Chemical pesticides, regardless of their inherent hazard, are used intensively in the fast changing agricultural sector of Ethiopia. We conducted a cross-sectional pesticide Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) survey among 601 farmers and farm workers (applicators and re-entry workers) in three farming systems [large-scale closed greenhouses (LSGH), large-scale open farms (LSOF), and small-scale irrigated farms (SSIF)]. Main observations were that 85% of workers did not attain any pesticide-related training, 81% were not aware of modern alternatives for chemical pesticides, 10% used a full set of personal protective equipment, and 62% did not usually bath or shower after work. Among applicators pesticide training attendance was highest in LSGH (35%) and was lowest in SSIF (4%). None of the female re-entry farm workers had received pesticide-related training. Personal protective equipment use was twice as high among pesticide applicators as among re-entry workers (13 versus 7%), while none of the small-scale farm workers used personal protection equipment. Stockpiling and burial of empty pesticide containers and discarding empty pesticide containers in farming fields were reported in both LSOF and by 75% of the farm workers in SSIF. Considerable increment in chemical pesticide usage intensity, illegitimate usages of DDT and Endosulfan on food crops and direct import of pesticides without the formal Ethiopian registration process were also indicated. These results point out a general lack of training and knowledge regarding the safe use of pesticides in all farming systems but especially among small-scale farmers. This in combination with the increase in chemical pesticide usage in the past decade likely results in occupational and environmental health risks. Improved KAP that account for institutional difference among various farming systems and enforcement of regulatory measures including the available occupational and environmental proclamations in Ethiopia are urgently needed.
{"title":"Use of Chemical Pesticides in Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Comparative Study on Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Farmers and Farm Workers in Three Farming Systems.","authors":"B. Negatu, H. Kromhout, Y. Mekonnen, R. Vermeulen","doi":"10.1093/annhyg/mew004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/annhyg/mew004","url":null,"abstract":"Chemical pesticides, regardless of their inherent hazard, are used intensively in the fast changing agricultural sector of Ethiopia. We conducted a cross-sectional pesticide Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) survey among 601 farmers and farm workers (applicators and re-entry workers) in three farming systems [large-scale closed greenhouses (LSGH), large-scale open farms (LSOF), and small-scale irrigated farms (SSIF)]. Main observations were that 85% of workers did not attain any pesticide-related training, 81% were not aware of modern alternatives for chemical pesticides, 10% used a full set of personal protective equipment, and 62% did not usually bath or shower after work. Among applicators pesticide training attendance was highest in LSGH (35%) and was lowest in SSIF (4%). None of the female re-entry farm workers had received pesticide-related training. Personal protective equipment use was twice as high among pesticide applicators as among re-entry workers (13 versus 7%), while none of the small-scale farm workers used personal protection equipment. Stockpiling and burial of empty pesticide containers and discarding empty pesticide containers in farming fields were reported in both LSOF and by 75% of the farm workers in SSIF. Considerable increment in chemical pesticide usage intensity, illegitimate usages of DDT and Endosulfan on food crops and direct import of pesticides without the formal Ethiopian registration process were also indicated. These results point out a general lack of training and knowledge regarding the safe use of pesticides in all farming systems but especially among small-scale farmers. This in combination with the increase in chemical pesticide usage in the past decade likely results in occupational and environmental health risks. Improved KAP that account for institutional difference among various farming systems and enforcement of regulatory measures including the available occupational and environmental proclamations in Ethiopia are urgently needed.","PeriodicalId":342592,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of occupational hygiene","volume":"31 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130738933","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Samuel Jones, T. Anthony, Sinan Sousan, Ralph W. Altmaier, Jae Hong Park, T. Peters
Exposure to dust is a known occupational hazard in the swine industry, although efforts to measure exposures are labor intensive and costly. In this study, we evaluated a Dylos DC1100 as a low-cost (~$200) alternative to assess respirable dust concentrations in a swine building in winter. Dust concentrations were measured with collocated monitors (Dylos DC1100; an aerosol photometer, the pDR-1200; and a respirable sampler analyzed gravimetrically) placed in two locations within a swine farrowing building in winter for 18-24-h periods. The particle number concentrations measured with the DC1100 were converted to mass concentration using two methods: Physical Property Method and Regression Method. Raw number concentrations from the DC1100 were highly correlated to mass concentrations measured with the pDR-1200 with a coefficient of determination (R (2)) of 0.85, indicating that the two monitors respond similarly to respirable dust in this environment. Both methods of converting DC1100 number concentrations to mass concentrations yielded strong linear relationships relative to that measured with the pDR-1200 (Physical Property Method: slope = 1.03, R (2) = 0.72; Regression Method: slope = 0.72, R (2) = 0.73) and relative to that measured gravimetrically (Physical Property Method: slope = 1.08, R (2) = 0.64; Regression Method: slope = 0.75, R (2) = 0.62). The DC1100 can be used as a reasonable indicator of respirable mass concentrations within a CAFO and may have broader applicability to other agricultural and industrial settings.
