Archives of environmental & occupational health最新文献

Police officers' mental health issues can impair their ability to perform duties safely and increase the required medical care for public health and police organizations. This study investigated police officers' mental health status, identified related factors, and analyzed their paths using the PRECEDE (Predisposing, Reinforcing, and Enabling Constructs in Educational Diagnosis and Evaluation) model. The results showed that 63.02% of the participants were in the potential stress group for mental health. Police officers' mental health was associated with resilience, social support, resource availability, health behaviors, job stress, and traumatic experiences. The path analysis showed that higher health behaviors and lower job stress were positively associated with better mental health. This study and model can guide the creation of health policies and intervention strategies aimed at enhancing the mental well-being of police officers.

The sub-chronic testicular toxicity of nitrate in immature and mature albino rats and its amelioration with ascorbic acid and curcumin was studied. Rats were divided into five groups: control, nitrate, nitrate + ascorbic acid, nitrate + curcumin and nitrate + ascorbic acid + curcumin. Nitrate at 250 mg/L in drinking water and ascorbic acid and curcumin at 100 mg/kg body weight were provided to rats for 42 days. A significant increase in level of malondialdehyde and decreases in sperm parameters; level of testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone; antioxidant enzymes activity; and testis's histological alterations were observed in both age groups of rats due to nitrate, with immature rats being more affected. The testicular toxicity was more severe in immature rats compared to mature rats and effectively ameliorated by combination of ascorbic acid and curcumin, followed by curcumin and ascorbic acid individually in both age groups.

Evidence suggests that hearing loss may increase the risk of burnout. This cross-sectional study examines the relationship between hearing loss and burnout among 292 industrial workers in the pharmaceutical, who were exposed to noise levels exceeding 85 db. Participants were categorized into three groups based on their hearing status: Normal Hearing, Acoustic Trauma, and Hearing Loss. Burnout was assessed using the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), while general health was measured using the SF-36 questionnaire. Regression analysis revealed that hearing status, age, and general health were significant predictors of burnout, with workers in the Hearing Loss group exhibiting the highest burnout scores. Paired t-tests showed that both the Hearing Loss and Acoustic Trauma groups had significantly higher burnout levels than matched normal hearing workers, even after adjusting for age, gender, and general health. These findings suggest hearing impairment contributes to burnout in noise-exposed industrial workers independent of confounding factors such as age or co morbidities.

Firefighters rely on teamwork, but their organizational health culture (OHC) is understudied. We aimed to develop and validate a 34-item OHC measurement tool. Data were collected from 543 Taiwanese and 28 US firefighters between May 2023 and March 2024. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (i.e., EFA and CFA) were conducted, and six factors of OHC-leadership support, leadership commitment, sleep and mental health policy, physical activity and nutrition policy, organizational approach, and sense of belonging-were identified. EFA was conducted using data from 271 Taiwanese firefighters, and CFA was performed on the rest, with the latter showing a good fit. We found that a better OHC was correlated with a healthier lifestyle and fewer posttraumatic stress disorder and depressive symptoms. We offer both English and traditional Chinese versions. The OHC's causal effects require further studies.

There is growing evidence that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may alter serum lipid concentrations; however, this topic is understudied in adolescents and Latin American populations. We aimed to characterize these associations among adolescents in Ecuador's main floricultural region. This cross-sectional study included 97 adolescents ages 11-17 years from Pedro Moncayo County, Ecuador. Generalized estimating equation models were applied to estimate the associations of serum perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) concentrations with serum lipids. Models were adjusted for age, gender, height, body mass index (BMI), acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, and hemoglobin concentrations. Significant inverse relationships between PFAS and triglycerides were observed in females (% lipid difference per 50% increase in: PFOS= -15.0% [95%CI: -24.72, -4.06], PFNA= -25.49% [-36.93, -12.00], and PFOA= -16.55% [-28.16, -3.07]) but not in males. No associations were observed between total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and any PFAS. PFOS, PFOA, and PFNA were inversely associated with triglycerides in adolescent females but not males. Further characterization of gender-specific associations of PFAS and blood lipids in adolescents is warranted.

