British Journal of Industrial Medicine最新文献

{"title":"Effect of quartz and alumina dust on generation of superoxide radicals and hydrogen peroxide by alveolar macrophages, granulocytes, and monocytes.","authors":"V A Gusev,&nbsp;Danilovskaja YeV,&nbsp;Vatolkina OYe,&nbsp;O S Lomonosova,&nbsp;B T Velichkovsky","doi":"10.1136/oem.50.8.732","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.50.8.732","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Phagocytosis of quartz particles by rabbit alveolar macrophages and monocytes and human granulocytes and monocytes was accompanied by stimulation of substrate free reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium to formazan. This reflects activation of an oxygen dependent bactericidal system of phagocytes and total (exogenic and endogenic) generation of active oxygen species. Low fibrogenic and cytotoxic alumina dust tended to increase formazan production by comparison with quartz dust. During phagocytosis of quartz dust by alveolar macrophages and monocytes there was no exogenic generation of superoxide radicals and hydrogen peroxide by these cells. By contrast, incubation of human granulocytes with quartz dust caused a significant increase in exogenic generation of superoxide radicals and hydrogen peroxide. Under such conditions, low fibrogenic alumina dust had no effect on hydrogen peroxide generation and substantially decreased the level of superoxide radical generation by human granulocytes. During incubation of rabbit granulocytes with quartz dust, an increase in the level of superoxide radical generation was also detected. It is considered that the differences between alveolar macrophages and granulocytes in their response to quartz dust are important from a physiological point of view. Alveolar macrophages are permanently present in pulmonary alveolae in large quantities; therefore their uncontrolled generation of superoxide radicals and hydrogen peroxide might immediately cause damage to pulmonary parenchyma. At the same time, destruction products from alveolar macrophages that died during phagocytosis of quartz particles contain a factor attracting granulocytes. Presence of a significant number of granulocytes in bronchopulmonary lavage fluid in cases of silicosis indicates development of a pathological process. This agrees well with the data obtained on exogenic generation of superoxide radicals and hydrogen peroxide by granulocytes, and on stimulation of this process due to phagocytosis of the quartz dust.</p>","PeriodicalId":9254,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Industrial Medicine","volume":"50 8","pages":"732-5"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1993-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1136/oem.50.8.732","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"19383656","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Changes in lung function of granite crushers exposed to moderately high silica concentrations: a 12 year follow up.","authors":"P Malmberg,&nbsp;H Hedenström,&nbsp;B M Sundblad","doi":"10.1136/oem.50.8.726","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.50.8.726","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>45 granite crushers and 45 age and smoking matched referents underwent pulmonary function tests in 1976 and 1988. On average, the granite crushers at follow up had worked for 22 years, were 52 (range 36-78) years old, and had inhaled a cumulated amount of 7 mg of silica in the respirable dust fraction. Between 1976 and 1988 the average concentration of respirable quartz in air was 0.16 mg/m3 (threshold limit value (TLV) = 0.10 mg/m3). In 1988 the granite crushers had somewhat lower forced expiratory flows (forced expiratory volume in one second/vital capacity (FEV1/VC) -4.5% and forced midexpiratory flow FEF50 -15%) compared with the referents and a more uneven ventilation distribution (17% higher slope of phase III in the nitrogen single breath curve). Five smoking granite crushers, but none of the referents, had an FEV1 < 80% of the predicted. During the 12 year interval the granite crushers had--compared with the matched referents--a greater decrease in FEV1 (-4.6%), FEV1/VC (-5.4%), maximal expiratory flow, (-8%) and FEF50 (-14%), and a larger increase in phase III and static compliance (p < 0.02 in all variables). The functional changes suggest the presence of airways obstruction and increased compliance of the lungs. Exposure to silica at concentrations of about twice the present TLV was thus associated with airways obstruction and loss of elastic recoil rather than fibrosis and a restrictive function loss as seen in silicosis. The changes were on average small, but in some tobacco smokers more pronounced changes were found.</p>","PeriodicalId":9254,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Industrial Medicine","volume":"50 8","pages":"726-31"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1993-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1136/oem.50.8.726","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"19383655","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mercury and selenium in workers previously exposed to mercury vapour at a chloralkali plant.","authors":"D G Ellingsen,&nbsp;R I Holland,&nbsp;Y Thomassen,&nbsp;M Landro-Olstad,&nbsp;W Frech,&nbsp;H Kjuus","doi":"10.1136/oem.50.8.745","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.50.8.745","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The concentrations of total mercury (B-Hg), inorganic mercury (B-IHg), and methyl mercury (B-MeHg) in whole blood, urinary mercury (U-Hg), and selenium in urine (U-Se) and whole blood (B-Se) were determined in 74 chloralkali workers previously exposed to Hg vapour, and compared with 51 age matched referents. Dental amalgam state, fish consumption, and exposure related indices were studied with regard to the determined elements. A significant relation between the surface of dental amalgam and U-Hg (Pearson's r = 0.63, p < 0.001) was found among the referents. Mean U-Se was significantly lower (p < 0.001) among the subjects previously exposed to Hg (34.1 nmol/mmol creatinine) compared with that for the referents (42.6 nmol/mmol creatinine). A significant negative relation between the cumulative Hg dose and U-Se was also found. The mechanisms and the clinical significance of these findings are not clear. No relation between current U-Hg and previous occupational exposure to Hg was found among subjects in whom exposure had ceased more than one year before the study.