighters older than age 35 (n =21), the percent predicted FEV1was significantly lower at follow-up: 108 ± 12% vs 106 ± 14%,P =0.01. The results suggest significant noise exposure and exposure to pulmonary irritants, which support the use of baseline and periodic audiometry and spirometry. The potential utility of other laboratory testing is also discussed.

ISSN:1076-2752    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1997

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

The processes of sick-leave inception and work resumption are governed by many interrelated factors. Hence conventional univariate models of these processes do not provide an adequate basis for explanation and prediction. In this study, multivariate models were used to fit absenteeism data for a large government department. The variables considered were the age, sex, and grade of the employees concerned; the day, month, and year of inception of sick leave or resumption of work; the section in which the employees worked and the size of that section. The models were used to predict the rates of sick-leave inception and work resumption in a test set of employees. The predicted inception rates appear to agree well with the observed values.

ISSN:1076-2752    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1997

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

A thyroid-hormone evaluation of workers dealing with cyanide compounds in an electroplating process of a cable industry was carried out. Serum thiocyanate (SCN) levels of 35 nonsmoking copper-ply employees were assayed by a ferric-chloride color test. The mean SCN concentration of these employees was 316 ± 15 µmol/L, which was significantly (P < 0.01) higher than that of control subjects (90.8 ± 9.02 µmol/L). Serum thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations of exposed workers were compared with those of 35 control subjects. Cyanide exposure resulted in a decrease in T4and T3concentrations (P < 0.05) and an increase in TSH concentration (P < 0.05), compared with the control subjects. The serum T4level was found to be negatively correlated (r = -0.363, P < 0.05), whereas the TSH level was positively correlated (r = 0.354, P < 0.05), with SCN concentration in the exposed group. The study suggests that occupational cyanide exposure in the industry impairs thyroid function.

ISSN:1076-2752    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1997

数据来源: OVID

ISSN:1076-2752    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1997

数据来源: OVID

ISSN:1076-2752    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1996

数据来源: OVID