The Annals of occupational hygiene最新文献

{"title":"Sample size considerations for studies of intervention efficacy in the occupational setting.","authors":"D. Lazovich, D. Murray, L. Brosseau, D. Parker, F. Milton, S. Dugan","doi":"10.1093/ANNHYG/MEF028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ANNHYG/MEF028","url":null,"abstract":"OBJECTIVE\u0000Due to a shared environment and similarities among workers within a worksite, the strongest analytical design to evaluate the efficacy of an intervention to reduce occupational health or safety hazards is to randomly assign worksites, not workers, to the intervention and comparison conditions. Statistical methods are well described for estimating the sample size when the unit of assignment is a group but these methods have not been applied in the evaluation of occupational health and safety interventions. We review and apply the statistical methods for group-randomized trials in planning a study to evaluate the effectiveness of technical/behavioral interventions to reduce wood dust levels among small woodworking businesses.\u0000\u0000\u0000METHODS\u0000We conducted a pilot study in five small woodworking businesses to estimate variance components between and within worksites and between and within workers. In each worksite, 8 h time-weighted dust concentrations were obtained for each production employee on between two and five occasions. With these data, we estimated the parameters necessary to calculate the percent change in dust concentrations that we could detect (alpha = 0.05, power = 80%) for a range of worksites per condition, workers per worksite and repeat measurements per worker.\u0000\u0000\u0000RESULTS\u0000The mean wood dust concentration across woodworking businesses was 4.53 mg/m3. The measure of similarity among workers within a woodworking business was large (intraclass correlation = 0.5086). Repeated measurements within a worker were weakly correlated (r = 0.1927) while repeated measurements within a worksite were strongly correlated (r = 0.8925). The dominant factor in the sample size calculation was the number of worksites per condition, with the number of workers per worksite playing a lesser role. We also observed that increasing the number of repeat measurements per person had little benefit given the low within-worker correlation in our data. We found that 30 worksites per condition and 10 workers per worksite would give us 80% power to detect a reduction of approximately 30% in wood dust levels (alpha = 0.05).\u0000\u0000\u0000CONCLUSIONS\u0000Our results demonstrate the application of the group-randomized trials methodology to evaluate interventions to reduce occupational hazards. The methodology is widely applicable and not limited to the context of wood dust reduction.","PeriodicalId":342592,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of occupational hygiene","volume":"155 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2002-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127611577","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of Cr(VI) exposure on sperm quality.","authors":"J. Duffus","doi":"10.1093/ANNHYG/MEF041","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ANNHYG/MEF041","url":null,"abstract":"Received 30 October 2001I have a number of difficulties with Li et al. (2001),starting with its title ‘Effect of Cr(VI) exposure…’.The chemical species Cr(VI) does not exist as a freeentity under normal conditions. Normally it is foundin the form of the anion chromate associated with acation. Hence, ‘Effect of chromate exposure…’ mighthave been a more accurate statement with regard toboth the workers in the electroplating factory and therats (but see below). Even then, the cation(s) presentshould have been stipulated as they may well deter-mine how the body reacts to chromate, particularly athigh exposures.However, I can see no evidence that the workersstudied were actually exposed to any form of chro-mate. It may be so, but no data are presented forexposure or exposure conditions. The presence of theelement chromium in the blood does not establishexposure to chromate since the analytical methodsused on the blood and semen samples do not permitdetermination of this chemical species, or indeed ofany chemical speciation (Ebdon et al. , 2001). Sinceno measurements of exposure are reported, there isno possibility of considering the effects of othersubstances to which these workers may have beenexposed. Not even their smoking habits are reported.Nor is there any consideration of nutritional expo-sures or, indeed, of the nutritional status of theworkers in the study. Both sperm quality and uptakeof chromate (or other forms of chromium) must bedependent on the nutrition of those at risk. This isparticularly important in animal experiments whererats are exposed by oral feeding.The relevance of oral feeding of CrO","PeriodicalId":342592,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of occupational hygiene","volume":"74 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2002-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126279260","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A valid method for comparing rational and empirical heat