bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Worker notification: Viewpoint of the employer
Authors: Race Dennis M.
Published: April 2007

Prior to notifying workers of risk exposure, employers should first consider and weigh the psychological, physiological, and social costs as well as the potential negative impact on labor‐management relations, community resources, and the costs of false negatives and false positives. Only if the contributions of notification override and outweigh the composite costs should employers feel compelled to notify workers. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cultural and linguistic factors in worker notification to blue collar and no‐collar African‐Americans
Authors: Smith Ernie A.
Published: April 2007

This presentation offers historical and sociolinguistic perspectives regarding the origins of the language used by African‐Americans. U.S. descendants of slaves of West and Niger Congo African origin should not be thought of as native speakers of English. To the extent that they have lived in de jure or de facto social isolation from Euro‐American English‐speaking persons, they have retained a West and Niger Congo African thought process or substratum in the phonology and morphosyntax of their speech. Their mother tongue has been described by several African‐American linguists, psychologists, and ethnologists as Ebonics. In a sense, Ebonics refers to the paralinguistic verbal and non‐verbal sounds, cues, and gestures that are systematically used in the process of communication by many African‐Americans.

As one consequence of historical social isolation, African‐Americans invariably score poorly on nationally standardized scales of “Standard American” English competence. Therefore, worker notification intended for African‐Americans, especially among the blue‐ and no‐collar levels, that does not contain an Afro‐centric perspective will likely not prove successful. The linguistic factors, which can severely impede or tremendously enhance the effectiveness of worker notification to these groups, are therefore vital and should not be ignored. Worker notification targeted for limited English‐speaking or unlettered populations should include the development of materials and presentations in the language or primary medium best understood by the audience. Based upon research findings on the psycholinguistics of learning modal preference, the development of notification materials that target a learning channel that is audio oral or aural‐oral is promoted. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Reading, readability, and legibility research: Implications for notification letters
Authors: Zimmerman Donald E.
Published: April 2007

This article defines communication science and then briefly describes three research areas relevant to worker notifications: (1) receiving of notification messages, (2) reading and understanding of notification messages, and (3) influences or effects of notification messages on workers. Next, the article focuses on the reading and legibility research relevant to worker notifications and then provides 16 guidelines for drafting worker notifications. Finally, the article suggests evaluating draft notifications by using one or more of the following: skilled editorial reviews, readability scoring, Cloze techniques, signal stopping techniques, in‐depth personal interviews, focus groups, and usability testing. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Content of worker notification
Authors: Averill Elizabeth , Henry Carol J. , Rubenstein Harriet , Sattler Barbara , Tirey Sandra L.
Published: April 2007

This article summarizes discussions held during the workshop on the issue of the content of worker notification messages and related topics. The workshop itself involved a number of sessions where participants formed small groups. This article represents a distillation of the summary reports by the rapporteurs from each group. It is not intended as a complete review of this issue. Rather, it presents some of the concerns that arose during freewheeling discussions, with the idea that the points raised may help others to think about some of the issues involved. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Perspective on the content of worker notifications
Authors: Acquavella John F. , Collins James J.
Published: April 2007

The concept of worker notification has evolved over the years to a prevailing view that workers should be notified of all epidemiologic studies that make use of their medical information. To adequately communicate health information to workers, epidemiologists must consider the intended audience along with its need for risk information that is scientifically valid and clearly outlines areas of uncertainty. This goal is facilitated by full disclosure to workers of information pertinent to the planning, conduct, and interpretation of research efforts. Subjectivity in choosing unanticipated research findings for inclusion in worker notifications may permit bias toward a personal viewpoint, but this can be minimized by prestudy agreement on appropriate criteria for selecting which research findings to communicate. Epidemiologic theory and principles of causal inference should guide the development of appropriate criteria. The timeliness of worker communications has received limited attention, and workers have often been the “last to know” about important studies. This may influence workers' receptivity to the risk message. Sponsoring organizations should ensure that an acceptable communications plan is included in research protocols and that the plan accords priority to notifying workers about study results. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Content of notification: Exposure to the pesticide chlordimeform
Authors: Stone John A.
Published: April 2007

A notification about exposure requires a detailed search of records and interviews with personnel to properly identify potentially exposed groups. Next, these potentially exposed groups must be examined to determine which groups had the potential for highest exposures. The notification should address three key questions: Why am I receiving this notification? What problems are associated with exposure to the chemical? What am I supposed to do? Consideration should be given to notifying lesser‐exposed groups, as to why they are not considered to be at increased risk. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Channels and vehicles of communication: The asbestos awareness campaign
Authors: Freimuth Vicki S. , van Nevel J. Paul
Published: April 2007

In April 1978, the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare launched a multimedia campaign to inform doctors, workers, and others about the increased risks of asbestos exposure. Unlike most worker notification efforts, this one had no lists of workers or even of workplaces but faced the challenge of locating people who had worked in the shipbuilding industries more than 30 years earlier.

