bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Solvent‐induced chronic toxic encephalopathy
Authors: Rasmussen Kurt , Jeppesen Hans Jeppe , Sabroe Svend 
Published: April 2007

AbstractChlorinated solvents, especially trichloroethylene, have been extensively used for metal degreasing since the beginning of this century. There have been case reports of cranial nerve damage and symptoms of acute and reversible encephalopathy. However, another issue during the last decade is the possible existence of a syndrome of chronic cerebral dysfunction. Our study deals with the risk of developing a state of psychoorganic syndrome after long‐term exposure to solvents, mainly trichloroethylene. In this historical cohort study, 96 metal degreasers participated in a clinical medical and psychological examination. The risk of developing psychoorganic syndrome was proportional to the exposure duration, to increasing age, and to decreasing primary intellectual level. Using logistic regression analysis, there was a significantly increased risk of developing psychoorganic syndrome from solvent exposure. There was an odds ratio of 5.6 (0.93–34.3) for psychoorganic syndrome in the medium‐exposed group. In the most highly exposed group, with a mean full‐time exposure duration of 11 years, there was a significantly increased risk of psychoorganic syndrome, the adjusted odds ratio was 11.2 (1.9–66.6). None of four other potential confounders (arteriosclerotic disease, neurologic/psychiatric disease, alcohol abuse, and current solvent exposure) had any significant associations to psychoorganic syndrome. © 1993 Wiley‐List, Inc.
A diagnostic approach to asbestosis, utilizing clinical criteria, high resolution computed tomography, and gallium scanning
Authors: Klaas Virginia E. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractSeventy‐five individuals known to have significant exposure to asbestos were evaluated by physical exam, pulmonary function tests (PFT), chest radiographs, high resolution computed tomography (HRCT), gallium‐67 scanning, and various laboratory exams. Sixteen subjects met three of the following four criteria and were considered to have clinical asbestosis: 1) bibasilar rales, 2) FVC < 80% of predicted, 3) DLCO < 80% of predicted, and 4) an abnormal chest radiograph.Evaluations which included HRCT and Ga scanning detected pulmonary disease in these asbestos‐exposed individuals in many cases where other modalities were unable to demonstrate significant abnormalities. While only 21% of the subjects satisfied commonly accepted criteria for the diagnosis of asbestosis, 75% had evidence of disease by both HRCT and gallium scanning. These data suggest that it may be time to include HRCT and Ga scanning when evaluating asbestos‐exposed individuals, especially in cases where evaluations by physical exam, PFTs, and chest radiographs are non‐diagnostic. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mortality of workers hired during world war II
Authors: Steenland Kyle 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThere has been some suggestion that men first hired during World War II do not show the typical healthy worker effect and may have been more unhealthy than their counterparts who entered military service. We have studied 41,000 workers at six plants to determine whether men hired during World War II had higher mortality than men hired just before or after WWII. No evidence was found of any “unhealthy WWII worker” effect. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Peripheral neuropathy after occupational exposure to 2,3,7,8‐tetrachlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxin (TCDD)
Authors: Sweeney Marie Haring , Fingerhut Marilyn A. , Arezzo Joseph C. , Hornung Richard W. , Connally L. Barbara 
Published: April 2007