stress indices.","authors":"R. Brake, G. Bates","doi":"10.1093/ANNHYG/MEF030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ANNHYG/MEF030","url":null,"abstract":"No single heat stress index has gained universal acceptance within the past 20 years, despite extensive research. It is currently difficult to directly and quantitatively compare the many rational and empirical indices that are available, which results in confusion and a reluctance to change to a different index. A method is developed using the concept of limiting metabolic rate, which allows virtually all heat stress indices to be compared with one another. Because all occupational heat stress indices are based, explicitly or implicitly, on the human heat balance equation, a unique value of metabolic rate can be found that just allows an unrestricted work/rest cycle in particular environmental conditions. A comparison using this methodology shows that there are very large differences between the recommended limits under the various indices, even for similar populations of acclimatized workers.","PeriodicalId":342592,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of occupational hygiene","volume":"48 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2002-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131615124","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Efficiency of 22 online databases in the search for physicochemical, toxicological and ecotoxicological information on chemicals.","authors":"M. Guerbet, G. Guyodo","doi":"10.1093/ANNHYG/MEF027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ANNHYG/MEF027","url":null,"abstract":"The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of 22 free online databases that could be used for an exhaustive search of physicochemical, toxicological and/or ecotoxicological information about various chemicals. Twenty-two databases with free access on the Internet were referenced. We then selected 27 major physicochemical, toxicological and ecotoxicological criteria and 14 compounds belonging to seven different chemical classes which were used to interrogate all the databases. Two indices were successively calculated to evaluate the efficiency with taking or not taking account of their specialization. More than 50% of the 22 databases 'knew' all of the 14 chemicals, but the quantity of information provided is very different from one to the other and most are poorly documented. Two categories clearly appear with specialized and non-specialized databases. The HSDB database is the most efficient general database to be searched first, because it is well documented for most of the 27 criteria. However, some specialized databases (i.e. EXTOXNET, SOLVEDB, etc.) must be searched secondarily to find additional information.","PeriodicalId":342592,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of occupational hygiene","volume":"15 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2002-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128054637","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Performance testing of three portable, direct-reading dust monitors.","authors":"A. Thorpe, P. Walsh","doi":"10.1093/ANNHYG/MEF035","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ANNHYG/MEF035","url":null,"abstract":"Three portable direct-reading dust monitors were tested in a recirculating dust tunnel and a calm air dust chamber against a range of industrial dusts with different size distributions to investigate sources of variation in their responses. Responses were found to be linear compared to reference gravimetric respirable samplers over a range of concentrations for a particular particle size distribution. Their calibration factors were dependant on particle size, particle composition and air velocity. If particle size and air velocity do not change significantly then the calibration factor can be applied to the monitor readings to give an accurate measure of dust concentration. The DataRam and HAM, factory calibrated against respirable dust concentration, were found to agree closely, whereas the Microdust gave higher readings, having been factory calibrated against total suspended particulate concentration. The calibration of the DataRam was significantly altered by either contamination of the optics with dust or by cleaning the optics. This was not observed with either the Microdust or HAM, since both monitors include a reference calibration element.","PeriodicalId":342592,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of occupational hygiene","volume":"46 2 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2002-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130983126","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Compliance with the manual handling regulations amongst a random selection of small businesses in England.","authors":"Nigel Addison, G. Burgess","doi":"10.1093/ANNHYG/MEF012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ANNHYG/MEF012","url":null,"abstract":"Manual handling activities have long been recognized as major contributors to occupational injury and ill health. Following a series of consultative documents, the Manual Handling Operations Regulations (MHORs) and their