{"title":"Evaluation of a Low-Cost Aerosol Sensor to Assess Dust Concentrations in a Swine Building.","authors":"Samuel Jones, T. Anthony, Sinan Sousan, Ralph W. Altmaier, Jae Hong Park, T. Peters","doi":"10.1093/annhyg/mew009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/annhyg/mew009","url":null,"abstract":"Exposure to dust is a known occupational hazard in the swine industry, although efforts to measure exposures are labor intensive and costly. In this study, we evaluated a Dylos DC1100 as a low-cost (~$200) alternative to assess respirable dust concentrations in a swine building in winter. Dust concentrations were measured with collocated monitors (Dylos DC1100; an aerosol photometer, the pDR-1200; and a respirable sampler analyzed gravimetrically) placed in two locations within a swine farrowing building in winter for 18-24-h periods. The particle number concentrations measured with the DC1100 were converted to mass concentration using two methods: Physical Property Method and Regression Method. Raw number concentrations from the DC1100 were highly correlated to mass concentrations measured with the pDR-1200 with a coefficient of determination (R (2)) of 0.85, indicating that the two monitors respond similarly to respirable dust in this environment. Both methods of converting DC1100 number concentrations to mass concentrations yielded strong linear relationships relative to that measured with the pDR-1200 (Physical Property Method: slope = 1.03, R (2) = 0.72; Regression Method: slope = 0.72, R (2) = 0.73) and relative to that measured gravimetrically (Physical Property Method: slope = 1.08, R (2) = 0.64; Regression Method: slope = 0.75, R (2) = 0.62). The DC1100 can be used as a reasonable indicator of respirable mass concentrations within a CAFO and may have broader applicability to other agricultural and industrial settings.","PeriodicalId":342592,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of occupational hygiene","volume":"334 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115216279","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. S. S. Valente, C. Lopes, M. Pastor-Valero, P. Menezes
OBJECTIVES Changes in the modern economy have affected the financial sector. Time pressures, excessive work demands, and job stress are frequent concerns among bank employees, which might predispose them to burnout symptoms. The objective of the present study was to investigate the association between burnout symptoms and exposure to psychosocial work conditions in bank employees. METHODS A cross-sectional study of 1046 bank employees was carried out in Pará and Amapá, northern Brazil. We applied a self-administered questionnaire evaluating socio-demographic characteristics, burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory), and two job stress models (Demand-Control-Support and Effort-Reward Imbalance). Two levels of burnout symptoms were analysed: moderate level of burnout (MLB) and high level of burnout (HLB). Logistic regression models were used to estimate associations between the two levels of burnout and the two stress models, controlling for relevant covariates. RESULTS The overall prevalence of burnout was 71.8% (31.1% for HLB; 40.7% for MLB), regardless of gender. Exposure to adverse psychosocial conditions in the workplace, such as high strain, low social support at work, high effort/low reward, and over commitment showed strong association with HLB and MLB, and these associations were independent of age, gender, and other occupational characteristics. CONCLUSIONS We found that psychosocial conditions in the financial sector involving high strain, low social support at work, high effort/low reward, and over commitment represent possible risk factors for moderate and HLB symptoms in bank employees.
