Archives of environmental & occupational health最新文献

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.

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.

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.

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 evaluated peripheral hearing and noise sensitivity among motorcycle couriers in Istanbul. Participants comprised 31 couriers (29 males, 2 females; age: 28.51 ± 6.23) and 30 controls (27 males, 3 females; age: 27.03 ± 4.20). Assessment included Weinstein's Noise Sensitivity Scale, tympanometry, pure tone audiometry, and otoacoustic emissions. Couriers demonstrated significantly elevated hearing thresholds in the right ear at 500 Hz (p = 0.017), 1,000 Hz (p < 0.001), 2,000 Hz (p = 0.004), 4,000 Hz (p = 0.001), 6,000 Hz (p = 0.002), and 8,000 Hz (p < 0.001), and in the left ear at 4,000 Hz (p = 0.010) and 8,000 Hz (p = 0.039). Noise sensitivity scores were significantly higher (p = 0.031). Motorcycle couriers represent an occupational group vulnerable to hearing loss and heightened noise sensitivity. Protective measures should encompass environmental noise mitigation, speed limit regulation, and helmet redesign incorporating ear protection to promote hearing conservation and improve overall well-being.

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.

Background: We assess whether the amount of experienced burnout and its relation to suicidal ideation differs between medical professionals and non-medical professionals.

Methods: In December 2023, we performed searches in EBSCO, PubMed, Google Scholar, and ProQuest. We used a random effects samples-size weighted approach for our meta-analysis of 92 sources.

Results: Our meta-regressions did not identify a statistically significant difference between medical professionals and non-medical professionals in their mean levels of the burnout dimensions (all p > .05). Our meta-regressions did not identify a significant difference in the relation of burnout and suicidal ideation between medical professionals and non-medical professionals (β = -0.06, S.E. = .05, 95%C.I. [-0.15, .03], p = .21, k = 53, n = 68,454), and similar results were found for all burnout dimensions (all p > .05).

Discussion: Our results suggest that burnout is no more important for medical professionals than non-medical professionals.

This study aimed to determine the hopelessness and well-being levels of woman academics during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional and analytical study was conducted online between February and May 2022 at the end of the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was conducted with 341 woman academics from state and foundation universities in Türkiye. The mean score from the Beck Hopelessness Scale was 6.02 ± 4.84, and the mean score from the Flourishing Scale (FS) was 43.50 ± 7.24. There was a significant negative correlation between flourishing scores and low, mild, moderate, and high hopelessness scores (p = .038, p < .001, p = .001, p = .034, respectively); as participants' level of hopelessness increases, their FS scores decrease significantly (r: -.689, p < .001). Revealing the effects of changes in the routine and academic activities of woman academics on hopelessness and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic process has the potential to reduce possible risks that may develop in pandemics, and contribute to reducing the hopelessness levels and increasing well-being of woman academics.