Multiple mass media channels were used, but since most messages were distributed as public service announcements, gatekeepers were critical to the success of the campaign. Some campaign messages were aired, but mostly at hours other than prime time, and the coverage focused more on the controversial, fast‐breaking events rather than on estimates of risk or on behaviors to reduce risk.

The campaign was effective in increasing the number of people who believed they were at risk, but was less successful with older Americans than with manual laborers. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Social aspects of high‐risk notification among chromium‐exposed workers
Authors: Needleman Carolyn
Published: April 2007

This study, based on 169 telephone interviews, explores how a sample of chromium‐exposed workers responded to notification of their cohort's elevated risk of lung cancer. It is important to recognize that notified workers do not react as isolated individuals. Their responses are social, actively constructed through interaction with others, unfolding over time within a context of relationships and shared symbols that mediate the risk information. This report illustrates some of the ways that socially‐based beliefs and interaction with the social environment can influence worker response, and suggests a more sociologically sophisticated concept of notification to fit the realities of workers' lives. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Comprehensibility of material safety data sheets
Authors: Kolp Paul , Sattler Barbara , Blayney Michael , Sherwood Timothy
Published: April 2007

The Hazard Communication Standard, commonly known as the Worker Right to Know law, requires that a chemical information sheet, known as a material safety data sheet (MSDS), be produced for all hazardous chemicals. This study examines the comprehensibility of a sample of MSDSs to a group of about 100 unionized workers in manufacturing industries located in the state of Maryland. Workers were given several MSDSs and performed the equivalent of an open‐book test answering questions regarding health and safety information that was provided on the MSDS. On average, the information on the MSDSs was found to be about one‐third incomprehensible. This result raises concerns regarding policies and practices for hazard communication. There is a clear indication that MSDSs need to be improved if workers must rely on them for health and safety information. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Asbestos screening and education programs for building and construction trades unions
Authors: Tillett Sandra , Sullivan Patricia
Published: April 2007

Worker notification involves informing current and past employees of their risk of disease. It also involves suggesting ways to reduce their risks. The asbestos screening and education programs designed for the building and construction trades unions were a national multisite effort that focused on improving the health of eligible union members and retirees at high risk of developing asbestos‐related disease. The asbestos screening and education programs were made available to “high‐risk,” asbestos‐exposed local union members through the efforts of a number of international unions, including the International Union of Elevator Constructors and the Laborers' International Union of North America—both affiliates of the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL‐CIO. Consultation and program assistance in developing and implementing these programs were provided by the Occupational Health Foundation, a labor‐sponsored, nonprofit organization with a multidisciplinary safety and health staff. Program components included identification of “high‐risk” individuals, notification of risk, education, medical screening, legal referral, and various support services. Community‐based physicians and/or physician‐staffed mobile testing units provided services on a contractual basis according to a standardized medical protocol. Between 1988 and 1991, 2, 136 union members and retirees from 89 local unions affiliated with the Elevator Constructors or the Laborers were screened in 59 regional programs. A general description and historical perspective are offered concerning program implementation, integration into existing union infrastructures. Emphasis is placed on the role of the unions in advancing members' interests when dealing with the health and socioeconomic implications of asbestos‐related disease. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Importance of evaluating the context within which notification occurs
Authors: Houts Peter S. , McDougall Vernon
Published: April 2007

Workers' response to notification about health effects from exposure to toxic materials is determined not just by the content of the message but also by the “context” within which notification occurs, that is, the workers' prenotification knowledge, attitudes, and experiences concerning environmental health risks in general as well as the health problem that is the subject of the notification. In many cases, workers already have a high level of awareness of environmental health issues and are also aware that their work environments could be bad for their health, before receiving official notification of a particular health risk. This is one reason why worker notification programs often have limited impacts on the workers' health behaviors. To understand this process, researchers should assess workers' baseline attitudes and behaviors and study how they affect response to notification. Persons conducting notification programs should evaluate workers' prenotification attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors, and use this information in planning notification efforts. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Evaluating the clarity of research reports written for research subjects
Authors: Lash Andrea A. , Kumekawa Eugene S. , Becker Charles E.
Published: April 2007

It is not simple to report research results to the people who participated in the research as subjects of study. Few evaluations have examined subjects' understanding of written research findings. In two recent studies of solvent exposure, subjects received brief summaries of the research. Before they were sent, the summaries were evaluated by research, health, and communication specialists as well as by representatives of the target audience. For one of the studies, interviews were conducted with subjects before and after they received the reports. Although the subjects said they understood the summary, their answers to questions about its content indicated otherwise. The results suggest that researchers not rely on subjects' self‐assessments of their understanding but instead design methods to test subjects' knowledge directly. Those tests would be most valuable if applied in formative evaluations, when the opportunity exists to improve the research summaries. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A mortality study of cobalt production workers: An extension of the follow‐up
Authors: Moulin J. J. , Wild P. , Mur J. M. , Fournier‐Betz M. , Mercier‐Gallay M.
Published: April 2007

