Polish journal of occupational medicine and environmental health最新文献

The relationship between the degree of eye fatigue resulting from visual work and type of light source used to illuminate the field of work was assessed. The tests were performed using artificial light sources: fluorescent lamps, incandescent lamps, high pressure mercury (vapour) and high pressure sodium (vapour) lamps. The assessment was performed on two groups of 10 women each, of which one included women without, and the other with, refraction errors. On the basis of changes of nearer vision point and dispersing lens tolerance, it was found that sodium light produced the highest visual fatigue in the test women, especially in those with refraction errors.

The paper presents general principles of setting the hygienic standards for substances of threshold effect and nonthreshold agents. The authors introduced the mathematical models used for quantitative risk assessment and models for assessment of the dose-response relationship according to the physiological principles.

Experimental assessment of the effect of coal dust from the Debiensko coal mine on the rat respiratory tract epithelium was carried out. The coal mine there contains up to 0.6 per cent of polymetallic salts including such heavy metals as Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, Zn. Inflammation of the upper respiratory tract caused by the coal dust was proved as well as mucous membrane ulceration and epithelial dysplasia.

This paper presents a short historical outline of the national health service (NHS) system in Poland. Consecutive stages of the NHS system reform are described (up to October 1991), including the period of early 80's and the Round Table Conference. The general principles of the project of the Polish NHS system reform, which is intended to be implemented with support from the World Bank, are presented. These principles are related particularly to the scope of the questions assigned to the task forces established to solve the basic problems of the present system. Those include: 1. Health Promotion Task Force, 2. Primary Health Care Task Force, 3. Occupational Health Task Force, 4. Health Information System Task Force, 5. Cost Accounting Task Force, 6. Resource Allocation Task Force, 7. Pharmaceutical Monitoring and Drug Control Task Force, 8. Management Development Task Force, 9. Regional Health Services (Consortia) Task Force.

This paper presents the theory of estimating miners' radiation hazard, using the values of radon daughters' concentration in the work-environment. All measurement results can be obtained with any technique beginning with instant measurement and ending with long-term dosimetry. The measurements carried out in metal ore mines show that the seasonal changes in radon daughters' concentration have their main influence in the estimation of the miners' hazard. The estimation of the hazard which was obtained from equations, was compared with the results given from the computer simulation.

The effects of combined inhalatory exposure to m-xylene and toluene on the rat hepatocytes were investigated. Limited proliferation of smooth endoplasmic reticulum and increase of the number of lysosomes were observed in hepatocytes after 3-months of single exposure to 1000 ppm of m-xylene and toluene. Moreover, mitochondria increased in most of hepatocytes. After combined exposure to mixture of m-xylene and toluene at concentrations of 500 + 500 ppm, respectively, the types of ultrastructural changes in hepatocytes followed the pattern observed after exposure of each of the single organic solvent. However, proliferation of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum was more eminent. The hepatocytes ultrastructure of rats exposed to 100 ppm of m-xylene and toluene for 6 months were similar to that observed in rats exposed to 1000 ppm of m-xylene for 3 months. In rats exposed to a mixture of m-xylene and toluene for 6 months, the ultrastructural changes in hepatocytes were a combination of those observed after a single exposure to each of the organic solvent. It may be concluded that changes in the hepatocytes ultrastructure were an adaptive rather than a toxic effect. Because in the case of combined exposures the doses were half of those used in single exposures, the additive effect on the proliferation of smooth endoplasmic reticulum was observed in the rat liver after combined exposure to toluene and m-xylene using electron microscopy.

The study was undertaken to evaluate the correlation between benzo[a]pyrene and coal tar pitch volatiles concentrations and mutagenic activity of airborne particles sampled at different workplaces of the factory producing various types of tires. The solid phase of aerosols was collected on Whatman glass-fibers filters using Staplex pumps. Coal tar pitch volatiles (CTPVs) were extracted from sample filters using ultrasonic-benzene extraction and determined by the gravimetric method. Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) analysis was performed using high performance liquid chromatography with a spectrofluorimetric detector. The mutagenic substances were extracted from collected material with acetone. The mutagenic properties were estimated with the Ames' test using S. typhimurium strain TA98 without and with S9 fraction. At nearly all workplaces the concentrations of BaP and CTPVs were within the range of 4-61 ng/m3 and 0.11-1.26 mg/m3, respectively. Only at weighing were they much higher and amounted to 172-2261 ng/m3 for BaP and 3.05-4.07 mg/m3 for CTPVs. The highest exposure to mutagenic airborne particulate matter was found at weighing (1500 rev/m3), the mixers loading level (> 500 rev/m3) and the carbon black station (> 150 rev/m3). The air mutagenic activity at other workplaces, especially at the extruder mill of the mixer (> 90 rev/m3), the two-roll mill of mixers (> 70 rev/m3), mixer I loading (> 70 rev/m3), calendering (> 70 rev/m3) and fender vulcanizing (> 80 rev/m3) was even much more higher than that found in the urban indoor and outdoor air (2-9 rev/m3).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)