Archives of environmental & occupational health最新文献

The objective of the present study is to examine the association between musculoskeletal disorders, common mental disorders, and work-related stress among the Jat farmers of Haryana. A cross-sectional study on 634 (217 males and 294 females) Jat farmers. A Nordic musculoskeletal disorders questionnaire was used to assess the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders. Perceived stress scale (PSS)-10, Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)-7, and Beck depression inventory (BDI) were used to assess stress, anxiety, and depression, respectively. James and Lily Farm's stress inventory was used to assess farm-related stress. Descriptive data (number and percentage), chi-square and Man-Whitney U test, and Binary logistic regression were tested using SPSS software. Of all the common mental disorders, severe anxiety was found to have the highest association with the development of MSDs, and work overload stress was the farm-related stress that posed the highest association with the development of MSDs.

This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of small airway dysfunction (SAD) in patients with pneumoconiosis and to emphasize its role in early stage and disease monitoring. Data including demographics, ILO pneumoconiosis classification, and pulmonary function tests were analyzed. SAD was defined by at least two pulmonary function parameters-maximal mid-expiratory flow (MMEF), forced expiratory flow at 50% (FEF50), and 75% (FEF75)-below 65% of predicted values. SAD was identified in 59% of patients (n = 118). Compared to stage 1, the risk of SAD was fourfold higher in stage 2 (p = 0.037, OR = 4.119) and nearly 14-fold higher in stage 3 pneumoconiosis (p = 0.008, OR = 13.714). Progressive massive fibrosis increased SAD risk by nearly seven times (p = 0.010, OR = 6.884). These results highlight that SAD is common and may occur early in pneumoconiosis, underscoring its importance in patient monitoring protocols.

This study examines bioaerosol exposure and associated biomarker levels in combination vacuum-jet truck ("jet-vac") operators servicing the sewer network in Denmark. Personal exposures (n = 42) and end-of-shift serum samples (n = 30) were collected from 28 workers across four exposure groups: "Stormwater," "Wastewater," "Combined," and "Other" (non-sewage related work). Geometric means of bacterial and fungal exposure levels were 938 and 301 colony forming units per cubic meter of air (CFU/m³), respectively. "Stormwater" workers had significantly higher serum amyloid A (SAA) levels than the "Other" group (p = 0.019). SAA was negatively associated with endotoxin exposure (p = 0.014) across exposure groups. Community compositions differed between exposure groups. Micrococcus was the most abundant bacterial genus in the "Other" and "Wastewater" groups, while Bacillus was the most abundant genus in the "Stormwater" and "Combined" group. Five known human pathogens were identified, including Aspergillus fumigatus and Clostridium perfringens. This first study of jet-vac operators highlights the need for further research on bioaerosol exposures in a larger cohort of workers.

The objective of the current study is to assess the different respiratory symptoms of 200 brick kiln workers. A cross-sectional study was conducted among brick kiln workers in Baddi and Kalka region of Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. Workers answered a questionnaire, and a spirometer was used to test pulmonary function. In addition to this, respiratory symptoms were also analyzed among exposed brick kiln workers. It was found that 95% of employees had impaired lung function, with 15% showing restrictive, 80% showing obstructive impairments and 5% are normal. In addition to this, 67% of workers had severe obstructive impairment, 27% had moderate obstructive impairment, and only 6% had mild obstructive impairment. Pulmonary abnormalities in brick kiln workers were strongly associated with prolonged occupational exposure to dust and smoke, highlighting the need for improved protective measures.

Background: Evidence has suggested that exposure to aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) during pregnancy may be associated with adverse neonatal outcomes; however, available data are inconclusive. We conducted this systematic review to estimate the relation of AFB1 exposure during pregnancy to neonatal outcomes.

Methods: Scopus and PubMed databases were systematically searched for relevant publications published before December 2022 evaluating the connection between AFB1 exposure in pregnant women and outcomes such as small for gestational age (SGA), birth length, low birth weight (LBW), birth weight, and preterm birth (PTB).

Results: This study comprised 7 studies with a combined sample size of 4,047 participants. After pooling all available effect sizes, it was determined that there was no significant correlation between increased AFB1 exposure during pregnancy and SGA, PTB, LBW, birth weight, and birth length. Significant heterogeneity was observed across studies for LBW (I2 = 68.6%, p = 0.02), birth weight (I2 = 96.8%, p ≤ 0.001), and birth length (I²= 93.1%, p ≤ 0.001). However, the sensitivity analysis suggested that exposure to AFB1 might be significantly linked to higher odds of LBW infants and inversely related to both birth weight and birth length.