The follow‐up of a cohort of workers employed in an electrochemical plant producing cobalt and sodium, previously studied from 1950–1980, has been extended from 1981–1988. The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) for all causes of death was 0.85 (95% confidence interval [CI] + 0.76–0.95, 309 observed) for the whole cohort, and 0.95 (95% CI + 0.83–1.08, 247 observed) for the subcohort of workers born in France. With regard to lung cancer mortality among cobalt production workers, which is the main objective of the study, the SMRs were, respectively, 0.85 (95% CI + 0.18–2.50, 3 observed) and 1.16 (95% CI + 0.24–3.40, 3 observed). Neither did any excess of mortality from diseases of the circulatory and of the respiratory systems appear among cobalt production workers. Maintenance workers, however, exhibited high SMRs for lung cancer, reaching statistical significance for duration of exposure and time since first exposure ≥ 30 years. This study does not support the hypothesis of a relationship between lung cancer and cobaltexposure. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss. Inc.
Schneeberg lung disease and uranium mining in the saxon ore mountains (Erzgebirge)
Authors: Schüttmann Werner
Published: April 2007

The so‐called Schneeberg lung disease is a form of bronchial or alveolar carcinoma caused by the effects of the radioactive gas radon and of its radioactive short half‐life daughter products. This type of radiation‐induced occupational cancer is the most common and the most important radiation injury among workers occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation. There have been many deaths from lung cancer, especially in the Soviet uranium mines in the Erzgebirge of Saxony in the former German Democratic Republic. The history of disease in these miners extends over five centuries; the first observations of their health hazard start in the Middle Ages. The discovery of the lung cancer component was made toward the end of the nineteenth century, and the suspicion that a connection might exist between this cancer type and exposure to ionizing radiation was voiced at the beginning of the twentieth century. In the first half of this century, further research was carried out on this disease in the Schneeberg area of the Erzgebirge. Before the end of World War II, guidelines were set up to define the acceptable limits of radon exposure in the ore mines of Saxony. After World War II, the American uranium mines in the Colorado Plateau used the German research results as a basis for working out their own radiation protection standard. The uranium mines under Soviet occupation in the former GDR, on the contrary, paid no attention to these research findings. For many years, no precautions were taken for the miners' working conditions. The consequence of this serious omission was an estimated 9,000 fatal cases of lung cancer among these underground miners. High concentrations of radon are to be found in indoor air of homes in some districts of the Erzgebirge, suggesting an increasing lung cancer risk for the local inhabitants. The significance of this finding is evaluated. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Transport injuries in small coal mines: An exploratory analysis
Authors: Hunting Katherine L. , Weeks James L.
Published: April 2007

Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) surveillance data were analyzed to elucidate mine characteristics or injury characteristics that distinguished mines with high rates of transport‐related injuries from mines with lower transport injury rates. The results showed that most high‐rate mines are small, high‐rate mines have a disproportionate number of injuries involving young and less experienced workers, and injuries in high‐rate mines are proportionally more severe. Further analyses of the MSHA injury data showed that smaller mines have a greater share of fatal and permanently disabling injuries, whereas larger mines have a greater share of injuries involving no lost time. Based on these results, we explored two explanations for the small mine injury risk: (1) a suggestion that differences in injury reporting between large and small mines may contribute to an apparent small mine injury risk, and (2) identification of factors contributing to a true difference in transport‐related injury risk between small and large mines.

Whereas it was true that most high injury rate mines were small, most small mines were actually zero‐rate, having reported employment but no injuries to MSHA. An analysis employing binomial probability theory showed that a substantial proportion of small mines reported zero injuries when it was statistically probable that injuries would have occurred. This indicated that small mines may underreport injuries relative to larger mines. The possibility that reporting bias affected the associations found in this study was explored by eliminating the least severe injuries from the data set and evaluating changes in associations. This “adjustment” for reporting bias did not change previously observed relationships.

