Annals of Occupational Hygiene最新文献

Increasing production and applications of manufactured nano objects (MNOs) have become a source for human exposure and therefore raise concerns and questions about the possible health effects. In this study, the potential release of nano objects, their agglomerates, and aggregates (NOAA) as a result of sanding of hardwood treated with MNOs-containing coating was examined. Two types of MNO-containing coating were compared with untreated hardwood that allowed the evaluation of the influence of the chemical composition on the release of particles. Furthermore, the rotation speed of the sander and the grit size of the sanding paper were varied in order to assess their influence on the release of particles.Measurements were conducted in a gas-tight chamber with a volume of 19.5 m(3) in which ventilation was minimized during experiments. Particle size distributions were assessed by scanning mobility particle sizer , aerodynamic particle sizer, and electrical low pressure impactor. Furthermore, aerosol number concentrations (Nanotracer), active surface area (LQ1), and fractionated mass (Cascade Impactor) were measured before, during, and after sanding. Scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive X-ray (SEM/EDX) analysis was performed to adequately characterize the morphology, size, and chemical composition of released particles.SEM/EDX analysis indicated that sanding surfaces treated with MNO-containing coating did not release the designated MNO as free primary particles. In both coatings, clusters of MNO were perceived embedded in and attached to micro-sized wood and/or coating particles created by sanding the coated surface. Real-time measurements indicated a lower release of micro-sized particles from sanding of surfaces treated with Coating I than from sanding untreated surfaces or surfaces treated with Coating II. A substantial increase in nanosized and a slight increase in micro-sized particles was perceived as the rotation speed of the sander increased. However, most nanosized particles were most likely emitted by the sanding machine. No effect of the grit size on the release of particles was detected.

Background: The high burden of exposure to organic dust among livestock farmers warrants the establishment of effective preventive and exposure control strategies for these workers. The number of intervention studies exploring the effectiveness of exposure reduction strategies through the use of objective measurements has been limited.

Objective: To examine whether dust exposure can be reduced by providing feedback to the farmers concerning measurements of the exposure to dust in their farm.

Methods: The personal dust levels of farmers in 54 pig and 26 dairy cattle farms were evaluated in two measurement series performed approximately 6 months apart. Detailed information on work tasks and farm characteristics during the measurements were registered. Participating farms were randomized a priori to a control (n = 40) and an intervention group (n = 40). Shortly after the first visit, owners of intervention farms only received a letter with information on the measured dust concentrations in the farm together with some general advises on exposure reduction strategies (e.g. use of respirators during certain tasks). Relationships between measured dust concentrations and intervention status were quantified by means of linear mixed effect analysis with farm and worker id as random effects. Season, type of farming, and work tasks were treated as fixed effects. Changes in exposure over time were explored primarily at a farm level in models combined, as well as separate for pig and cattle farmers.

Results: After adjustment for fixed effects, an overall reduction of 23% in personal dust exposures was estimated as a result of the intervention (P = 0.02). Exposure reductions attributable to the intervention were similar across pig and cattle farmers, but statistically significant only for pig farmers. Intervention effects among pig farmers did not depend on the individuals' information status; but among cattle farmers a significant 48% reduction in exposure was found only among individuals that reported to have been informed. No systematic differences in changes over time considering the use of respiratory protection between the intervention and control groups were observed.

Conclusion: The results of the present study suggest reductions between 20 and 30% in personal exposure to inhalable dust to be feasible through simple information provided to the farm owners regarding actual levels of exposure together with instructions on basic measures of prevention. The exact reasons for these effects are unclear, but likely they involve changes in behavior and working practices among intervention farmers.