{"title":"Psychosocial Work Conditions and Burnout Among Brazilian Bank Employees: A Cross-Sectional Study.","authors":"M. S. S. Valente, C. Lopes, M. Pastor-Valero, P. Menezes","doi":"10.1093/annhyg/mew013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/annhyg/mew013","url":null,"abstract":"OBJECTIVES\u0000Changes in the modern economy have affected the financial sector. Time pressures, excessive work demands, and job stress are frequent concerns among bank employees, which might predispose them to burnout symptoms. The objective of the present study was to investigate the association between burnout symptoms and exposure to psychosocial work conditions in bank employees.\u0000\u0000\u0000METHODS\u0000A cross-sectional study of 1046 bank employees was carried out in Pará and Amapá, northern Brazil. We applied a self-administered questionnaire evaluating socio-demographic characteristics, burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory), and two job stress models (Demand-Control-Support and Effort-Reward Imbalance). Two levels of burnout symptoms were analysed: moderate level of burnout (MLB) and high level of burnout (HLB). Logistic regression models were used to estimate associations between the two levels of burnout and the two stress models, controlling for relevant covariates.\u0000\u0000\u0000RESULTS\u0000The overall prevalence of burnout was 71.8% (31.1% for HLB; 40.7% for MLB), regardless of gender. Exposure to adverse psychosocial conditions in the workplace, such as high strain, low social support at work, high effort/low reward, and over commitment showed strong association with HLB and MLB, and these associations were independent of age, gender, and other occupational characteristics.\u0000\u0000\u0000CONCLUSIONS\u0000We found that psychosocial conditions in the financial sector involving high strain, low social support at work, high effort/low reward, and over commitment represent possible risk factors for moderate and HLB symptoms in bank employees.","PeriodicalId":342592,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of occupational hygiene","volume":"27 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127261833","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Si Si, Renee N. Carey, A. Reid, T. Driscoll, D. Glass, S. Peters, G. Benke, Ellie Darcey, L. Fritschi
BACKGROUND Respirable crystalline silica (RCS) is a biologically active dust that can accumulate in the lung and induce silicosis and lung cancer. Despite occupational exposure being the predominant source, no study has described current occupational RCS exposure on a national scale in Australia. The aim of this study is to estimate the characteristics of those exposed and the circumstances of RCS exposure in Australian workplaces. METHODS A cross-sectional survey of the Australian working population (18-65 years old) was conducted. Information about the respondents' current job and their demographic characteristics was collected in a telephone interview. Occupational exposure to RCS was determined based on preprogrammed decision rules regarding potential levels of exposure associated with self-reported tasks. RESULTS Overall, 6.4% of respondents were deemed exposed to RCS at work in 2012 (3.3% were exposed at a high level). The exposure varied with sex, state of residence, and socioeconomic status. Miners and construction workers were most likely to be highly exposed to RCS when performing tasks with concrete or cement or working near crushers that create RCS-containing dusts. When extrapolated to the entire Australian working population, 6.6% of Australian workers were exposed to RCS and 3.7% were highly exposed when carrying out tasks at work. CONCLUSION This is the first study investigating occupational RCS exposure in an entire national working population. The information about occupational tasks that lead to high level RCS exposure provided by this study will inform the direction of occupational interventions and policies.
{"title":"The Australian Work Exposures Study: Prevalence of Occupational Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica.","authors":"Si Si, Renee N. Carey, A. Reid, T. Driscoll, D. Glass, S. Peters, G. Benke, Ellie Darcey, L. Fritschi","doi":"10.1093/annhyg/mew007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/annhyg/mew007","url":null,"abstract":"BACKGROUND\u0000Respirable crystalline silica (RCS) is a biologically active dust that can accumulate in the lung and induce silicosis and lung cancer. Despite occupational exposure being the predominant source, no study has described current occupational RCS exposure on a national scale in Australia. The aim of this study is to estimate the characteristics of those exposed and the circumstances of RCS exposure in Australian workplaces.\u0000\u0000\u0000METHODS\u0000A cross-sectional survey of the Australian working population (18-65 years old) was conducted. Information about the respondents' current job and their demographic characteristics was collected in a telephone interview. Occupational exposure to RCS was determined based on preprogrammed decision rules regarding potential levels of exposure associated with self-reported tasks.\u0000\u0000\u0000RESULTS\u0000Overall, 6.4% of respondents were deemed exposed to RCS at work in 2012 (3.3% were exposed at a high level). The exposure varied with sex, state of residence, and socioeconomic status. Miners and construction workers were most likely to be highly exposed to RCS when performing tasks with concrete or cement or working near crushers that create RCS-containing dusts. When extrapolated to the entire Australian working population, 6.6% of Australian workers were exposed to RCS and 3.7% were highly exposed when carrying out tasks at work.\u0000\u0000\u0000CONCLUSION\u0000This is the first study investigating occupational RCS exposure in an entire national working population. The information about occupational tasks that lead to high level RCS exposure provided by this study will inform the direction of occupational interventions and policies.","PeriodicalId":342592,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of occupational hygiene","volume":"120 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121820886","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Employees who are exposed to high concentrations of microorganisms in bioaerosols frequently suffer from respiratory disorders. However, etiology and in particular potential roles of microorganisms in pathogenesis still need to be elucidated. Thus, determination of employees' antibody titers against specific occupational microbial antigens may lead to identification of potentially harmful species. Since indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) is easy to implement, we used this technique to analyze immunoreactions in human sera. In order to address disadvantageous inter-observer variations as well as the absence of quantifiable fluorescence data in conventional titer determination by eye, we specifically developed a software tool for automated image analysis. The 'Fluorolyzer' software is able to reliably quantify fluorescence intensities of antibody-bound bacterial cells on digital images. Subsequently, fluorescence values of single cells have been used to calculate non-discrete IgG titers. We tested this approach on multiple bacterial workplace isolates and determined titers in sera from 20 volunteers. Furthermore, we compared image-based results with the conventional manual readout and found significant correlation as well as statistically confirmed reproducibility. In conclusion, we successfully employed 'Fluorolyzer' for determination of titers against various bacterial species and demonstrated its applicability as a useful tool for reliable and efficient analysis of immune response toward occupational exposure to bioaerosols.