Finally, MSHA injury data were analyzed in concert with mining population data collected by the Bureau of Mines. With such denominator information, the results indicated a disproportionately high risk of injury among workers in their first year at a mine and indicated that higher injury risk in small mines might be explained by the fact that workers at small mines have substantially less experience than workers at large mines. An effect of age was not found in these analyses. These results suggest the potential importance of targeted training programs for newly hired miners. Results also point to the need to explore specific factors contributing to the small mine injury risk, and to the necessity for complete and accurate reporting of injury data. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Risk of hospitalization for specific non‐work‐related conditions among laborers and their families
Authors: Pollack Earl S. , Ringen Knut
Published: April 2007

To better describe patterns of nonoccupational morbidity among construction laborers and their dependents, two health insurance plans organized by local unions of the Laborers' International Union of North America provided their medical claims data for 1989. The observed numbers of hospital admissions were compared with the numbers expected, based on the age‐sex‐specific hospital discharge rates from the 1989 National Hospital Discharge Survey. Standardized morbidity ratios thus obtained showed excesses for alcohol and drug dependence, complications related to pregnancy, and several other conditions. Medical claims data are a very useful resource in epidemiologic and medical care research, but their use poses numerous challenges, mainly related to the accuracy of diagnostic recording, problems in comparing different health insurance plans, and confounding factors due to health insurance largely being a condition of employment. Nevertheless, the use of these data can provide specific hypotheses for further study. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An evaluation of New Jersey's hospital discharge database for surveillance of severe occupational injuries
Authors: Sorock Gary S. , Smith Elaine , Hall Nancy
Published: April 2007

Computerized population‐based hospital discharge data in New Jersey offer new opportunities for surveillance of serious work‐related injuries. This database was evaluated for its potential in identifying selected injuries that occurred at work during 1985 and 1986. Hospital discharge data were compared with data collected by telephone interview of discharged patients. A total of 1,575 unique hospital discharge records for the selected injuries included finger amputation (1,041), thumb amputation (209), crush injury of the lower limb (208), toxic effects of heavy metals (69), and eye burns (48). Of 809 study subjects sent letters, 445 (55%) could be contacted and 289 (36%) were interviewed for the study. Sixty‐one percent (175) said their injury was work related. A comparison was made between self‐reported injury at work, and the presence of workers' compensation payer codes on the discharge database. The agreement beyond chance (Kappa) was 0.78 (95% CI + 0.67, 0.89). The sensitivity of this indicator of work relatedness was 83%; specificity was 98%. These data suggest that worker's compensation payment on the hospital discharge database may be a good to excellent proxy indicator of the work relatedness of these injuries. However, this proxy indicator will underestimate the number of work‐related injuries by about 20%. Only 11% of hospital discharge records had external cause of injury codes (E‐codes), which reduces the utility of the database for understanding the causal mechanisms of work‐related injuries. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Methodology and utility of a job‐exposure matrix
Authors: Plato Nils , Steineck Gunnar
Published: April 2007

We have previously reported a study in which a job‐exposure matrix was applied to census data, identifying, e.g., polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and creosote as increasing the risk of urothelial cancer. In this article, we expand on some theoretical issues, and present detailed accounts of constructed linkages for PCBs, creosote, and phenols. For agents of interest, one should emphasize the positive predictive value rather than the sensitivity in the construction of the matrix. The reverse is true for confounding factors; to avoid residual confounding after restriction to subjects unexposed for the confounding factors, one should emphasize sensitivity, possibly compromising the positive predictive value. This discrepancy between agents of interest and confounding factors may limit the application of a general matrix for studying several different diseases. The construction of the matrix is much harder, if sensitivity rather than positive predictive value is emphasized for an agent. Confounding from industry‐related agents arises due to a true mixed exposure in certain work tasks, but also due to a gross classification of occupations in the census. One should not confuse different levels of the positive predictive value with exposure dose. A “dose‐response” with different levels of positive predictive value reflects an accuracy of the matrix, not a biological phenomenon. Studies with exposure information from a job‐exposure matrix applied to registers with scant information on occupation and industry may be warranted for exposures and diseases for which previous studies with a detailed documentation of exposure have low precision. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The effect of vibro‐acoustic stimulation on fetal behavioral state organization
Authors: Visser G. H. A. , Mulder E. J. H.
Published: April 2007

During the third trimester of pregnancy there is a gradual development of fetal behavioral states. These states are distinct and discontinuous modes of neural activity; they reflect a certain degree of maturity and/or integrity of the fetal brain and are homologous with those seen in newborn infants. Abnormal state development has been found in growth retarded fetuses and in fetuses of women with type‐1 diabetes. Behavioral state organization is not easily influenced by external factors and most stimuli fail to induce a state change when the fetus is in quiet sleep (state 1F). However, fetuses do react to vibro‐acoustic stimulation (VAS) with an electronic artificial larynx. This stimulus induces excessive fetal movements, prolonged tachycardia, disorganization of behavioral states, and state transitions normally not seen in healthy fetuses. The backgrounds for these excessive and unusual reactions are largely unknown. For the time being, it seems better not to use this device in clinical practice. In this review paper, data on the development of behavioral states and on fetal reactions to VAS are discussed. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Work in pregnancy
Authors: Chamberlain Geoffrey V.
Published: April 2007

Pregnant women in the western world are increasing their part in paid employment. This can be added to their work in the home which, with their leisure and athletic activities, might add up to a considerable load; the possible effects this exertion could have on the woman and her unborn child has been realized only in the last twenty years and many attempts have been made to quantify it.

