American journal of industrial medicine最新文献

Introduction: Asbestos workers have a higher risk of developing mesothelioma; however, few studies have looked at specific jobs and job locations within asbestos factories. The purpose of this study was to investigate asbestos exposure in different job locations of the Tyler, Texas asbestos plant to determine if there was a relationship between the duration of exposure and air fiber concentration burden in workers who developed pleural versus peritoneal mesothelioma.

Methods: This study used a patient information database to compile secondary data on 23 workers who died from mesothelioma through 2011. The airborne fiber exposure burdens for each of the 23 workers were estimated and then stratified by job location category and by type of mesothelioma for analysis.

Results: Most of the worker cases were assigned to the forming area which had the overall highest fiber concentration of all the plant's job locations. Workers who developed pleural mesothelioma spent the most time in the packing and miscellaneous locations, whereas workers who developed peritoneal mesothelioma worked mostly in the forming and miscellaneous locations. There were significant differences in days worked and estimated airborne exposure fiber burden between the pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma cases in the forming and curing locations.

Conclusion: Results from this study reiterate the association between occupational asbestos exposure and mesothelioma, emphasizing the importance of concentration of respirable asbestos dust levels and duration of exposure.

Background: Law enforcement workers face a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), however, employment factors impacting CVD remain systematically understudied, particularly in a national US sample. We describe temporal trends in prevalent CVD including coronary heart disease (CHD), angina, myocardial infarction (MI) and other heart disease; and investigate associations of select employment factors with CVD among law enforcement workers using the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) from 2006 to 2018.

Methods: We analyzed prevalent CVD in law enforcement workers employed in local, state, and federal establishments using the NHIS, a nationally representative sample of US workers. We estimated odds ratios (OR [95% confidence interval, CI]) of CVD in relation to employment factors using survey-weighted multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for sociodemographic and traditional CVD risk factors.

Results: Among 2177 law enforcement workers, mean age 46 years, 19% female, prevalence of CVD was higher among disabled (OR = 5.37; 95% CI: 2.53, 11.38 for aggregate CVD outcome) and retired (OR = 2.14; 95% CI: 1.18, 3.88 for aggregate CVD outcome) workers compared to currently employed workers. Workers employed in smaller (1-24 employees) or larger (≥ 500 employees) departments and those with tenure > 20 years also demonstrated higher prevalence odds of select CVD outcomes. Although not statistically significant, higher prevalence odds across CVD outcomes were observed in local government employees, hourly paid workers, and workers with 10-19 years of tenure.

Conclusions: Our study highlights that select employment factors, some previously underexplored, may be associated with prevalent CVD in law enforcement workers. Leveraging national surveys and worker cohorts to enhance surveillance of identified groups in this high-risk population could help elucidate the role of employment on CVD development and inform workplace interventions.

Introduction: Due to rising temperature extremes, workplaces are seeking new solutions, such as using personal cooling garments (PCG) to mitigate and manage workplace heat exposure. This systematic review sought to assess the physiological and perceptual effects of PCGs on workers in standard work clothing performing moderate-to-heavy intensity tasks in hot environments.

Methods: A peer-reviewed search strategy was conducted in MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Global Health, and Business Source Complete with no language or time limits. A meta-analysis using a realist evaluation framework was then performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the PCGs.

Results: Thirty-three studies with 764 participants (98% male; average 21 ± 34 participants per study), conducted primarily in a laboratory setting (76%) were included. The studies were 193 ± 190 min in duration and consisted of a moderate-to-heavy work effort of 3.3 ± 1.0 METs in hot ambient conditions (temperature: 35.9 ± 3.3°C, 51.4 ± 12.1% relative humidity, wet bulb globe temperature [WBGT] 31.2 ± 2.6°C). The PCGs (n = 67) facilitated heat exchange through conduction (n = 39), evaporation (n = 4), convection (n = 2), radiation (n = 2), or hybrid combinations (n = 20). Conductive and hybrid PCGs offered the greatest thermoregulatory benefit, whereby core temperature (T_c) and heart rate (HR) reductions were consistently observed (Conductive: T_c: -0.3°C, HR: -12 bpm; Hybrid: T_c::-0.2°C, HR: -10 bpm), while PCGs directed at enhancing evaporative and radiative heat exchange had no or minimal effect on the physiological outcomes assessed (i.e., T_C < 0.1°C, HR: <0.7 bpm).

Conclusion: While the PCGs had a positive overall effect, conductive options offered the most consistent benefit to workers. WBGT, clothing insulation, and duration of wear significantly affected some physiological and perceptual outcomes.

Background: Workers in healthcare and other essential occupations had elevated risks for COVID-19 infection early in the pandemic. No survey of U.S. workers to date has comprehensively assessed the prevalence of both COVID-19 and Long COVID across industries and occupations (I&O) at a detailed level.

Methods: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data for 2022 from 39 states, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands were used to estimate prevalence of self-reported history of COVID-19 and Long COVID, as well as the prevalence of Long COVID among those reporting prior COVID-19, by broad and detailed I&O. Adjusted prevalence ratios were used to compare outcome prevalence in each I&O to prevalence among all other workers combined.

Results: By broad I&O, workers in healthcare, protective services, and education had elevated prevalences of COVID-19. The prevalence of Long COVID was elevated in healthcare and protective service but not education workers. Detailed I&O with significantly elevated prevalences of COVID-19 but not Long COVID included Dairy Product Manufacturing industry workers and subsets of mining workers. Both COVID-19 and Long COVID were elevated among bartenders/drinking places and personal care and appearance workers. The prevalence of Long COVID was elevated among farmworkers who reported having had COVID-19.

Conclusions: Industries and occupations with elevated levels of COVID-19 or Long COVID in this study may warrant increased measures to prevent transmission of airborne respiratory viruses. Accommodations are a key component for supporting workers in all workplaces. This new information about the distribution of Long COVID by I&O suggests where employer understanding and implementation of tailored workplace supports and accommodations are most needed to support continued employment of affected workers.