{"title":"Automated Image Analysis for Determination of Antibody Titers Against Occupational Bacterial Antigens Using Indirect Immunofluorescence.","authors":"P. Brauner, U. Jäckel","doi":"10.1093/annhyg/mew014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/annhyg/mew014","url":null,"abstract":"Employees who are exposed to high concentrations of microorganisms in bioaerosols frequently suffer from respiratory disorders. However, etiology and in particular potential roles of microorganisms in pathogenesis still need to be elucidated. Thus, determination of employees' antibody titers against specific occupational microbial antigens may lead to identification of potentially harmful species. Since indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) is easy to implement, we used this technique to analyze immunoreactions in human sera. In order to address disadvantageous inter-observer variations as well as the absence of quantifiable fluorescence data in conventional titer determination by eye, we specifically developed a software tool for automated image analysis. The 'Fluorolyzer' software is able to reliably quantify fluorescence intensities of antibody-bound bacterial cells on digital images. Subsequently, fluorescence values of single cells have been used to calculate non-discrete IgG titers. We tested this approach on multiple bacterial workplace isolates and determined titers in sera from 20 volunteers. Furthermore, we compared image-based results with the conventional manual readout and found significant correlation as well as statistically confirmed reproducibility. In conclusion, we successfully employed 'Fluorolyzer' for determination of titers against various bacterial species and demonstrated its applicability as a useful tool for reliable and efficient analysis of immune response toward occupational exposure to bioaerosols.","PeriodicalId":342592,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of occupational hygiene","volume":"33 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128177444","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
We conducted a laboratory test to characterize dust from cutting Corian(®), a solid-surface composite material, with a circular saw. Air samples were collected using filters and direct-reading instruments in an automatic laboratory testing system. The average mass concentrations of the total and respirable dusts from the filter samples were 4.78±0.01 and 1.52±0.01mg cm(-3), respectively, suggesting about 31.8% mass of the airborne dust from cutting Corian(®) is respirable. Analysis of the metal elements on the filter samples reveals that aluminum hydroxide is likely the dominant component of the airborne dust from cutting Corian(®), with the total airborne and respirable dusts containing 86.0±6.6 and 82.2±4.1% aluminum hydroxide, respectively. The results from the direct-reading instruments confirm that the airborne dust generated from cutting Corian(®) were mainly from the cutting process with very few particles released from the running circular saw alone. The number-based size distribution of the dusts from cutting Corian(®) had a peak for fine particles at 1.05 µm with an average total concentration of 871.9 particles cm(-3), and another peak for ultrafine particles at 11.8nm with an average total concentration of 1.19×10(6) particles cm(-3) The small size and high concentration of the ultrafine particles suggest additional investigation is needed to study their chemical composition and possible contribution to pulmonary effect.