The patterns of work in the home, in employment, and at sporting activity are assessed. There are two distinct areas of possible influence on the fetus: the work with its physical effort might affect respiratory and metabolic acid‐base balance and specific teratogens related to activity at work may be encountered and act at nodal points during fetal growth at specific times, causing congenital abnormalities of organs.

Potential hazards under chemical, physical, and biological headings are considered, while both the psychological and physical effect of energy expenditure are discussed. Possible measures of outcome are assessed and three recently published studies from the U.S. and U.K. are examined to show the difficulties of making valid measurements about the effect of work on the pregnancy, as well as that of pregnancy on the work.

It is probable that ordinary work done by a fit young woman has no serious effect on herself or a healthy fetus. Research will continue, for it may be that with an impaired afferent nutrition and oxygen supply to the fetus, certain specific increases in degrees of work could have an exaggerated effect. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mortality of professional chemists in England and Wales, 1965–1989
Authors: Hunter W. J. , Henman B. A. , Bartlett D. M. , le Geyt I. P.
Published: April 2007

Several studies on the mortality of chemists have revealed a lower overall mortality but an excess of deaths from certain diseases, in particular, cancers. This study determined the causes of mortality of 4,012 chemists among 14,884 members of The Royal Society of Chemistry who were followed for a period of 25 years. The results demonstrated consistency with other studies. There was an overall low mortality rate, with fewer deaths than expected from cancers, but an excess mortality from lymphatic and hematopoietic cancers, in particular leukemias. There was an excess of deaths from certain gastrointestinal cancers. There was reduced mortality from respiratory diseases, including lung cancers, and from cardiovascular disease. New findings reported in this study are increased mortality from cancers of the duodenum and kidney, certain skin cancers, mental disorders, and diseases of the nervous system. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A case‐control study of multiple myeloma and occupation
Authors: Demers Paul A. , Vaughan Thomas L. , Koepsell Thomas D. , Lyon Joseph L. , Swanson G. Marie , Greenberg Raymond S. , Weiss Noel S.
Published: April 2007

Lifetime job histories from a population‐based, case‐control study were analyzed to investigate the relationship between multiple myeloma and employment in various occupations and industries. Interviews were obtained from 89% (692) of eligible incident cases and 83% (1683) of eligible controls. An elevated risk was observed among persons ever employed as painters [odds ratio (OR) + 2.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) + 1.2–3.6], particularly for those employed for 10 or more years (OR + 4.1, 95% CI + 1.8–10.4). A small excess risk was observed among agricultural workers employed for 10 or more years (OR + 1.3, 95% CI + 1.0–2.2), with a higher relative risk observed among farm laborers (OR + 1.8, 95% CI + 1.0–4.0). Among agricultural workers who reported having been highly exposed to pesticides, the OR was 5.2 (95% CI + 1.6–21.1). Some evidence, based on smaller numbers, was also found to support an association with firefighting and employment in the petroleum‐ and coal‐products manufacturing industries. Little evidence was found to support the previously noted association with wood exposure, and no evidence for an association with employment in the rubber or petroleum refining industries was found. This study lends further support to previously reported associations between multiple myeloma and employment among painters and agricultural workers. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Validity of exposure in one job as a surrogate for exposure in a cohort study
Authors: Vetter Renate , Stewart Patricia A. , Dosemeci Mustafa , Blair Aaron
Published: April 2007

Frequently, information pertaining to only one job is available or used to evaluate risk estimates of disease in occupational epidemiologic research. The amount of misclassification that such a practice could create has not, however, been examined. We used data from a mortality study of workers employed in 10 formaldehyde‐producing or ‐using plants to address how closely several parameters of exposure based on the first, longest, or last job held in a company compared with those based on the worker's entire employment history at the plant. The best predictor for cumulative formaldehyde exposure at the plant was the longest job at that plant, with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.70. The correlation with average exposure over the worker's employment was 0.77 for the first job and 0.74 for the longest and last jobs. Peak exposures and highest exposure levels experienced in the plant were more closely related to the first job (r + 0.72 and r + 0.74). The highest correlation with any of the measures was never with the last job. Variation between plants for each of these comparisons, however, was wide. These findings indicate that the use of a single job as a surrogate for exposure received at a particular worksite can result in different degrees of misclassification for different exposure measures. Even though the correlations were generally high, the associated misclassification of exposure could lead to a substantial underestimation of the relative risks in some situations. In this report two hypothetical examples show what effect the misclassification rates could have on estimates of disease risks. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Evaluation of skin symptoms among workers at a swedish paper mill
Authors: Meding Birgitta , Torén Kjell , Karlberg Ann‐Therése , Hagberg Stig , Wass Kristina
Published: April 2007