Sampling of endotoxin, beta-glucan, or allergens on electrostatic dust collectors (EDCs) is a convenient method for exposure assessment. However, especially for allergens few experiments on validation of this method concerning deployment time or storage and extraction procedure have been performed. The aim of study was to optimize the EDC procedure for sampling of allergens in indoor environments. EDCs were placed in households or day-care centers and after extraction, allergens were quantified by six immunoassays detecting mite antigens (Domestic mites DM, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus Dp, Tyrophagus putrescentiae Tp) or the main allergens from cat (Fel d 1), dog (Can f 1) and mouse (Mus m 1). For 20 EDC holders, deployment times of cloths were varied between 7 and 28 days, 36 EDCs were used to test reproducibility, and for 28 EDCs extraction buffers were varied (with or without 0.05% Tween 20, borate, or phosphate buffer). The influence of storage of cloths at room temperature (2-629 days) or extracts at -80°C (7-639 days), and variation of extract storage temperature (-20°C and -80°C) for long time storage (1.5 years) on the outcome of allergen quantification were tested for about 150 EDCs. The allergens on EDC cloths increased proportionally with deployment time, and allergen loads on parallel sampled tissues were significantly correlated (P < 0.0001, Pearson of log-transformed values 0.91-0.99). Extraction without Tween reduced all results (P < 0.0001, -51% DM, -85% Dp, -60% Tp, -99% Fel d 1, -86% Can f 1, -52% Mus m 1), and borate buffer resulted in lower yields of Mus m 1 (-53%), DP (-45%), and Tp (-27%) than phosphate buffer. Storage of cloths at room temperature significantly decreased Can f 1 levels (P < 0.0001, -4.8% loss for every 30 days), whereas storage of extracts at -80°C decreased DM results (P < 0.0001, -1.2% loss for every 30 days). Extracts stored at -20°C gave at mean 12% higher DM results compared to extracts stored at -80°C for 1.5 years. Several mammalian allergens and also DM antigens could be quantified reproducibly on EDCs from indoor environments. Allergen levels on EDC cloths increased proportionally with deployment time in a period of 4 weeks. Allergen yields are strongly influenced by the extraction procedure; the use of detergent Tween 20 and phosphate buffer is recommended.

Objective: In community-based epidemiological studies, job- and industry-specific 'modules' are often used to systematically obtain details about the subject's work tasks. The module assignment is often made by the interviewer, who may have insufficient occupational hygiene knowledge to assign the correct module. We evaluated, in the context of a case-control study of lymphoid neoplasms in Asia ('AsiaLymph'), the performance of an algorithm that provided automatic, real-time module assignment during a computer-assisted personal interview.

Methods: AsiaLymph's occupational component began with a lifetime occupational history questionnaire with free-text responses and three solvent exposure screening questions. To assign each job to one of 23 study-specific modules, an algorithm automatically searched the free-text responses to the questions 'job title' and 'product made or services provided by employer' using a list of module-specific keywords, comprising over 5800 keywords in English, Traditional and Simplified Chinese. Hierarchical decision rules were used when the keyword match triggered multiple modules. If no keyword match was identified, a generic solvent module was assigned if the subject responded 'yes' to any of the three solvent screening questions. If these question responses were all 'no', a work location module was assigned, which redirected the subject to the farming, teaching, health professional, solvent, or industry solvent modules or ended the questions for that job, depending on the location response. We conducted a reliability assessment that compared the algorithm-assigned modules to consensus module assignments made by two industrial hygienists for a subset of 1251 (of 11409) jobs selected using a stratified random selection procedure using module-specific strata. Discordant assignments between the algorithm and consensus assignments (483 jobs) were qualitatively reviewed by the hygienists to evaluate the potential information lost from missed questions with using the algorithm-assigned module (none, low, medium, high).

Results: The most frequently assigned modules were the work location (33%), solvent (20%), farming and food industry (19%), and dry cleaning and textile industry (6.4%) modules. In the reliability subset, the algorithm assignment had an exact match to the expert consensus-assigned module for 722 (57.7%) of the 1251 jobs. Overall, adjusted for the proportion of jobs in each stratum, we estimated that 86% of the algorithm-assigned modules would result in no information loss, 2% would have low information loss, and 12% would have medium to high information loss. Medium to high information loss occurred for <10% of the jobs assigned the generic solvent module and for 21, 32, and 31% of the jobs assigned the work location module with location responses of 'someplace else', 'factory', and 'don't know', respectively. Other work location responses had ≤

Introduction: Aerosolization of components when processing king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) and edible crab (Cancer pagurus) may cause occupational health problems when inhaled by workers.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in three king crab plants and one edible crab plant. Personal exposure measurements were performed throughout work shifts. Air was collected for measurement of tropomyosin, total protein, endotoxin, trypsin, and N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase (NAGase). T-tests and ANOVAs were used to compare the levels of exposure in the different plants and areas in the plants.