</p>","PeriodicalId":9254,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Industrial Medicine","volume":"50 8","pages":"745-52"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1993-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1136/oem.50.8.745","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"19383658","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sample size and power considerations to procure the required number of subjects with a certain attribute.","authors":"J Lee","doi":"10.1136/oem.50.8.765","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.50.8.765","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9254,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Industrial Medicine","volume":"50 8","pages":"765"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1993-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1136/oem.50.8.765","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"19384731","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Subclinical impairment of colour vision among workers exposed to styrene.","authors":"A Muttray,&nbsp;D Jung,&nbsp;J Konietzko","doi":"10.1136/oem.50.8.766","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.50.8.766","url":null,"abstract":"Sir,-Does chronic exposure to styrene impair colour vision? Fallas et al (1992;49:679-82) found subclinical impairment of colour vision among workers exposed to styrene applying the Farnsworth 100 hue test during working hours in daylight. In daylight, however, neither colour temperature nor illumination are constant and good results depend on the use of standard lighting conditions,2 for instance standard illuminant C or D65.3 The authors do not state if those wearing glasses used their own. In our experience most glasses are coloured at least slightly and it is imperative that colour testing should not be performed on subjects wearing coloured glasses or coloured contact lenses.4 In such cases we use clear glasses with different refraction taking into account the fact that we cannot correct astigmatism. The Farnsworth 100 hue test was designed to test hue discrimination among subjects with normal colour vision and to evaluate chromatic discrimination loss in those with congenital defects of colour vision.3 Subsequently it was applied to test acquired defects. The prevalence of congenital dyschromatopsia is about 8% among men.5 Fallas et al apparently did not distinguish between those with congenital and acquired colour vision defects when calculating the error scores and the ranges. We guess that the results are influenced by congenital defects in colour vision. Furthermore the term \"range\" was not defined by the authors. Acquired dyschromatopsias can be caused by many systemic and ocular diseases. Therefore a complete ophthalmological examination is desirable, but probably not feasible in many epidemiological studies. For screening at least the visus should be examined, however. The mean of the error score of the controls given by the authors is high compared with data published by others5 6; we think that this discrepancy could be caused by extraprofessional and by congenital dyschromatopsias. The subjects were examined during the shift so that they were actually exposed to styrene before testing. Ethanol, another organic solvent, is known to cause an acute and transient impairment of colour vision.78 To our knowledge, comparable studies on the effect of styrene have not been published. It is an obvious supposition that styrene can cause an acute and transient impairment of colour vision, too, if there are effects caused by a chronic exposure.9 If the colour vision is examined during a shift, it is impossible to differentiate between acute and chronic effects. In conclusion we think that the paper does not give any evidence of an impairment of colour vision caused by styrene. AXEL MUTTRAY DETLEV JUNG JOHANNES KONIETZKO InstitutfiirArbeitsund Sozialmedizin der _Johannes Gutenberg-Uniersitdt Mainz, Obere Zahlbacher Stra,Be 67, 6500 Mainz, Germany","PeriodicalId":9254,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Industrial Medicine","volume":"50 8","pages":"766-7"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1993-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1136/oem.50.8.766","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"19384732","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nasal melanoma.","authors":"M Goldoft,&nbsp;N Weiss,&nbsp;T Vaughan,&nbsp;J Lee","doi":"10.1136/oem.50.8.767-b","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.50.8.767-b","url":null,"abstract":"are arguments for using both. In prevention, the absolute risk is a better measure as it gives a direct measure of the number of cases that will be prevented. The relative risk may be a better measure in clinical practice as it can easily be transformed to the aetiological fraction (EF = (RR-I)/ RR) and thus gives a measure of the chance that the cancer of a certain patient is caused by asbestos. From a more theoretical epidemiological standpoint the best measure depends on whether the risk due to asbestos is multiplicative or additive compared with the background risk. For a multiplicative risk the incidence rate (IR) is IR = IRo* f(exposure), where f is a function not dependent on the background incidence (IR0). If the risk is additive an absolute risk is more appropriate as IR = IRO + IRasb, where IRsb is the incidence rate caused by exposure. A relative risk may at a first glance be preferred as the risk for lung cancer caused by asbestos is usually expressed as: SMR = 1 + a* dose where a is a constant. This relation does not seem to fit the data of Raffin et al, however, and the only measure of \"dose\" in their paper is employment time. The relative risk is certainly not related in linear fashion to employment time if all lung cancers are considered (1 9, 1-4, and 19 for <1, 1-4, and > 5 years respectively). The group with 1-4 years employment time is small and there are large confidence intervals for the risks especially when stratified according to histological type. Thus there seems to be little justification to restrict the analyses to a multiplicative model. There is an increased risk in the group with <1 year employment time. This raises the question about comparability between the exposed and reference groups. A dose-response model may also consider time since last exposure as some data indicate that the risk of lung cancer decreases some years after the exposure of asbestos