Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine最新文献

Background: Despite hearing loss being a prevalent chronic condition, estimated to nearly 20% of the global population by the World Health Organization, the specific association with individual lifestyle factors, particularly alcohol consumption, remains unclear. In South Korea, approximately 80% of the population engages in alcohol consumption, with a notably high prevalence among males, indicating a high-risk drinking pattern. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the correlation between alcohol consumption and hearing loss in male workers, as well as to analyze additional variables such as alcohol flushing reaction, with the intention of improving worker health.

Methods: The study was conducted from January 2012 to December 2019, targeting 114,114 participants who visited Kangbuk Samsung Hospital Total Healthcare Centers. Data were collected through pure-tone audiometry tests and alcohol-related questionnaire, and statistical analysis was performed using Cox regression analysis. Based on previous studies indicating a potential protective effect of light drinking on hearing loss, this group was designated as the reference. Additionally, stratified analyses were conducted based on the presence of alcohol flushing reaction and different working hours.

Results: The hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) for hearing loss was higher in the heavy drinking group (1.23 [1.11-1.37]) compared to the moderate drinking group (1.09 [0.98-1.20]). Stratified analyses revealed a significantly elevated the hazard ratio of hearing loss in groups with alcohol flushing reaction compared to those without this factor.

Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that moderate or heavy alcohol consumption in male workers can increase the risk of hearing loss, particularly in those with alcohol flushing reaction. These findings underscore the importance of addressing alcohol-related factors concerning hearing health among male workers.

Background: The banking sector is one of the job sectors that experience high stress, workload, complex interpersonal relationships, and job burnout as it involves interaction with the public and financial responsibilities, which leads to high burnout and stress. The present study was conducted to assess the prevalence of burnout and stress among bank employees and to find the associated factors.

Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted among 282 bank employees of Kollam district, Kerala, India. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire related to the socio-demographic and professional details. We used the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) to screen for burnout levels. Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS 21) to screen for the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress among study participants. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data, and logistic regression was used to identify the factors associated with the levels of burnout and stress.

Results: Of 282 study participants, moderate to high levels of burnout were observed in 232 participants (82.2%), and 74 participants (26.2%) had mild to extremely severe levels of stress. Daily average working duration showed an association with higher levels of burnout (adjusted odds ratio [ORAdj]: 2.391; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12-5.10) and stress (ORAdj: 3.37; 95% CI: 1.58-7.16).

Conclusions: A high prevalence of burnout and stress was observed in the present study. The duration of working hours was associated with both burnout and stress. Therefore, regulating the working hours may help adequately manage stress and burnout, thereby improving the mental health of bank employees.

Background: The rise in single-person households is a global phenomenon with well-documented implications for both physical and mental well-being. However, there remains a scarcity of studies focusing specifically on the health impacts of single-person households on workers. This study aims to address this gap by comparing insomnia symptoms between single- and multi-person household workers, shedding light on the health implications of household composition.

Methods: This study utilized data from the Sixth Korean Working Conditions Survey. Insomnia symptoms were categorized into normal sleep and insomnia symptom groups utilizing the 3-item Minimal Insomnia Symptom Scale. Multiple logistic regression analysis was employed to examine the association between single-person household wage workers and insomnia symptoms.

Results: In comparison to wage workers from multi-person households, those from single-person households exhibited heightened risks of reporting insomnia symptoms. In the fully adjusted model, the odds ratios for symptoms of insomnia among single-person household wage workers was 1.173 (95% confidence interval: 1.020-1.349).

Conclusions: This study underscores that single-person household wage workers in Korea face an elevated risk of insomnia symptoms compared to their counterparts in multi-person households.

Background: The global use of pesticides steadily increased until the early 2010s. Pesticides play a significant role in agriculture in Korea. Metabolic syndrome is more prevalent in rural areas than in urban areas. This study explored the potential association between organophosphate and pyrethroid pesticide exposure and metabolic syndrome.

Methods: This study enrolled 1,317 individuals who participated in the Pesticide Exposure and Intoxication Study conducted by the Dankook University Hospital Center for Farmers' Safety and Health from 2014 to 2019. Urinary levels of dimethylphosphate, dimethylthiophosphat, diethylphosphate, and diethylthiophosphate were measured to assess organophosphate pesticide exposure and urinary levels cis-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylic acid, trans-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylic acid, cis-3-(2,2-dibromovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylic acid, and 3-phenoxybenzoic acid were measured to assess pyrethroid pesticide exposure.

Results: The odds ratio for the 4th quartile group of organophosphate metabolites concentration was 1.48 (95% confidence interval: 1.06-2.09) compared to the 1st quartile group after adjustment for general factors. In addition, a positive trend was observed across the quartile groups of organophosphate metabolites concentration. A positive trend was noted across the quartile groups of organophosphate metabolites in males, while no significant association was observed in females. Furthermore, no significant associations were observed between metabolic syndrome and pyrethroid metabolites concentration.