{"title":"Characterizing Dust from Cutting Corian®, a Solid-Surface Composite Material, in a Laboratory Testing System.","authors":"Chaolong Qi, A. Echt, Taichi K. Murata","doi":"10.1093/annhyg/mew005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/annhyg/mew005","url":null,"abstract":"We conducted a laboratory test to characterize dust from cutting Corian(®), a solid-surface composite material, with a circular saw. Air samples were collected using filters and direct-reading instruments in an automatic laboratory testing system. The average mass concentrations of the total and respirable dusts from the filter samples were 4.78±0.01 and 1.52±0.01mg cm(-3), respectively, suggesting about 31.8% mass of the airborne dust from cutting Corian(®) is respirable. Analysis of the metal elements on the filter samples reveals that aluminum hydroxide is likely the dominant component of the airborne dust from cutting Corian(®), with the total airborne and respirable dusts containing 86.0±6.6 and 82.2±4.1% aluminum hydroxide, respectively. The results from the direct-reading instruments confirm that the airborne dust generated from cutting Corian(®) were mainly from the cutting process with very few particles released from the running circular saw alone. The number-based size distribution of the dusts from cutting Corian(®) had a peak for fine particles at 1.05 µm with an average total concentration of 871.9 particles cm(-3), and another peak for ultrafine particles at 11.8nm with an average total concentration of 1.19×10(6) particles cm(-3) The small size and high concentration of the ultrafine particles suggest additional investigation is needed to study their chemical composition and possible contribution to pulmonary effect.","PeriodicalId":342592,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of occupational hygiene","volume":"44 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121430286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
It is thought that the performance of respirable samplers may vary when exposed to dust aerosols with different particle sizes and wind speeds. This study investigated the performance of the GK 4.16 (RASCAL), GK 2.69, PPI 8, and FSP 10, high flow rate personal samplers when exposed to aerosols of mineral dust in a wind tunnel at two different wind speeds (1 and 2 m s(-1)) and orientations (towards and side-on to the source of emission). The mass median aerodynamic diameter of four aerosolized test dusts ranged from 8 to 25 µm with geometric standard deviations from 1.6 to 2 µm. The performance of each sampler type was compared with that of the SIMPEDS (Higgins-Dewell design) sampler. There was slight evidence to suggest that the performance of the FSP 10 is affected by the direction of the inlet relative to the air flow, although this was not significant when most respirable dust concentrations were compared, possibly due to the variability of paired dust concentration results. The GK 2.69, RASCAL, and PPI 8 samplers had similar performances, although the results when side-on to the emission source were generally slightly lower than the SIMPEDS. Despite slight differences between respirable dust concentrations the respirable crystalline silica values were not significantly different from the SIMPEDS. The GK family of cyclones obtained most precise results and more closely matched the SIMPEDS. A comparison with dust concentration results from previous calm air chamber studies (where wind speeds were < 0.4 m s(-1)) found that the relative performance between samplers was similar to those observed in this work indicating consistent performance relative to the SIMPEDS in both calm and moving air.
据认为，当暴露于不同粒径和风速的粉尘气溶胶时，可吸入采样器的性能可能会发生变化。本研究考察了gk4.16 (RASCAL)、gk2.69、PPI 8和FSP 10等高流速个人采样器在不同风速(1和2 m s(-1))和方向(朝向和侧面)下暴露于风洞中矿物粉尘气溶胶时的性能。4种雾化试验粉尘的质量气动直径中值范围为8 ~ 25µm，几何标准差范围为1.6 ~ 2µm。将每种采样器的性能与SIMPEDS (Higgins-Dewell设计)采样器的性能进行比较。有少量证据表明，FSP 10的性能受到相对于气流的入口方向的影响，尽管在比较大多数呼吸性粉尘浓度时，这并不显著，可能是由于成对粉尘浓度结果的可变性。gk2.69、RASCAL和PPI 8采样器具有相似的性能，但当侧面靠近排放源时的结果通常略低于SIMPEDS。尽管呼吸性粉尘浓度略有差异，但呼吸性结晶二氧化硅值与SIMPEDS无显著差异。GK系列气旋获得了最精确的结果，与SIMPEDS更接近。与先前平静空气室研究(风速< 0.4 m s(-1))的粉尘浓度结果比较发现，采样器之间的相对性能与本工作中观察到的相似，表明在平静空气和流动空气中相对于SIMPEDS的性能是一致的。
{"title":"Performance of High Flow Rate Personal Respirable Samplers When Challenged with Mineral Aerosols of Different Particle Size Distributions.","authors":"P. Stacey, A. Thorpe, A. Echt","doi":"10.1093/annhyg/mev097","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/annhyg/mev097","url":null,"abstract":"It is thought that the performance of respirable samplers may vary when exposed to dust aerosols with different particle sizes and wind speeds. This study investigated the performance of the GK 4.16 (RASCAL), GK 2.69, PPI 8, and FSP 10, high flow rate personal samplers when exposed to aerosols of mineral dust in a wind tunnel at two different wind speeds (1 and 2 m s(-1)) and orientations (towards and side-on to the source of emission). The mass median aerodynamic diameter of four aerosolized test dusts ranged from 8 to 25 µm with geometric standard deviations from 1.6 to 2 µm. The performance of each sampler type was compared with that of the SIMPEDS (Higgins-Dewell design) sampler. There was slight evidence to suggest that the performance of the FSP 10 is affected by the direction of the inlet relative to the air flow, although this was not significant when most respirable dust concentrations