has ceased.' A different risk according to time from onset of exposure may depend on the different growing rates of the tumours. Anaplastic carcinoma grows faster than squamous cell carcinoma, which grows faster than adenocarcinoma.2 The importance of the finding of a higher RR for adenocarcinoma in persons with a long time since onset of exposure compared with persons with other histological types of tumour does not necessarily mean that only adenocarcinoma are caused by exposure to asbestos. My conclusion is that the","PeriodicalId":9254,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Industrial Medicine","volume":"50 8","pages":"767-8"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1993-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1136/oem.50.8.767-b","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"19384734","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mechanisms of asbestos carcinogenesis and toxicity: the amphibole hypothesis revisited.","authors":"B T Mossman","doi":"10.1136/oem.50.8.673","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.50.8.673","url":null,"abstract":"These","PeriodicalId":9254,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Industrial Medicine","volume":"50 8","pages":"673-6"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1993-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1136/oem.50.8.673","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"19383115","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Angiosarcoma, porphyria cutanea tarda, and probable chloracne in a worker exposed to waste oil contaminated with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin.","authors":"R McConnell,&nbsp;K Anderson,&nbsp;W Russell,&nbsp;K E Anderson,&nbsp;R Clapp,&nbsp;E K Silbergeld,&nbsp;P J Landrigan","doi":"10.1136/oem.50.8.699","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.50.8.699","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A worker developed angiosarcoma, porphyria cutanea tarda, and skin lesions characteristic of mild chloracne. About 10 years earlier he had been employed at a truck terminal in Saint Louis, Missouri, at a time when it was sprayed with waste oil contaminated with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). The occurrence of these three rare conditions in a single exposed worker supports the aetiological relation between environmental exposure to TCDD and the subsequent development of soft tissue sarcoma and porphyria cutanea tarda.</p>","PeriodicalId":9254,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Industrial Medicine","volume":"50 8","pages":"699-703"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1993-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1136/oem.50.8.699","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"19097216","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mortality study of ethylene oxide workers in chemical manufacturing: a 10 year update.","authors":"M J Teta,&nbsp;L O Benson,&nbsp;J N Vitale","doi":"10.1136/oem.50.8.704","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.50.8.704","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Men assigned to units producing ethylene oxide by the chlorohydrin or direct oxidation processes and to other departments using ethylene oxide in two chemical plants were followed up for mortality from 1940 to 1988 (n = 1896). Based on findings from a previous study of these workers to the end of 1978, which identified confounding exposures, workers assigned to one unit with low ethylene oxide exposure potential were excluded (n = 278). Average duration of exposure was over five years and average follow up was 27 years, with all subjects at least 10 years from first exposure. The data did not support associations of ethylene oxide with all cancer types combined, leukaemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, or brain, pancreatic, or stomach cancers. There were also no duration-response trends. The standardised mortality ratio (SMR) for total cancer was 86 (95% confidence interval 71-104) and did not increase for those hired the earliest and with long duration assignments. The results of this 10 year update and those of other recent studies of ethylene oxide workers do not confirm findings from animal studies and are not consistent with the earliest results reported among ethylene oxide workers.</p>","PeriodicalId":9254,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Industrial Medicine","volume":"50 8","pages":"704-9"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1993-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1136/oem.50.8.704","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"19383652","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Relation between exposure related indices and neurological and neurophysiological effects in workers previously exposed to mercury vapour.","authors":"D G Ellingsen,&nbsp;T Mørland,&nbsp;A Andersen,&nbsp;H Kjuus","doi":"10.1136/oem.50.8.736","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.50.8.736","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A cross sectional study of aspects of their neurology was carried out on 77 chloralkali workers previously exposed to mercury (Hg) vapour and compared with 53 age matched referents. The chloralkali workers had been exposed for an average of 7.9 years at a concentration of 59 micrograms Hg/m3 in the working atmosphere. The individual mean urinary concentration of Hg for each year of exposure was 531 nmol Hg/1. On average the exposure had ceased 12.3 years before the examinations. Both the median sensory nerve conduction velocity and the amplitude of the sural nerve were associated with measures of cumulative exposure to Hg. An association was also found between years since first exposure to Hg and aspects of the visual evoked response. Previously exposed subjects with postural tremor or impaired coordination also had alterations in visual evoked response. These results may indicate an effect of previous exposure to mercury vapour on the nervous system, possibly in the visual pathway, cerebellum, and the peripheral sensory nerves.</p>","PeriodicalId":9254,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Industrial Medicine","volume":"50 8","pages":"736-44"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1993-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1136/oem.50.8.736","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"19383657","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}