Conclusions: A positive correlation was observed between the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and the concentrations of urinary organophosphate metabolites, consistent with previous research finding. This association may be attributed to the action of organophosphates as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, stimulating beta cells in the islets of Langerhans. This can lead to alterations in lipid metabolism and insulin resistance, ultimately leading to metabolic syndrome development. Metabolic syndrome is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease; therefore, it is necessary to identify the risk factors unique to rural areas, such as pesticide exposure.

Background: Firefighters are exposed to shift work, as well as unpredictable emergency calls and traumatic events, which can lead to sleep problems. This study aimed to investigate the risk of insomnia by work schedule instability in Korean firefighters.

Methods: This study used the Insomnia Severity Index to assess the insomnia in firefighters. The work schedule stability was classified with the frequency of the substitute work and the timing of notification for work schedule changes. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the adjusted odds ratio of insomnia by work schedule stability with covariates including sex, age, education, smoking, alcohol, caffeine intake, shift type, job, and underlying conditions.

Results: Of the 8,587 individuals, 751 (8.75%) had moderate to severe insomnia (Insomnia Severity Index ≥ 15). The prevalence of insomnia was statistically significantly higher as the frequency of substitute work increased: <1 time per month (6.8%), 1-2 times (9.5%), 3-5 times (13.4%), and more than 5 times (15.7%) (p < 0.001). Additionally, the prevalence of insomnia was statistically significantly higher when the timing of the schedule change notification was urgent or irregular: no change or several weeks before (5.4%), several days before (7.9%), one day before or on the day (11.2%), irregularly notification (11.6%) (p < 0.001). In comparison to the group with good frequency of the substitute work/good timing of schedule change notification group, the adjusted odds ratios of insomnia were 1.480 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.237-1.771) for Good/Bad group, 1.862 (95% CI: 1.340-2.588) for Bad/Good group, and 1.885 (95% CI: 1.366-2.602) for Bad/Bad group.

Conclusions: Work schedule instability was important risk factor of insomnia in firefighters. It suggests that improving the stability of work schedules could be a key strategy for reducing sleep problems in this occupational group.

Background: Plastics are high-molecular-weight materials composed of long carbon chains. They are prevalent in daily life, present in various items such as food containers and microwavable packaging. Phthalates, an additive used to enhance their flexibility, are endocrine-disrupting chemicals. We utilized the data from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS) cycle 3, representing the general South Korean population, to investigate the relationship between the use of plastics in refrigerator food storage and phthalate exposure.

Methods: We assessed 3,333 adult participants (aged ≥ 19 years) including 1,526 men and 1,807 women, using data from KoNEHS cycle 3. Using the 75th percentile concentration, urine phthalate metabolites were categorized into high and low-concentration groups. χ² test was conducted to analyze variations in the distribution of each variable, considering sociodemographic factors, health-related factors, food intake, the use of plastics, and the concentration of urine phthalate metabolites as the variables. To calculate odds ratios (ORs) for the high-concentration group of urine phthalate metabolites based on the use of plastics in refrigerator food storage, logistic regression analysis was conducted.

Results: In men, the use of plastics in refrigerator food storage had significantly higher adjusted ORs compared to those using the others. The adjusted ORs were calculated as follows: mono-(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP) had an OR of 1.35 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05-1.72), mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP) had an OR of 1.48 (95% CI: 1.16-1.88), mono-(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate (MECPP) had an OR of 1.32 (95% CI: 1.04-1.66), ∑di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (∑DEHP) had an OR of 1.37 (95% CI: 1.08-1.74) and mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP) had an OR of 1.44 (95% CI: 1.13-1.84).

Conclusion: The concentrations of urine phthalate metabolites (MEHHP, MEOHP, MECPP, ∑DEHP, and MnBP) were significantly higher in men who used plastics in refrigerator food storage compared to those using the others.

Background: In 2019, the International Agency for Research on Cancer re-evaluated the carcinogenicity of night-shift work and reported that there is limited evidence that night-shift work is carcinogenic for the development of prostate cancer. Therefore, in 2020 and 2021, the Korean Epidemiologic Investigation Evaluation Committee concluded that 2 cases of prostate cancer were occupational diseases related to the night-shift work. Here, we report the 2 cases of prostate cancer in night-shift workers which were first concluded as occupational diseases by the Korean Epidemiologic Investigation Evaluation Committee.

