摘要:

The Occupational Medicine Forum presents questions of general interest received by the ACOEM Committee on Occupational Medical Practice. Answers usually are prepared by the Committee, representing the composite best judgment of its members. Such replies do not necessarily represent an official position of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. In some cases, the responses will be prepared at the Committee's request by consultants with special qualifications in specific fields. Questioners are not named. Readers who wish to submit questions to the Committee should address inquiries to: Committee on Occupational Medical Practice, American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 55 W. Seegers Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60005.

ISSN:0096-1736    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1994

数据来源: OVID

ISSN:0096-1736    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1994

数据来源: OVID

ISSN:0096-1736    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1994

数据来源: OVID

ISSN:0096-1736    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1994

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

Authoritative reviews of the question of whether occupational exposure to beryllium compounds is associated with increased risk of respiratory cancer were published in 1987 and were critical of the quality of the evidence available up to that time. No clear conclusion could be drawn from it as to the carcinogenicity of beryllium to humans. If studies published since 1987 are to lead to a revision of the regulatory status of beryllium compounds they must clearly be of high quality and scientific validity. These studies, as well as the earlier reports, are reviewed here. I argue that the small and inconsistent excess of lung cancer deaths in employees of one or two plants seen in two post-1987 studies is compatible with a number of explanations other than that they are attributable to occupational exposure to beryllium. Specifically, information on cigarette smoking is poor, and the data do not exist to rule out the possibility that the small number of excess deaths results from residual confounding by cigarette smoking patterns in the populations studied. Indeed, excess deaths from emphysema and ischemia heart disease in the same cohort suggest that confounding by cigarette smoking is a more likely explanation of the lung cancer excess than is occupational exposure to beryllium compounds.

ISSN:0096-1736    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1994

数据来源: OVID

ISSN:0096-1736    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1994

数据来源: OVID

ISSN:0096-1736    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1994

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

There is concern that wastewater treatment system workers are at risk for cancers and diseases affecting the neurological and digestive systems. However, these diseases have also been linked to early exposures. A proportional mortality study was conducted on a large cohort of wastewater treatment system workers who were divided into two groups, migrants and nonmigrants, by place of birth as reported on their death certificates. The migrant worker group was significantly higher than the US white male population for cancer of the stomach, leukemia, and all lymphopoietic cancers. Migrant workers also had an elevated ratio for all diseases of the nervous system and sense organs. No cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis were found. The American-born workers had an elevated rate of death for arteriosclerotic heart disease compared with the US white male population. We suggest that place of birth may present a confounding factor when evaluating exposures in employee groups.

ISSN:0096-1736    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1994

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

Although annual United States occupational injury fatalities range between 7,000 and 10,400, consistent rules to determine which deaths are “occupational” do not exist. Fifty-seven North Carolina county medical examiners (MEs), responsible for more than 50% of all medical examiner cases in 1990, received our questionnaire. Fifty-three (93%) responded, classifying 22 scenarios as on-the-job deaths and indicating usual classification practices and information sources. Agreement varied among the scenarios, but those involving transportation and nonpaid workers elicited particularly inconsistent responses. Fifty-six percent of medical examiners have a general rule for determining on-the-job status, but deaths associated with motor vehicles, farming, and occupations other than the decedent's usual job were classified most inconsistently. The lack of standard definitions of “job,” “work,” and “on-the-job” is apparent in classification decisions. Certain work situations need special consideration.

ISSN:0096-1736    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1994

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

Isokinetic trunk testing is often performed to evaluate ability to perform job tasks. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of isokinetic trunk testing in identifying people with limited functional lifting capability and likely future injury potential. Two hundred thirty work applicants for heavy labor in a steel mill underwent job-related lifting ability and isokinetic trunk evaluation. There was no difference between the isokinetic scores of women who did not meet the job lifting criteria and those who did meet the lifting criteria. There was no difference between the isokinetic scores of workers who experienced occupational low back injury and those workers who did not over almost a 6-year follow-up period. In this study isokinetic trunk evaluation was of no value in employee selection.

ISSN:0096-1736    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1994

数据来源: OVID