associated Guidance came into force in the UK in January 1993. More than 5 yr on, an investigation was performed to evaluate response to this legislation amongst a random selection of small businesses within a business district of Shropshire, England. A postal questionnaire was sent to 100 companies employing 5-50 workers. Responses were obtained from 80 companies, ranging from retailing to metals/engineering. Although all of the companies are likely to perform activities requiring manual handling assessments under the MHORs, many claimed never to have heard of the legislation (38%) and almost half (46%) had not performed an assessment. Compliance varied significantly by business type, with the nine companies engaged in metals/engineering reporting significantly better compliance (P < 0.05). Of the 43 companies who claimed to have undertaken assessments, 73% (32 companies) indicated that manual handling activities had been changed, with all claiming to have reduced lifting activities, a significant proportion (75%) making improvements to the working environment and over half (59%) reducing the weight of loads. Many of the companies who indicated full compliance with the legislation (21 companies) stated that the benefits to their businesses outweighed the cost of compliance. Additional factors analysed by the study include source of legislative awareness, personnel performing assessments, employee training and method used, and reasons for non-compliance with the MHORs.","PeriodicalId":342592,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of occupational hygiene","volume":"46 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2002-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125166987","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Passive sampler used for simultaneous measurement of breathing zone size distribution, inhalable dust concentration and other size fractions involving large particles.","authors":"T. Schneider, V. Schlünssen, P. Vinzents, J. Kildesø","doi":"10.1093/ANNHYG/MEF029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ANNHYG/MEF029","url":null,"abstract":"The particle size-dependent sampling velocity of the passive dust sampler developed by Vinzents (1996) is investigated under field conditions. Microscopical determination of the projected area equivalent diameter is used to quantify particles deposited on the sampler foils. Parameters for a semi-empirical model for particle deposition velocities on upward and forward facing foils are fitted to the data and it is shown that deposition mechanisms other than gravitational settling on the upward facing foil can be neglected. For calculation of airborne mass concentration no information on particle density is needed and only the ratio between the dynamic and volume shape factors needs to be known. Given the sampling velocity, the airborne mass per diameter interval is calculated from samples obtained in the wood industry, from which inhalable dust concentrations are calculated. The results are in line with parallel samples obtained with an inhalable dust sampler. A 'total' dust sampling characteristic can be fitted which reproduces measured 'total' dust with a closed face monitor. The results of this study demonstrate the validity of the passive dust sampling principle in environments involving even large (>100 microm) particles and the potential to predict the concentration of several size fractions.","PeriodicalId":342592,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of occupational hygiene","volume":"18 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2002-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121112198","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect on blood lead of airborne lead particles characterized by size.","authors":"Dong-Uk Park, N. Paik","doi":"10.1093/ANNHYG/MEF036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ANNHYG/MEF036","url":null,"abstract":"Worker exposure to airborne lead particles was evaluated for a total of 117 workers in 12 work-places of four different industrial types in Korea. The particle sizes were measured using 8-stage cascade impactors worn by the workers. Mass median aerodynamic diameters (MMAD) were determined by type of industry and percentage of lead particles as a fraction of airborne lead (PbA) concentration was determined by particle size. Blood lead (PbB) levels of workers who matched airborne lead samples were also examined. A Scheffé's pairwise comparison test showed that MMAD and the fractions of each of respirable particles and lead particles < or =1 microm relative to PbA varied greatly by the type of industry. The concentrations of lead particles < or =1 microm, which the Center for Policy Alternatives model assumes is relatively constant at 12.5 microg/m3, increased with increasing PbA concentration. In addition, a better correlation was detected between concentrations of particles < or =1 microm and concentrations of respirable lead particles (r = 0.82) than that between concentrations of small particles and PbA (r = 0.61). A simple linear regression indicated that PbB correlated better with respirable lead concentration (r2 = 0.35, P = 0.0001) than with PbA concentration