Results: Total protein and tropomyosin levels were highest in the edible crab plant, endotoxin levels were highest in king crab plants. King crab exposure levels were highest during raw processing. Tropomyosin levels were highest during raw king crab processing with geometric mean (GM) 9.6 versus 2.5ng m(-3) during cooked processing. Conversely, edible crab tropomyosin levels were highest during cooked processing with GM 45.4 versus 8.7ng m(-3) during raw processing. Endotoxin levels were higher in king crab plants than in the edible crab plant with GM = 6285.5 endotoxin units (EU) m(-3) versus 72 EU m(-3). In the edible crab plant, NAGase levels were highest during raw processing with GM = 853 pmol4-methylumbelliferone (MU) m(-3) versus 422 pmol4-MU m(-3) during cooked processing. Trypsin activity was found in both king crab and edible crab plants and levels were higher in raw than cooked processing. Differences in exposure levels between plants and worker groups (raw and cooked processing) were identified.

Conclusions: Norwegian crab processing workers are exposed to airborne proteins, tropomyosin, endotoxins, trypsin, and NAGase in their breathing zone. Levels vary between worker groups and factories.

Introduction: Outdoor workers are at high risk of exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR), a known human carcinogen. In Canada, no objective measures of UVR exposure are available for occupational settings.

Methods: The Outdoor Workers Project collected UVR exposure data among outdoor workers in Vancouver, Canada during the summer of 2013. Objective measures of exposure were taken for one week using calibrated electronic UVR dosimeters. Additional data was collected from workers on skin cancer risk factors, family history of skin cancer, and job type; as well as meteorological data for sampling days. Marginal models were constructed to examine the worker, job and meteorological determinants of UVR exposure levels, as measured in standard erythemal dose (SED).

Results: Seventy-eight workers were recruited, of which 73 had at least 1 day of measured UVR exposure for this analysis. Participants were mostly male, young and Caucasian. Mean exposure (corrected for repeated measures) was 1.08 SED. Exposure measures were highly variable even in the same workplace, ranging from 0.01 SED to 19.2 SED. Younger age, working in land-based construction, and sunnier weather forecasts led to higher levels of UVR exposure.

Conclusions: Exposure levels capable of causing sunburn were common in this study of outdoor workers, in a location not typically associated with high sun exposure.

Objective: The use of measurement data in occupational exposure assessment allows more quantitative analyses of possible exposure-response relations. We describe a quantitative exposure assessment approach for five lung carcinogens (i.e. asbestos, chromium-VI, nickel, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (by its proxy benzo(a)pyrene (BaP)) and respirable crystalline silica). A quantitative job-exposure matrix (JEM) was developed based on statistical modeling of large quantities of personal measurements.

Methods: Empirical linear models were developed using personal occupational exposure measurements (n = 102306) from Europe and Canada, as well as auxiliary information like job (industry), year of sampling, region, an a priori exposure rating of each job (none, low, and high exposed), sampling and analytical methods, and sampling duration. The model outcomes were used to create a JEM with a quantitative estimate of the level of exposure by job, year, and region.

Results: Decreasing time trends were observed for all agents between the 1970s and 2009, ranging from -1.2% per year for personal BaP and nickel exposures to -10.7% for asbestos (in the time period before an asbestos ban was implemented). Regional differences in exposure concentrations (adjusted for measured jobs, years of measurement, and sampling method and duration) varied by agent, ranging from a factor 3.3 for chromium-VI up to a factor 10.5 for asbestos.