were compared, possibly due to the variability of paired dust concentration results. The GK 2.69, RASCAL, and PPI 8 samplers had similar performances, although the results when side-on to the emission source were generally slightly lower than the SIMPEDS. Despite slight differences between respirable dust concentrations the respirable crystalline silica values were not significantly different from the SIMPEDS. The GK family of cyclones obtained most precise results and more closely matched the SIMPEDS. A comparison with dust concentration results from previous calm air chamber studies (where wind speeds were < 0.4 m s(-1)) found that the relative performance between samplers was similar to those observed in this work indicating consistent performance relative to the SIMPEDS in both calm and moving air.","PeriodicalId":342592,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of occupational hygiene","volume":"22 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128255255","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
We read with interest the job-exposure matrix ( JEM) by van Oyen et al. (2015), a study to which we contributed unpublished dust measurements. We wish to make a number of observations regarding the paper. We begin by noting that exposure limits for asbestos were first recommended in Australia well before 1964. In 1945, the State of Victoria adopted a ceiling standard of 5 million particles per cubic foot (mppcf) into regulations (Victoria, 1945), while the 5 mppcf standard was adopted nationally [as an 8-h time-weighted average (TWA)] in 1960 (National Health and Medical Research Council, 1960). The various Australian states adopted regulations based on the membrane filter haphazardly over the 1970s. We agree with the authors that the estimated annual average exposures in AsbJEM appear very low, and that there is some similarity to full-shift exposures that can be found elsewhere in the literature. However, we also take the view that the results of any exposure reconstruction should ‘make sense’ (Armstrong et al., 2009). In our opinion, the exposure estimates for some of the job titles in AsbJEM do not make sense, in that the cumulative exposure for a lifetime of work in some job titles is not consistent with the many cases of asbestos-related disease we have encountered in workers with those job titles. For example, according to AsbJEM: the cumulative exposure for a boilermaker who spent their entire working life in the power supply industry Editorial Note. Letters to the Editor are peer reviewed to ensure that the arguments are reasonable and clearly expressed. However, letters may express a particular opinion rather than a balanced interpretation. Authors of papers commented on are invited to reply, but neither the journal nor peer reviewers should be assumed to support the arguments made.
我们饶有兴趣地阅读了van Oyen等人(2015)的工作暴露矩阵(JEM)，我们为该研究贡献了未发表的粉尘测量数据。我们愿就该文件提出一些看法。我们首先要指出，早在1964年之前，澳大利亚就首次提出了石棉的接触限值。1945年，维多利亚州将每立方英尺500万颗粒(mppcf)的上限标准纳入法规(维多利亚州，1945年)，而5 mppcf标准于1960年在全国被采用[作为8小时时间加权平均值(TWA)](国家卫生和医学研究委员会，1960年)。20世纪70年代，澳大利亚各州随意采用了基于膜过滤器的法规。我们同意作者的观点，即AsbJEM中估计的年平均暴露量似乎很低，并且与文献中其他地方的全轮班暴露有一些相似之处。然而，我们也认为，任何暴露重建的结果都应该“有意义”(Armstrong et al.， 2009)。在我们看来，AsbJEM中某些职位的暴露估计是没有意义的，因为在某些职位上工作一生的累积暴露与我们在这些职位的工人中遇到的许多石棉相关疾病病例不一致。例如，根据AsbJEM的说法:一个在供电行业度过了整个工作生涯的锅炉制造商的累积暴露。给编辑的信件经过同行评审，以确保论点合理且表达清楚。然而，信件可能表达一个特定的意见，而不是一个平衡的解释。被评论论文的作者被邀请回复，但期刊和同行评议人都不应该被认为支持所提出的论点。
{"title":"Estimating Occupational Exposure to Asbestos in Australia.","authors":"M. Kottek, D. Kilpatrick","doi":"10.1093/annhyg/mew002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/annhyg/mew002","url":null,"abstract":"We read with interest the job-exposure matrix ( JEM) by van Oyen et al. (2015), a study to which we contributed unpublished dust measurements. We wish to make a number of observations regarding the paper. We begin by noting that exposure limits for asbestos were first recommended in Australia well before 1964. In 1945, the State of Victoria adopted a ceiling standard of 5 million particles per cubic foot (mppcf) into regulations (Victoria, 1945), while the 5 mppcf standard was adopted nationally [as an 8-h time-weighted average (TWA)] in 1960 (National Health and Medical Research Council, 1960). The various Australian states adopted regulations based on the membrane filter haphazardly over the 1970s. We agree with the authors that the estimated annual average exposures in AsbJEM appear very low, and that there is some similarity to full-shift exposures that can be found elsewhere in the literature. However, we also take the view that the results of any exposure reconstruction should ‘make sense’ (Armstrong et al., 2009). In our opinion, the exposure estimates for some of the job titles in AsbJEM do not make sense, in that the cumulative exposure for a lifetime of work in some job titles is not consistent with the many cases of asbestos-related disease we have encountered in workers with those job titles. For example, according to AsbJEM: the cumulative exposure for a boilermaker who spent their entire working life in the power supply industry Editorial Note. Letters to the Editor are peer reviewed to ensure that the arguments are reasonable and clearly expressed. However, letters may express a particular opinion rather than a balanced interpretation. Authors of papers commented on are invited to reply, but neither the journal nor peer reviewers should be assumed to support the arguments made.","PeriodicalId":342592,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of occupational hygiene","volume":"60 4 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131272054","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AIMS The aims of this study were to examine the relationships and establish conversion factors between 'total' dust, respirable, thoracic, and inhalable aerosol fractions measured by parallel personal sampling on workers from the production departments of cement plants. 