Following a legionnaire's disease outbreak in Barcelona in 2022, sport fields' sprinklers were identified as potential sources of Legionella infection. The Agency of Public Health of Barcelona inspected all 40 urban municipal sports fields in the city. Legionella was found in 55% of them, including Legionella pneumophila serotype 1 in 11 samples. There were no statistically significant differences for Legionella detection according to the installation characteristics.These findings prompted the implementation of a set of preventive measures for risk mitigation and a specific control plan for sport fields.

This study aimed to explore blood lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and cadmium (Cd) levels and their associations with cancers in Korean elders, using 4th to 7th KNHANES data. Subjects were aged 60 or above with available heavy metal blood test results. A total of 3,623 elders were included, and it was found that while Pb levels were lower, Hg and Cd levels were notably higher in females compared to males (p < 0.01). Furthermore, Hg and Cd showed divergent relationships with age (p < 0.01). Of particular note, A 1% elevation of whole-blood cadmium level was associated with significantly elevated risks of breast and lung cancers, with OR of 7.03 and 13.63, respectively (p < 0.01). In conclusion, the study underscores distinct age and gender disparities in Pb, Hg, and Cd levels among Korean elders and highlights the robust association between Cd and breast or lung cancer.

This study assessed the correlation between pesticide exposure and metabolic health among 48 nursery operators from conventional and organic farms in Peninsular Malaysia. Statistical analyses included independent t-tests and Mann-Whitney U-tests to compare group differences between conventional and organic operators, while multiple linear regression models were used to examine the correlation between pesticide exposure and health risk indicators. The results revealed that conventional nursery operators showed higher levels of metabolic health indicators, coupled with impaired liver and kidney function compared to organic operators. Significantly lower blood cholinesterase levels were observed among conventional operators, indicating a higher risk of neurotoxicity. The study highlights the substantial health hazards that nursery operators face due to pesticide exposure, especially in conventional farming. It supports the implementation of stronger protective measures, frequent health monitoring, and a transition to safer and more sustainable nursery practices.

The aim of our study is to highlight the inadequacy of focusing solely on occupational exposure in the diagnosis of lung diseases in coal miners. Other factors, especially environmental exposures, should also be considered. A 74-year-old patient with a 20-year history of coal mining and a complaint of coughing was referred with a preliminary diagnosis of coal worker's pneumoconiosis due to abnormal findings on HRCT. Upon detailed questioning, it was learned that the patient had been keeping pet birds for 15 years. Physical examination, laboratory results, and pulmonary function tests were normal. A biopsy was performed due to the detection of an interstitial pattern in the lung imaging, and the diagnosis of fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonia was made. Although coal worker's pneumoconiosis was initially considered due to the patient's history of long-term coal mining, careful evaluation of all exposures may enable early diagnosis and treatment of accompanying or underlying diseases.

Industrial printing inks are major sources of occupational exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with potential adverse effects. The behavioral, neurological, oxidative, hepatic, and kidney function effects of simulated occupational exposure to VOCs emitted from an industrial printing ink were investigated in laboratory mice, Mus musculus for 4 weeks. Average TVOCs value of 0.5 mg/m3 measured at 10 printing presses was the exposure level utilized in this study. There were significant duration-dependent and sex-disaggregated differences in the behavioral responses; acetylcholinesterase (neurological biomarker) and MDA (lipid peroxidation biomarker) activities significantly increased while SOD and CAT (antioxidants) activities significantly decreased in the brain; ALT, AST, and ALP (liver) as well as bilirubin, urea, and creatinine (kidney) were significantly elevated in exposed mice correlating with histopathologies compared to control. The results showed that long term inhalation of VOCs emitted from industrial printing inks may pose multiple sub-lethal effects in occupationally exposed persons, especially females.