Conclusion: Exposure to AFB1 in pregnant women might be linked to adverse neonatal outcomes. Given the heterogeneity and the limited number of studies available, further high-quality, standardized research is essential to confirm or refute these findings with greater confidence.

Previous studies on the presence of indoor mold and risk of allergic diseases have not considered how housing tenure modifies risk of indoor exposures and health outcomes, the focus of this study. A national UK survey (March 2020) obtained a representative sample of 3668 adults aged over 18. Generalized structural equation modeling were used to estimate the relationship between fuel poverty, mold growth/odor, tenure status and risk of wheeze, asthma and allergy. Those living in private rented and social housing had increased risk of mold growth. Only tenants living in social housing had an increased risk of asthma (OR 1.481; 95%CI 1.034-2.121) and wheeze (OR 1.479; 95%CI 1.165-1.876). This may be because this population was older, increased duration of staying in the property and had higher levels of deprivation. This study provides new insights into the relationship of indoor exposures and housing tenures, which has not been fully investigated.

Pesticide application has become an indispensable process in crop production, but the inappropriate use of synthetic pesticides has led to significant risks for both human health and the environment. When we tried to map the diffusion network of pesticide-related information, we found that spray man is playing a crucial role. Therefore, we tried to assess the awareness of spray man regarding pesticide recommendations and application protocols. Our study employed snowball sampling to identify the spray man and content analysis to access their awareness level. The findings revealed that most spray men lacked knowledge about the recommended level of pesticide and safety protocols, handled pesticides carelessly, and were unaware of pesticide exposure management measures. Since spray men are one of the trusted information sources among the farmers, enhancing their knowledge about pesticide dosage and safety protocols would assist in not only regulating over-application but also saving their health and environment.

Introduction: Although COVID-19 is no longer a public health emergency, its mental health effects on healthcare workers persist.

Aim: This study investigated the relationship between working conditions, sleep, and stress among Colombian hospital healthcare personnel during the pandemic.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 79 healthcare workers completed questionnaires on working conditions, stress, and sleep. Sleep duration was measured with Fitbit Armbands. Associations were analyzed using Generalized Linear Models with Gamma and ordinal distributions.

Results: Approximately 79% of participants reported high to very high stress levels (61% "very high," 18% "high"). Sleep complications were minimal, averaging 6.2 hours. Nurses showed significantly higher stress and longer sleep duration than administrative workers. Overtime correlated with less sleep, while workers who had COVID-19 reported lower stress.

Conclusion: The study highlights connections between stress, sleep, and working conditions, suggesting targeted health promotion programs could enhance work-life balance.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the impact of cardiorespiratory fitness on cardiometabolic risk factors and testosterone levels among firefighters.

Method: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with seventy-four firefighters working in a metropolitan municipality. Anthropometric measurements, cardiometabolic risk parameters (high density lipoprotein, low density lipoprotein, triglycerides, total cholesterol), total testosterone (TT) levels were clinically evaluated for each participant.

Results: The proportion of firefighters with low TT was 20.3%, and a statistically significant negative relationship was found between TT and weight, BMI, body fat percentage, waist circumference, hip circumference, and HbA1c as cardiometabolic risk factors (p < 0.05). Additionally, statistically significant positive relationship was observed between metabolic equivalent scores and testosterone levels among the firefighters (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: The key findings of this study reveal significant differences in various cardiometabolic risk factors between firefighters with high fitness levels and those with lower fitness levels.

World Trade Center rescue and recovery workers and volunteers (WTC RRWV) are vulnerable to circadian rhythm disruption due to stress and environmental exposures during the 9/11 operation, with high rates of cognitive impairment and poor sleep quality. This exploratory pilot study assessed the feasibility and preliminary effect of a 12-week light-based intervention targeting sleep and cognition. Twenty-three WTC RRWV aged ≥50 years with mild cognitive impairment and sleep disturbances completed the intervention. Sleep, cognition, and circadian-effective light exposures were measured pre-and post-intervention using actigraphy, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, cognitive tasks (go/no-go, digit span, Stroop), and a Daysimeter. Results showed significant improvements in sleep quality and cognitive performance. Greater circadian-effective light exposure was positively associated with improved cognitive accuracy. These preliminary observations suggest that light-based interventions may enhance sleep and cognitive function in at-risk populations.