'Total' dust in this study refers to aerosol sampled by the closed face 37-mm Millipore filter cassette. METHODS Side-by-side personal measurements of 'total' dust and respirable, thoracic, and inhalable aerosol fractions were performed on workers in 17 European and Turkish cement plants. Simple linear and mixed model regressions were used to model the associations between the samplers. RESULTS The total number of personal samples collected on 141 workers was 512. Of these 8.4% were excluded leaving 469 for statistical analysis. The different aerosol fractions contained from 90 to 130 measurements and-side-by side measurements of all four aerosol fractions were collected on 72 workers.The median ratios between observed results of the respirable, 'total' dust, and inhalable fractions relative to the thoracic aerosol fractions were 0.51, 2.4, and 5.9 respectively. The ratios between the samplers were not constant over the measured concentration range and were best described by regression models. Job type, position of samplers on left or right shoulder and plant had no substantial effect on the ratios. CONCLUSIONS The ratios between aerosol fractions changed with different air concentrations. Conversion models for estimation of the fractions were established. These models explained a high proportion of the variance (74-91%) indicating that they are useful for the estimation of concentrations based on measurements of a different aerosol fraction. The calculated uncertainties at most observed concentrations were below 30% which is acceptable for comparison with limit values (EN 482, 2012). The cement industry will therefore be able to predict the health related aerosol fractions from their former or future measurements of one of the fractions.
{"title":"Relationships between Personal Measurements of 'Total' Dust, Respirable, Thoracic, and Inhalable Aerosol Fractions in the Cement Production Industry.","authors":"H. Notø, K. Nordby, W. Eduard","doi":"10.1093/annhyg/mev093","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/annhyg/mev093","url":null,"abstract":"AIMS\u0000The aims of this study were to examine the relationships and establish conversion factors between 'total' dust, respirable, thoracic, and inhalable aerosol fractions measured by parallel personal sampling on workers from the production departments of cement plants. 'Total' dust in this study refers to aerosol sampled by the closed face 37-mm Millipore filter cassette.\u0000\u0000\u0000METHODS\u0000Side-by-side personal measurements of 'total' dust and respirable, thoracic, and inhalable aerosol fractions were performed on workers in 17 European and Turkish cement plants. Simple linear and mixed model regressions were used to model the associations between the samplers.\u0000\u0000\u0000RESULTS\u0000The total number of personal samples collected on 141 workers was 512. Of these 8.4% were excluded leaving 469 for statistical analysis. The different aerosol fractions contained from 90 to 130 measurements and-side-by side measurements of all four aerosol fractions were collected on 72 workers.The median ratios between observed results of the respirable, 'total' dust, and inhalable fractions relative to the thoracic aerosol fractions were 0.51, 2.4, and 5.9 respectively. The ratios between the samplers were not constant over the measured concentration range and were best described by regression models. Job type, position of samplers on left or right shoulder and plant had no substantial effect on the ratios.\u0000\u0000\u0000CONCLUSIONS\u0000The ratios between aerosol fractions changed with different air concentrations. Conversion models for estimation of the fractions were established. These models explained a high proportion of the variance (74-91%) indicating that they are useful for the estimation of concentrations based on measurements of a different aerosol fraction. The calculated uncertainties at most observed concentrations were below 30% which is acceptable for comparison with limit values (EN 482, 2012). The cement industry will therefore be able to predict the health related aerosol fractions from their former or future measurements of one of the fractions.","PeriodicalId":342592,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of occupational hygiene","volume":"43 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130541920","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OBJECTIVES The Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) is the largest multi-industry source of exposure measurements available in North America. However, many have suspected that the criteria through which worksites are selected for inspection are related to exposure levels. We investigated associations between exposure levels and ancillary variables in IMIS in order to understand the predictors of high exposure within an