Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene最新文献

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly heightened public awareness of respiratory protection, yet a critical gap persists in evidence-based guidance and appropriately designed filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs), such as N95s, for youth (≤18 years of age) in the U.S. This commentary, informed by the author's international experiences training agricultural youth living and working on farms and insights gleaned from a systematic review, highlights an urgent need for better FFR solutions for this population. Acknowledging the sensitive nature of this topic and the early stage of the science, the evidence suggests that current FFR designs and regulatory frameworks are predominantly adult-centric, neglecting the unique physiological and anthropometric characteristics of growing children and adolescents. Industrial hygienists, health care providers, and public health professionals have crucial roles to play in advocating for youth-specific FFR designs, standardized fit-testing protocols, and ethical pediatric medical evaluations.

This Commentary challenges the longstanding paradigm that the vast majority of cancers and many other serious aging-related diseases are principally due to environmental contamination. In contrast, it is argued that the major cause of aging-related diseases is the massive generation of oxy radicals produced by normal metabolic processes which, over time, initiate and promote the vast spectrum of aging-related diseases. This perspective leads to the conclusion that our bodies pose our biggest public health and medical threats. Failure to identify the major targets of aging-related diseases by environmental and public health agencies has resulted in incorrect priorities, the wasteful misdirection of funding, and the failure to improve the public health.

In September 2022, public health officials identified a legionellosis outbreak among workers at a manufacturing facility. Upon recognition of the outbreak, public health officials and company management investigated to identify the source and prevent additional cases. Facility management assembled an inventory of potential water sources and worked with a consultant to conduct sampling. Legionella bacteria were cultured from bulk water samples collected from two water jet cutters and a floor scrubber. All other sampling locations had no Legionella identified by culture. Legionellosis cases were distributed throughout the facility. Floor scrubbers were used to clean up water that spilled from the water jet cutters and to clean the floors adjacent to employee work areas. After multiple cycles of cleaning and disinfection of the water jet cutters and floor scrubbers, repeat sampling revealed no Legionella detected. Company management returned the equipment to service in November 2022 with a maintenance, disinfection, and monitoring plan; no additional cases of legionellosis among employees have been reported. Evidence indicates that water jet cutters provided a conducive environment for Legionella growth, while floor scrubbers may have also contributed to employee exposure. This case study describes a remediation plan and illustrates the importance of identifying all potential Legionella sources and maintaining a comprehensive water management program to protect workers from Legionella and other waterborne pathogens.

Methamphetamine (meth) use in the United States has been a significant problem since the 1960s. Beyond impacts to the users, two additional consequences of the meth problem are ongoing exposure to non-users in contaminated homes and the subsequent remediation costs. This study provides estimates of the number of contaminated properties, the number of exposed non-users, and the costs associated with remediation in the U.S., nationally and by state. Surveys of the frequency or incidence of residential contamination are difficult to perform and are scarce. A survey found that ∼3.5% of housing units (HUs) in the Boulder, Colorado, area were contaminated as of 2018. Estimates of contamination rates from meth smoking, manufacture, and decontamination provided the net rate of HUs affected. The rate equation was integrated to estimate the number of contaminated HUs, the number of people living in contaminated HUs, and the potential remediation costs from 1990 to 2022. Currently, more than 5.5 million (4%) of U.S. HUs are estimated to be contaminated, and the estimated annual cost to remediate all contaminated HUs is $12 billion; this is in addition to the $240 billion required to remediate the backlog of contaminated HUs. Thirteen million people are estimated to be currently living in contaminated HUs. These estimates indicate that meth-contaminated housing is an environmental health and economic issue in the U.S. that has been previously under-recognized. Additional studies are needed on the incidence of contaminated HUs, their health effects, fate and transport mechanisms, and remediation methods.

Miners face a variety of respiratory hazards on the job, including exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS), which can lead to adverse health outcomes such as silicosis and lung cancer-both potentially fatal lung diseases. Infrared spectrometry offers the possibility of portable end-of-shift quantification of RCS at mine sites. However, some mine dusts contain minerals that may interfere with this quantification method, as their infrared absorbance bands overlap with those of silica. To evaluate the impact of such interferences, potential mineral interferants were identified in the geologies of 27 metal mines using the United States Geological Survey and Mindat.org databases. These mines were selected based on historically high RCS levels, as evidenced in the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) field-sampling database, and on the number of employees potentially exposed. The significance of 44 potential interferants was evaluated using Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), by measuring their absorbance per unit mass in the α-quartz doublet region of the spectrum (816-767 cm^-1). The extent to which each mineral interfered with this region was quantified as its integrated absorbance relative to RCS. This quantification of interference provides data critical for the timely and portable quantification of RCS in mine dusts. Of the 44 specimens analyzed, three (goethite, azurite and actinolite), which are not mentioned in the standard infrared methods for quantification of RCS, were found to interfere with a magnitude of 10% or more. Despite being commonly mentioned as interferants in the literature, the feldspars Albite and Anorthite did not interfere with a magnitude of 10% or more.