Conclusion: We estimated time-, job-, and region-specific exposure levels for four (asbestos, chromium-VI, nickel, and RCS) out of five considered lung carcinogens. Through statistical modeling of large amounts of personal occupational exposure measurement data we were able to derive a quantitative JEM to be used in community-based studies.

Patients with airway symptoms working in metal working industries are increasing, despite efforts to improve the environmental air surrounding the machines. Our aim was to analyse the amount of endotoxin in size-separated airborne particles of metal working fluid (MWF) aerosol, by using the personal sampler Sioutas cascade impactor, to compare filter types, and to compare the concentration of airborne endotoxin to that of the corresponding MWFs. In a pilot field study, aerosols were collected in two separate machine halls on totally 10 occasions, using glass fibre and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) filters in parallel at each station. Airborne endotoxin was distributed over all size fractions. While a major part was found in the largest size fraction (72%, 2.5-10 µm), up to 8% of the airborne endotoxin was detected in the smallest size fraction (<0.25 µm). Comparing the efficiency of the filter types, a significantly higher median endotoxin level was found with glass fibres filters collecting the largest particle-size fraction (1.2-fold) and with PTFE filters collecting the smallest ones (5-fold). The levels of endotoxin in the size-separated airborne particle fractions correlated to those of the MWFs supporting the aerosol-generating machines. Our study indicates that a significant part of inhalable aerosols of MWFs consists of endotoxin-containing particles below the size of intact bacteria, and thus small enough to readily reach the deepest part of the lung. Combined with other chemical irritants of the MWF, exposure to MWF aerosols containing endotoxin pose a risk to respiratory health problems.

Introduction: Electrosurgery is a method based on a high frequency current used to cut tissue and coagulate small blood vessels during surgery. Surgical smoke is generated due to the heat created by electrosurgery. The carcinogenic potential of this smoke was assumed already in the 1980's and there has been a growing interest in the potential adverse health effects of exposure to the particles in surgical smoke. Surgical smoke is known to contain ultrafine particles (UFPs) but the knowledge about the exposure to UFPs produced by electrosurgery is however sparse. The aims of the study were therefore to characterise the exposure to UFPs in surgical smoke during different types of surgical procedures and on different job groups in the operating room, and to characterise the particle size distribution.

Methods: Personal exposure measurements were performed on main surgeon, assistant surgeon, surgical nurse, and anaesthetic nurse during five different surgical procedures [nephrectomy, breast reduction surgery, abdominoplasty, hip replacement surgery, and transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP)]. The measurements were performed with a Fast Mobility Particle Sizer (FMPS) to assess the exposure to UPFs and to characterize the particle size distribution. Possible predictors of exposure were investigated using Linear Mixed Effect Models.

Results: The exposure to UFPs was highest during abdominoplasty arithmetic mean (AM) 3900 particles cm(-3) and lowest during hip replacement surgeries AM 400 particles cm(-3). The different job groups had similar exposure during the same types of surgical procedures. The use of electrosurgery resulted in short term high peak exposure (highest maximum peak value 272 000 particles cm(-3)) to mainly UFPs. The size distribution of particles varied between the different types of surgical procedures, where nephrectomy, hip replacement surgery, and TURP produced UFPs with a dominating mode of 9nm while breast reduction surgery and abdominoplasty produced UFPs with a dominating mode of 70 and 81nm, respectively. Type of surgery was the strongest predictor of exposure. When only including breast reduction surgery in the analysis, the use of one or two ES pencils during surgery was a significant predictor of exposure. When only including hip replacement surgery, the operating room was a significant predictor of exposure.

Conclusion: The use of electrosurgery resulted in short-term high peak exposures to mainly UFPs in surgical smoke. Type of surgery was the strongest predictor of exposure and the different types of surgical procedures produced different sized particles. The job groups had similar exposure. Compared to other occupational exposures to UFPs involving hot processes, the personal exposure levels for UFPs were low during the use of electrosurgery.