enforcement context. METHODS We analyzed the association between nine variables (reason for inspection, establishment size, total amount of penalty, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) plan, OSHA region, union status, inspection scope, year, and industry) and exposure levels in IMIS using multimodel inference for 77 agents. For each agent, we used two different types of models: (i) logistic models were used for the odds ratio (OR) of exposure being above the threshold limit value (TLV) and (ii) linear models were used for exposure concentrations restricted to detected results to estimate percent increase in exposure level, i.e. relative index of exposure (RIE). Meta-analytic methods were used to combine results for each variable across agents. RESULTS A total of 511,047 exposure measurements were modeled for logistic models and 299,791 for linear models. Higher exposures were measured during follow-up inspections than planned inspections [meta-OR = 1.61, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.44-1.81; meta-RIE = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.03-1.09]. Lower exposures were observed for measurements collected under state OSHA plans compared to measurements collected under federal OSHA (meta-OR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.73-0.92; meta-RIE = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.81-0.91). A 'high' total historical amount of penalty relative to none was associated with higher exposures (meta-OR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.40-1.71; meta-RIE = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.13-1.23). CONCLUSIONS The relationships observed between exposure levels and ancillary variables across a vast majority of agents suggest that certain elements of OSHA's process of selecting worksites for inspection influence the exposure levels that OSHA inspectors encounter. Nonetheless, given the paucity of other sources of exposure data and the lack of a more demonstrably representative data source, our study considers the use of IMIS data for the estimation of exposures in the broader universe of worksites in the USA.
{"title":"Trends in OSHA Compliance Monitoring Data 1979-2011: Statistical Modeling of Ancillary Information across 77 Chemicals.","authors":"Philippe Sarazin, I. Burstyn, L. Kincl, J. Lavoué","doi":"10.1093/annhyg/mev092","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/annhyg/mev092","url":null,"abstract":"OBJECTIVES\u0000The Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) is the largest multi-industry source of exposure measurements available in North America. However, many have suspected that the criteria through which worksites are selected for inspection are related to exposure levels. We investigated associations between exposure levels and ancillary variables in IMIS in order to understand the predictors of high exposure within an enforcement context.\u0000\u0000\u0000METHODS\u0000We analyzed the association between nine variables (reason for inspection, establishment size, total amount of penalty, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) plan, OSHA region, union status, inspection scope, year, and industry) and exposure levels in IMIS using multimodel inference for 77 agents. For each agent, we used two different types of models: (i) logistic models were used for the odds ratio (OR) of exposure being above the threshold limit value (TLV) and (ii) linear models were used for exposure concentrations restricted to detected results to estimate percent increase in exposure level, i.e. relative index of exposure (RIE). Meta-analytic methods were used to combine results for each variable across agents.\u0000\u0000\u0000RESULTS\u0000A total of 511,047 exposure measurements were modeled for logistic models and 299,791 for linear models. Higher exposures were measured during follow-up inspections than planned inspections [meta-OR = 1.61, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.44-1.81; meta-RIE = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.03-1.09]. Lower exposures were observed for measurements collected under state OSHA plans compared to measurements collected under federal OSHA (meta-OR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.73-0.92; meta-RIE = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.81-0.91). A 'high' total historical amount of penalty relative to none was associated with higher exposures (meta-OR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.40-1.71; meta-RIE = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.13-1.23).\u0000\u0000\u0000CONCLUSIONS\u0000The relationships observed between exposure levels and ancillary variables across a vast majority of agents suggest that certain elements of OSHA's process of selecting worksites for inspection influence the exposure levels that OSHA inspectors encounter. Nonetheless, given the paucity of other sources of exposure data and the lack of a more demonstrably representative data source, our study considers the use of IMIS data for the estimation of exposures in the broader universe of worksites in the USA.","PeriodicalId":342592,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of occupational hygiene","volume":"114 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127856093","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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