Process and office workers at a Swedish paper mill (n + 274) and dairy workers (n + 45) were investigated with questionnaires regarding skin symptoms. In the second part of the study, subjects reporting skin symptoms and a random sample of subjects without symptoms were examined and investigated with patch testing. Pruritus and skin irritation probably related to exposure to dust were found. The results do not indicate an increased prevalence of contact allergy. In two cases, positive patch test reactions to paper size (rosin) and a slimicide, mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT), were noted. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A follow‐up study on the mortality of truck drivers
Authors: Hansen Eva S.
Published: April 2007

The aim of this study was to investigate a possible relationship between occupational exposure to vehicle exhaust and cancer risk. For this purpose, a cohort of 14,225 truck drivers was followed throughout a ten‐year period with regard to cause‐specific mortality. Comparisons were made with another cohort of unskilled male laborers. Both of the occupational groups compared were identified at a census and no supplementary data on individual exposure history were available. The study showed an increased mortality for lung cancer (standardized mortality ratio (SMR) 160, 95% confidence interval (CI) 126–200) and multiple myeloma (SMR 439, 95% CI 142–1,024). It seems likely that exposure to diesel exhaust has contributed to the increased lung cancer risk observed. The possible relationship between multiple myeloma and certain constituents of vehicle exhaust may be worth attention in future investigations. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Diffuse thickening superimposed on circumscribed pleural thickening related to asbestos exposure
Authors: Miller Albert , Miller Jeffrey A.
Published: April 2007

Circumscribed and diffuse pleural thickening (PT), the most common radiographic manifestations of asbestos‐related disease, have different pathogeneses, differential diagnostic criteria, and effects on pulmonary function. The important distinction between the two disorders is demonstrated by six patients in whom typical circumscribed PT was followed by diffuse PT in the same hemithorax. The diffuse PT came on 18–47 (mean 32.3) years after first exposure to asbestos. In four patients, clinically evident pleural effusions preceded the diffuse PT; the latter left all with moderate to severe restrictive ventilatory impairment.

Patients with stable pleural plaques are at risk for diffuse PT and consequent greater ventilatory impairment, even though they are many years from first exposure to asbestos. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Characterization of asbestos fibers in lungs and mesotheliomatous tissues of baboons following long‐term inhalation
Authors: Hiroshima K. , Murai Y. , Suzuki Y. , Goldstein B. , Webster I.
Published: April 2007

Changes in the dimensions of inhaled asbestos fibers in the lung and translocation of intrapulmonary asbestos fibers into mesothelial tissues were investigated in 17 baboons (5 exposed to amosite, 4 to chrysotile, 5 to crocidolite, and 3 unexposed). The animals received different cumulative doses of asbestos by inhalation, followed by varying recovery periods (0–69 months). All asbestos types induced pulmonary asbestosis with severity directly related to the cumulative dose. There were a larger number of asbestos bodies in the lung of the amphibole‐exposed animals than in those exposed to chrysotile. A tissue burden study, using transmission electron microscopy on 25‐μm paraffin sections, ashed in a low‐temperature asher, was performed. Intrapulmonary amosite fibers were shorter in geometric mean length compared with a standard amosite sample (UICC) (3.3 μm). In explanation, it was considered that long fibers might not be able to reach the lower respiratory tract and/or long fibers might be fragmented into shorter fibers. Further, in the amosite‐exposed group, the mean length of intrapulmonary fibers increased with the extension of recovery period, suggesting that shorter fibers had been cleared from the lung. The chrysotile standard sample (UICC) had a shorter geometric mean length (1.1 μm) than amosite. The mean length of intrapulmonary chrysotile did not noticeably change with the extension of inhalation and recovery periods; however, the mean width decreased with the extension of these periods. This finding strongly suggested that separation of thick chrysotile fibers had occurred in the lung. The crocidolite standard sample (Transvaal) had a shorter geometric mean length (1.4 μm) than amosite. The mean length of intrapulmonary crocidolite fibers increased with the extension of inhalation and recovery periods, suggesting that shorter fibers had been cleared from the lung during both the inhalation and recovery periods. There was no specific tendency of size distribution among four distinct interstitial locations (peribronchiolar, alveolar septal, subpleural, and interlobular connective tissue) within the same lung exposed to either amosite, chrysotile or crocidolite. In four animals, malignant mesothelioma developed in the pleura (2 amosite and 1 UICC crocidolite) and the peritoneum (1 UICC crocidolite). Asbestos fibers were found in the mesotheliomas. Their size distribution in mesotheliomatous tissue and lung was not significantly different in two animals, but the fibers were shorter and thinner in another two. The presence of fibers in the neoplasms was confirmed, and translocation of fibers from the lung into the pleura or the peritoneum was strongly suggested. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Chemical exposure in manufacture of phenoxy herbicides and chlorophenols and in spraying of phenoxy herbicides
Authors: Kauppinen Timo , Kogevinas Manolis , Johnson Eric , Becher Heiko , Bertazzi Pier‐Alberto , de Mesquita H. Bas Bueno , Coggon David , Green Lois , Littorin Margareta , Lynge Elsebeth , Mathews John , Neuberger Manfred , Osman John , Pannett Brian , Pearce Neil , Winkelmann Regina , Saracci Rodolfo
Published: April 2007