This retrospective cohort epidemiological study investigated the relative risks of hearing loss associated with ototoxicants in combination with noise exposure. Utilizing United States Department of Defense (DoD) industrial hygiene and hearing conservation data, this research expanded on a 2020 study conducted on Tinker Air Force Base (AFB), Oklahoma, applying a similar methodology to Hill AFB, Utah, adding 893 evaluated individuals. Grouped into twelve exposure combinations with a minimum of 3 years of exposure duration, the study assessed various hearing loss indicators, including DoD Significant Threshold Shift (STS) and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) STS. Ototoxic substances consistently elevated relative risk (RR) compared to noise-only exposure groups, but none reached significance at the 95% confidence level. Incorporating Hill AFB to findings from Tinker AFB (n = 2,372) revealed exposure groups with a RR greater than one for developing a NIOSH STS were significant at the 95% confidence level, with the greatest RR coming from the metal, solvent, continuous noise exposure group in the left ear at 2,000 Hz (RR = 2.25; 1.96-2.57). Logistic regression modeling identified age and audiogram duration between first and last audiogram (as a surrogate for duration of exposure) as significant independent variables for hearing loss indicator development prediction.

The dental workforce comprises a variety of professions, most of which are predominantly occupied by women. Dental workers can be exposed to numerous toxic chemicals such as mercury, methacrylate polymers, and silica. This scoping review aims to synthesize the scientific literature on quantified chemical exposures and to identify research gaps in occupational chemical hazards faced by dental professionals. This review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute approach and PRISMA-ScR guidelines, using three concepts to search PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science: workers, dental care, and chemicals. Studies from high-income countries, published in French or English between 2000 and 2024 and reporting direct quantitative exposure data, were included. A descriptive analysis presents exposures measured in urine, blood, and air samples for the most assessed chemicals. Thirty articles were included in the review, with two-thirds focused on exposures of dentists and none of denturists. Exposure assessments most often focused on mercury (n = 17 studies), followed by nitrous oxide (n = 6), methacrylate compounds (n = 4), and silica (n = 3). Most studies showed exposure levels below occupational exposure standards; however, certain aerosol-releasing tasks could exceed recommended occupational exposure limits of 0.025 mg/m³ for mercury and silica. Dental students in a simulation laboratory were exposed to a 4-hr mercury vapor level up to 3 mg/m³, and dentists' exposure in clinics reached 0.45 mg/m³. Silica concentrations were below occupational exposure limits in dental clinics but reached twice the standard in a dental laboratory during prosthodontics polishing activities. The review emphasizes the need for comprehensive exposure assessments among dental workers and highlights the lack of focus on denturists, dental technicians, and dental assistants. To adequately assess the overlooked risks posed by multi-exposures to chemicals among dental workers, future studies need to analyze and report on exposures and risks stratified by occupation, task, and sex.

Waste anesthetic gases (WAGs) are anesthetic gases and vapors that are released or leaked into the surrounding environment during the delivery of anesthesia to patients and anesthesia recovery. In the last few decades, considerable efforts have been made to reduce WAG exposure for healthcare professionals who work in operating rooms (ORs) by using control measures such as scavenging systems and enhanced ventilation. Limited information is available regarding exposure assessment for healthcare workers in postanesthetic care units (PACUs) in hospitals. WAGs are associated with several adverse health effects, including reproductive-related health outcomes. However, previous studies have reported conflicting findings regarding the association between reproductive outcomes and WAG exposure. Before researching the associations between WAG exposures among PACU workers and health risks, it is essential to assess the current levels of exposure to WAGs in PACUs. This review paper describes the existing status of healthcare workers' exposure to WAGs in PACUs, discusses knowledge gaps, and provides recommendations on future research priorities.

Workers employed in recreational settings, such as sporting events, may be potentially exposed to hazardous noise levels, increasing the risk of temporary and permanent hearing loss. The purpose of this study was to assess the occupational noise exposures of ushers employed in an indoor arena during 12 National Hockey League games in eastern North Carolina. Participants were monitored for personal noise exposure during games using noise dosimeters. Area noise monitoring was conducted at arena level 1 using a sound level meter and in a production office using a noise dosimeter. Ten of 12 games (83.3%) had at least one 8-hr TWA noise exposure measurement that exceeded the ACGIH^® TLV^® of 85 dBA, while one (8.3%) exceeded the OSHA PEL of 90 dBA. The differences in L_avg and 8-hr TWA noise levels by game were statistically significant (p < 0.01) for both ACGIH and OSHA noise metrics. All of the 8 arena sections (100%) had at least one 8-hr TWA noise exposure measurement that exceeded the ACGIH TLV, while one (12.5%) exceeded the OSHA PEL. The differences in L_avg, 8-hr dose and 8-hr TWA by arena seating level were not statistically significant (p = 0.11 to 0.36) for both OSHA and ACGIH metrics. Although the overall 8-hr TWA noise exposure levels (76.5 ± 4.6 dBA using OSHA metric; 83.7 ± 3.7 dBA using ACGIH metric) did not exceed the OSHA PEL or ACGIH TLV, respectively, employees during professional hockey games may be exposed to hazardous noise as demonstrated by the percentages of 8-hr TWA noise measurements exceeding the OSHA PEL (1.1%) and ACGIH TLV (24.2%). Study findings may be beneficial for identifying practical and feasible control measures to reduce noise exposures of workers at the arena during professional hockey games and may be used to estimate attendee noise exposures and to improve arena design for noise reduction.