AbstractReports of human exposure to 2,3,7,8‐tetrachlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxin (TCDD) describe signs and symptoms consistent with exposure‐related peripheral neuropathy. In a crosssectional study, prevalence of peripheral neuropathy was measured in 265 workers exposed 15 years earlier to chemicals contaminated with TCDD and in 244 unexposed, age‐, race‐, gender‐ and community‐matched comparisons. Cases of peripheral neuropathy were defined from examination, electrophysiologic and quantitative sensory tests, and symptoms. Exposure was assessed by measuring lipid‐adjusted serum TCDD levels. The mean serum TCDD level for workers (220 parts per trillion (ppt)) was significantly higher than for referents (7 ppt) (p < .0001). Thirty‐two percent of both worker and referent groups met the case definition for peripheral neuropathy. In the logistic regression analyses, serum TCDD level was not related to peripheral neuropathy. These data suggest that despite continued high serum TCDD levels, peripheral neuropathy is not a long‐term sequela of high exposure to TCDD‐contaminated chemicals. However, the study cannot preclude the occurrence and subsequent resolution of acute effects caused by high exposure, as experienced in Seveso and possibly by some workers, while exposed to high levels of TCDD‐contaminated substances. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Fiberglass or silica exposure and increased nephritis or ESRD (end‐stage renal disease)
Authors: Goldsmith John R. , Goldsmith David F. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe U.S. multiplant cohort mortality study of workers producing manufactured mineral fibers is finding increasing mortality from nephritis and/or nephrosis. We examine other data sets to see if similar effects can be identified.In a case‐referent study among Michigan patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD), men with exposures to silica have elevated odds ratio for ESRD.In a California occupational mortality study based on 1979–81 data, a number of the construction trades, farmers, and farm laborers show excess mortality for renal disease. The highest mortality ratio is found in the category including insulation workers. This ratio remains significantly elevated when adjusted for estimated exposures to smoking, alcohol, and for socio‐economic status. California mortality data from 20 years earlier (1959–61) fail to show much excess renal disease in construction workers, but do for farmers. In Singapore, granite workers with a long‐term exposure to silica have excess excretion of albumin and similar compounds compared to less exposed controls, leading to the presumption that silica exposure can lead to silica nephrotoxicity.Balkan nephropathy has been associated with consumption of well water high in silica. In the Negev of Israel, dust storms are a vehicle for increasing respiratory uptake of silica. The Beduin, thought to be a population with maximal exposures, have higher rates of ESRD than do Jews in the age groups over 60 years.Although high blood concentrations of silica are found in persons with renal failure, the close association with elevated creatinine has been interpreted as evidence that the buildup of silica is due to renal failure, rather than vice‐versa.The evidence is consistent with, but not yet compelling, that exposure to silica, which can be readily absorbed (or dissolved) from the lung, may increase the long‐term risk of renal disease including renal failure. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Case‐control study of congenital defects and parental employment in health care
Authors: Matte Thomas D. , Mulinare Joseph , Erickson J. David 
Published: April 2007

AbstractHealth care workers may be occupationally exposed to known and suspected teratogens including viruses, anesthetic gases, sterilants, mercury, and x‐radiation. To assess the risk of congenital defects among offspring of health care workers, we analyzed parental occupational histories for 4,915 case babies with congenital defects, registered during the years 1968–1980 by the Metropolitan Atlanta Congenital Defects Program (MACDP) registry, and for 3,027 control babies born without defects during the same period. Offspring of mothers employed in a nursing occupation during the periconceptional period had a modest excess risk of having at least one congenital defect (relative risk [RR] = 1.42; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06–1.88); the offspring were at statistically significant increased risk of having anencephaly or spina bifida (RR = 2.00; 95% CI 1.01–4.30), coarctation of the aorta (RR = 2.06; 95% CI 1.10–3.82), genital system defects (RR = 1.61; 95% CI 1.03–2.53), and urinary system defects (RR = 3.43; 95% CI 1.41–8.34). These associations were not confounded by maternal age, education, or alcohol consumption. Offspring of mothers employed in administrative or clerical jobs in the health care industry also had a modest excess risk of defects (RR = 1.35; 95% CI 0.96–1.90), including a statistically significant excess risk of limb defects. We also found associations between neural tube defects and potential exposure to anesthetic gases and to x‐radiation, but each association was based on only three case babies of potentially exposed parents. We found no associations between defects and paternal health care employment, except for a few individual defects, and these were based on small numbers of exposed subjects. Only one of five previous studies reviewed found an increased risk of congenital defects among offspring of nurses, but three of the four negative studies had substantially smaller sample sizes than the present study. Detection bias may be a possible explanation for the apparent excess risk of certain defects among offspring of nurses. © 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.
Cor pulmonale and pneumoconiotic lung disease: An investigation using hospital discharge data
Authors: Kusiak Robert , Liss Gary M. , Gailitis Maris M. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractCor pulmonale has been reported in the past to be associated with pneumoconiosis as an end‐stage complication. However, whether the association can be demonstrated among cases of pneumoconiosis acquired in more recent decades is not clear. We examined the relation between these conditions using data summarized in hospital records in Ontario for males discharged between 1979 and 1990 with a diagnosis of chronic cor pulmonale or one of the pneumoconioses.Based on the age‐specific frequency rates, cor pulmonale was diagnosed 17 (95% confidence interval 13–22) times more frequently than expected among men diagnosed with pneumoconiosis than among other men admitted to hospital.Our investigation indicates that cor pulmonale still appears to be associated with dust exposure in the workplace, and it demonstrates the usefulness of hospital discharge information in addressing questions in occupational health. However, we recommend that hospital medical records be examined to confirm the diagnoses and to determine the smoking histories of these men. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Median sensory distal amplitude and latency: Comparisons between nonexposed managerial/professional employees and industrial workers
Authors: Stetson Diana S. , Silverstein Barbara A. , Keyserling W. Monroe , Wolfe Robert A. , Albers James W. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractTo test for associations between occupation and median nerve dysfunction, measures of median motor and median and ulnar sensory amplitude and distal latency were compared among three populations: control subjects without occupational exposure to highly forceful or repetitive hand exertions (N = 105), industrial workers with hand/wrist symptoms (N = 103), and asymptomatic industrial workers (N = 137).Mean sensory amplitudes were significantly smaller (p < 0.05) and motor and sensory distal latencies were significantly longer (p < 0.001) in the industrial “asymptomatic hand” population compared to the control population. Prolongation of median relative to ulnar latency was significantly longer in the asymptomatic industrial population (p < 0.05). Results were most plausibly explained by differences in checklist identified ergonomic stressors.Median sensory amplitudes were significantly smaller (p < 0.01) and latencies longer (p < 0.05) for industrial workers with exposure to high grip forces compared to those without. Exposure misclassification may have reduced power to detect statistically significant differences between exposed and nonexposed population groups. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Serum IgG antibodies to mold spores in two norwegian sawmill populations: Relationship to respiratory and other work‐related symptoms
Authors: Eduard Wijnand , Sandven Per , Levy Finn 
Published: April 2007