Exposure patterns are reported for manufacturing and sprayer cohorts incorporated in the “IARC International Register of Workers exposed to Phenoxy Herbicides and Contaminants.” Information was based on company questionnaires, company reports, plant visits, and serum 2,3,7,8‐TCDD measurements. In addition to phenoxy herbicides and chlorophenols, workers in manufacturing plants may have been exposed to raw materials, process chemicals, other agents synthesized or formulated, and impurities of all these agents. Sprayers also had a complex exposure pattern, including phenoxy herbicides and some other pesticides, their carriers and additives, and residues of chemicals formed during manufacture. Occurrence of agents, including dioxins, varied between countries. Biological monitoring and industrial hygiene data were rarely available, most since the late 1970s. Exposure of workers depended mainly on the jobs they performed, but several factors influenced level of exposure. A quantitative exposure classification is not feasible in this study. Semiquantitative exposure estimates may be derived through a critical interpretation of biological monitoring and industrial hygiene data together with individual work histories. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Estimating historical exposure to silica among mine and pottery workers in the people's Republic of China
Authors: Dosemeci M. , Chen J.‐Q. , Hearl F. , Chen R.‐G. , McCawley M. , Wu Z. , McLaughlin J. K. , Peng K.‐L. , Chen A.‐L. , Rexing S. H. , Blot W. J.
Published: April 2007

A quantitative retrospective exposure assessment method was developed for use in a nested case‐control study of lung cancer among mine and pottery workers exposed to silica dust in the People's Republic of China. Exposure assessment was carried out in 20 mines (10 tungsten, 6 iron/copper, and 4 tin) and nine pottery factories. A job title dictionary was developed and used in both the collection of historical exposure information and work histories of 1,668 (316 cases and 1,352 controls) study subjects. Several data abstraction forms were developed to collect historical and current exposure information and employees' work histories, starting in 1950. A retrospective exposure matrix was developed on the basis of facility/job title/calendar year combinations using available historical exposure information and current exposure profiles. Information on the amount of respirable, thoracic, and free silica content in total dust was used in estimating exposure to silica. Starting in 1950, 6,805 historical estimates had been carried out for 14 calendar‐year periods. We estimated the average total dust concentration to be 9 mg/M3, with a range from 28 mg/M3 in earlier years to 3 mg/M3 in recent years. Several exposure indices [such as cumulative dust, average dust, cumulative respirable (<5 μ in particle size) and thoracic (<10 μ in particle size) silica dust, average respirable and thoracic silica dust, exposure‐weighted duration, and the highest/longest exposure] were calculated for individuals by merging work history and historical exposure matrix for each study subject. We developed these various measures of exposure to allow investigators to compare and contrast different indices of historical exposure to silica. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

This article is a US Government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.
A health survey of workers in the pentachlorophenol section of a chemical manufacturing plant
Authors: Cheng Wei Nan , Coenraads P. J. , Hao Zhi Hui , Liu Guo Fang
Published: April 2007

During 1968 to 1985, 109 workers who had been engaged in the production of pentachlorophenol, using non‐gamma isomers of hexachloroclohexane (BHC) as the raw material, were surveyed. Endemic chloracne among them had been noted since 1974. The prevalence of chloracne was 73.4% (80/109) in total and 95.2% (20/21) in a trichlorobenzene (TCB) tank area where dioxin and dibenzofurans levels were thousands of ppm. To our knowledge, PCDDs and PCDFs have not previously been reported from thermal decomposition of BHC.

Urinary porphyrins were significantly higher among exposed workers than among the controls but there was no significant difference between the workers with chloracne and those without. The conduction velocities of the median motor nerves were much slower among the workers in the TCB tank area where the highest PCDDs contamination appeared.