Case presentation: Patient A: A 61-year-old man worked as a city bus driver for approximately 17 years, from 2002 to 2019, and was exposed to night-shift work during this period. In March 2017, the patient was diagnosed with high-grade prostate cancer through core-needle biopsy after experiencing stinging pain lasting for 2 months. Patient B: A 56-year-old man worked as an electrician and an automated equipment operator in a cement manufacturing plant for 35 years from 1976 to 2013 and was exposed to night-shift work during this period. In 2013, the patient was diagnosed with high-grade prostate cancer through core needle biopsy at a university hospital because of dysuria that lasted for 6 months.

Conclusions: The 2 workers were diagnosed with high-grade prostate cancer after working night shifts for 17 and 35 years respectively. Additionally, previous studies have reported that high-grade prostate cancer has a stronger relationship with night-shift work than low or medium-grade prostate cancer. Therefore, the Korean Epidemiologic Investigation Evaluation Committee concluded that night-shift work in these 2 patients contributed to the development of their prostate cancer.

Background: Recently, there has been increasing worldwide concern about outdoor air pollution, especially particulate matter (PM), which has been extensively researched for its harmful effects on the respiratory system. However, sufficient research on its effects on cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension, remains lacking. In this study, we examine the associations between PM levels and hypertension and hypothesize that higher PM concentrations are associated with elevated blood pressure.

Methods: A total of 133,935 adults aged ≥ 40 years who participated in the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study were analyzed. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to investigate the short- (1-14 days), medium- (1 and 3 months), and long-term (1 and 2 years) impacts of PM on blood pressure. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the medium- and long-term effects of PM on blood pressure elevation after adjusting for sex, age, body mass index, health-related lifestyle behaviors, and geographic areas.

Results: Using multiple linear regression analyses, both crude and adjusted models generated positive estimates, indicating an association with increased blood pressure, with all results being statistically significant, with the exception of PM levels over the long-term period (1 and 2 years) in non-hypertensive participants. In the logistic regression analyses on non-hypertensive participants, moderate PM₁₀ (particulate matter with diameters < 10 μm) and PM_2.5 (particulate matter with diameters < 2.5 μm) levels over the long-term period and all high PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 levels were statistically significant after adjusting for various covariates. Notably, high PM_2.5 levels of the 1 year exhibited the highest odds ratio of 1.23 (95% confidence interval: 1.19-1.28) after adjustment.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that both short- and long-term exposure to PM is associated with blood pressure elevation.

Background: The rise in telecommuting or non-face-to-face work owing to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has fueled conversations regarding the "right to disconnect." Although evidence suggests that receiving work-related communications through telecommunication devices outside of work hours may lead to various symptoms and illnesses, limited research has been undertaken on these symptoms. This study therefore aims to investigate the correlation between receiving work communications through telecommunication devices after work hours and the occurrence of work-related headaches and eyestrain in full-time, non-shift white-collar workers.

Methods: This study used data from the 6th Korean Working Conditions Survey. The frequency of using telecommunication devices for work purposes outside of working hours was divided into five categories: "Every day," "Several times a week," "Several times a month," "Rarely," and "Never." Work-related headaches and eyestrain were categorized based on a "yes" or "no" response to the survey questions. Descriptive statistics, χ² tests, and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed using SPSS 27.0.

Results: After adjusting for sex, age, income level, education, occupation, workplace size, work hours, and sleep disorders, the odds ratio (OR) of work-related headaches and eyestrain based on frequency of telecommunication device usage were as follows: "rarely" (OR: 1.292; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.111-1.503), "several times a month" (OR: 1.551; 95% CI: 1.249-1.926), "several times a week" (OR: 1.474; 95% CI: 1.217-1.784), and "every day" (OR: 1.548; 95% CI: 1.321-1.813).

Conclusions: Employees who use telecommunication devices for work after regular hours are more susceptible to experiencing work-related headaches and eyestrain compared to those who do not. However, there is a dearth of research examining the physical and mental health impacts of using telecommunication devices for after-hours work. Furthermore, the existing preventative measures in Korea are insufficient. Consequently, it is imperative to develop effective measures and conduct additional research to address this issue.

The Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS) is a state-approved statistical survey that has been conducted by the Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute (OSHRI) every 3 years since 2006 to monitor changes in the working conditions of Koreans. This cross-sectional national survey involves a sample of 50,000 employed people aged 15 or older. KWCS measures various working conditions through > 130 survey questions, including questions regarding working hours, labor intensity, work-life balance, degree of exposure to risk factors, and subjective health status. Professional survey interviewers visit households and conduct face to face interviews. KWCS provides data and statistics for occupational safety and health polices and research in Korea. Furthermore, OSHRI holds academic conferences every year, awards high-quality academic papers, and supports researchers using data. Microdata is publicly available through the OSHRI website (https://oshri.kosha.or.kr).