and had a higher slope coefficient. Controlling for respirable lead concentration reduced the partial correlation coefficient between PbA concentration and PbB level from 0.56 to 0.20 (P = 0.053). The results indicate that the contribution of respirable lead particles to lead absorption would be greater than that of PbA. This study concludes that the measurement of PbA only may not properly reflect a worker's exposure to lead particles with diverse characteristics. For the evaluation of a worker's exposure to various types of lead particles, it is recommended that respirable lead particles as well as PbA be measured.","PeriodicalId":342592,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of occupational hygiene","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2002-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130412344","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Carcinogenicity studies after intraperitoneal injection of two types of stone wool fibres in rats.","authors":"O. Kamstrup, A. Ellehauge, C. Collier, J. M. Davis","doi":"10.1093/ANNHYG/MEF034","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ANNHYG/MEF034","url":null,"abstract":"A summary is given of the pathology results after intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection in rats of insulation wool HT, representing the new biosoluble types. The pathology results are compared with a previously conducted i.p. study with traditional stone wool D6 (with similar chemical composition to MMVF21). The HT fibre is characterized by a relatively high content of aluminium and a relatively low content of silica compared to MMVF21. HT has a high in vitro dissolution rate at pH 4.5, a relatively low dissolution rate at pH 7.5 and is less biopersistent than the MMVF21 fibre. Female Wistar rats received a dose of 2 x 10(9) WHO HT fibres by i.p. injection. The fibres had been size-selected to be largely rat respirable. The negative control group was exposed to saline. Following exposure, the animals were maintained until survival in one group fell below 20%. At this time, all animals were killed. All animals were subjected to a necropsy examination; any gross abnormalities observed at necropsy were subjected to histopathological examination. In addition, histopathology was carried out on a predefined list of tissues. The incidences of lesions and survival in the control and fibre dosed animals were compared using appropriate statistical methods to determine whether the dosed animals showed adverse effects on survival or a positive carcinogenic response. The main protocol for the previously conducted study with D6 (MMVF21) was similar, but the animals were maintained as long as they survived, and the WHO fibre dose was lower. The results of the comparative study showed a marked difference in the i.p. pathogenicity of D6 (MMVF21) and HT in terms of their carcinogenic potential. D6 (MMVF21) caused a statistically significant increase of mesotheliomas in the peritoneal cavity compared to the negative control, but the HT fibre did not cause any mesotheliomas or any increase in other tumour types.","PeriodicalId":342592,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of occupational hygiene","volume":"4 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2002-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133922252","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Temperature limit values for gripping cold surfaces.","authors":"J. Malchaire, Q. Geng, E. D. den Hartog, G. Havenith, I. Holmér, A. Piette, S. L. Powell, H. Rintamäki, S. Rissanen","doi":"10.1093/ANNHYG/MEF032","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ANNHYG/MEF032","url":null,"abstract":"OBJECTIVES\u0000At the request of the European Commission and in the framework of the European Machinery Directive, research was conducted jointly in five different laboratories to develop specifications for surface temperature limit values for the gripping and handling of cold items.\u0000\u0000\u0000METHODS\u0000Four hundred and fourteen experiments were run where male and female subjects were invited to grip for up to 20 min cold bars of different contact coefficients, i.e. polished wood, nylon, stone, steel and aluminium. The air temperature and the bars' initial surface temperatures ranged between 0 and -30 degrees C for the various experiments. While gripping the bars, either only the hand or the whole body was exposed to cold.\u0000\u0000\u0000RESULTS\u0000The data were used to develop a prediction formula and a graph of the surface temperature limit values in order for the skin contact temperature not to reach <15 degrees C. This duration is shown to offer a significant degree of safety with respect to the minimal surface temperature spontaneously tolerated by the subjects.\u0000\u0000\u0000CONCLUSIONS\u0000Experiments and modelling must be pursued to extend these data to other conditions of exposure.","PeriodicalId":342592,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of occupational hygiene","volume":"11 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2002-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114817469","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}