The mortality study cohort was relatively young. Based on the three deaths observed during the follow‐up, no association could be drawn. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Asbestos‐related mesothelioma in monfalcone, Italy
Authors: Bianchi Claudio , Brollo Alessandro , Ramani Lucia , Zuch Clara
Published: April 2007

The Monfalcone area, in northeastern Italy, is a small industrial territory (population about 60,000), with a large shipyard. Between October 1979 and April 1992, ninety‐two malignant mesotheliomas were diagnosed at the Monfalcone Hospital. The series included 84 men and 8 women, aged 42 to 89 years (median age 68 years). There were 89 pleural and 3 peritoneal tumors. Seventy patients (69 men and 1 woman) had worked in the shipyards; six were seamen, and four insulators. Five men had been exposed to asbestos in various industries; six women had histories of domestic exposure, and one woman had a history of possible environmental exposure. The latency periods (intervals between first exposure to asbestos and diagnosis of the tumor) ranged from 20 to 65 years (median 52 years). Latency periods among insulators were significantly lower than among shipyard workers, as well as lower than among the other categories (p<0.01). Lung asbestos bodies were isolated after chemical digestion in 73 cases at necropsy, and in two cases at surgery. In necropsy cases, asbestos body burdens ranged between 100 and 10,000,000 bodies per gram of dried tissue (median 11,000). Pleural plaques were observed at necropsy in 62 out of 73 cases, and in two cases at surgery.

In the time period we considered, the annual incidence rates for pleural mesothelioma were very high among male Monfalcone residents, being 189 per 100,000 among people aged 75 years or more.

On the basis of occupational data and of objective signs (lung asbestos bodies, pleural plaques), all the cases of the present series but one (that with possible environmental exposure) were considered as asbestos‐related. The role of co‐factors in the development of asbestos‐related mesothelioma is suggested. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cancer in Illinois construction workers: A study
Authors: Keller Jane E. , Howe Holly L.
Published: April 2007

A series of case‐control studies using subjects from the Illinois State Cancer Registry have been conducted. Logistic regression was used to control for age and history of tobacco and alcohol use. Construction workers were consistently found to be younger than other subjects and to have used alcohol and tobacco more often. Significant positive associations between cancer of the stomach and welding (odds ratio [OR] = 2.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.09, 4.09), lung cancer and employment in the construction industry (OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.02, 1.26), and lung cancer and welding (OR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.03, 2.76) were found. Significant negative associations between cancer of the colon and welding (OR = .54, 95% CI = .29, 1.00), cancer of the prostate and employment in the construction industry (OR = .76, 95% CI = .65, .89), cancer of the prostate and plumbing (OR = .44, 95% CI = .38, .50), cancer of the prostate and metal working (OR = .43, 95% CI = .19, .93), and bladder cancer and employment as an electrician (OR = .60, 95% CI = .36, 1.00) suggest that construction workers did not consistently experience excesses of cancers known to be associated with tobacco use, and an overall excess of sites not known to be related to tobacco use may have occurred. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents: Substituting our way toward human carcinogenicity
Authors: Frangos Stephen A. , Peters John M.
Published: April 2007

A discussion of the history of substitutions in industrial solvent use is presented, and animal carcinogenicity studies with certain chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents are reviewed. The present knowledge on the association between occupational exposure to chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents and human carcinogenicity is summarized, including a critical review of 23 studies pertaining to human carcinogenicity. Several deficiencies are identified in these studies that make interpretation of the results uncertain, including poor characterization of exposures in qualitative and quantitative terms, the small numbers of deaths or cases, and short follow‐up periods. Despite these weaknesses, we conclude that, when viewed collectively, the evidence strongly suggests that occupational exposures to chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents are associated with an excess human cancer risk. The literature supports an association between occupational exposures to chlorinated hydrocarbons and elevated risks of leukemia, lymphoma, and urinary tract cancer. Parental occupational exposures are consistently associated with an elevated childhood cancer risk in the offspring. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Organic dust exposure from compost handling: Response of an animal model
Authors: Frazer D. G. , Jones W. G. , Petsonk E. L. , Kullman G. J. , Barger M. W. , Afshari A. , Jones T. , Castranova V.
Published: April 2007

The objective of this investigation was to elucidate the pulmonary responses of an animal model to dust generated from leaf/wood compost which had caused a severe case of acute respiratory illness in an individual. Guinea pigs were exposed for 4 hr to 30 mg/m3 of aerosolized leaf/wood compost dust. Inhalation resulted in significant cellular activation and changes in pulmonary mechanics. Maximal elevation in breathing rate (↑ 36%) was observed 12–18 hr postexposure. Similarly, maximal granulocyte infiltration (↑ 1,600%) and activation of alveolar macrophages (↑ 65%) occurred 18 hr postexposure. In contrast, maximal airway obstruction (↑ 65%) occurred 18 hr postexposure. In contrast, maximal airway obstruction (↑ 120%) occurred immediately after exposure and returned toward normal (↑ 53%) by 18 hr postexposure. In several respects, the airway obstruction and pulmonary inflammation described in the animal model were comparable to the human response to compost dust. Therefore, this animal model may be useful in predicting the potential respiratory hazard associated with exposure to various organic dusts. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

This article is a US Government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.