AbstractWood trimmers and planing operators from two separate sawmill populations (N = 303 and 170) were studied by serology assessment and a self‐administered questionnaire. IgG antibodies to Rhizopus microsporus ssp. rhizopodiformis, Paecilomyces variotti, and Aspergillus fumigatus were measured by ELISA. The questionnaire included questions about general respiratory symptoms and symptoms after handling moldy timber. Personal exposure of wood trimmers to mold spores and wood dust was measured in one part of the sawmills. R. microsporus was the most prevalent mold assessed by serology. Antibody levels were higher and symptoms suggestive of mucous membrane irritation, chronic nonspecific lung disease, allergic alveolitis, and organic dust toxic syndrome were more frequently reported by wood trimmers than by planing operators. The mean level of IgG antibodies to R. microsporus in sawmill workers working in the same work area was the best predictor of symptoms in both populations. The consistent results indicate that exposure to spores of R. microsporus may cause several respiratory symptoms in wood trimmers. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cluster of testicular cancer in police officers exposed to hand‐held radar
Authors: Davis Robert L. , Mostofi F. Kash 
Published: April 2007

AbstractWithin a cohort of 340 police officers, six incident cases of testicular cancer occurred between 1979 and 1991 (O/E 6.9; p<0.001, Poisson distribution). Occupational use of hand‐held radar was the only shared risk factor among all six officers, and all routinely held the radar gun directly in close proximity to their testicles. Health effects of occupational radar use have not been widely studied, and further research into a possible association with testicular cancer is warranted. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Health hazards to children in the service industries
Authors: Kinney Joseph A. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe purpose of this article is to examine the persistent, yet underrecognized, problem of adolescent occupational injury. There is little appreciation for the magnitude and scope of this problem, including, particularly, the underlying causes and factors of adolescent occupational injury; this is especially so outside the occupational health field. There are many reasons why the scope of adolescent occupational injury remains unappreciated. For example, injury surveillance systems, including workers' compensation records, do not reveal the level of this problem because many injuries are not properly compensated. This paper examines health hazards to children in the service industries from various perspectives. This scrutiny will include an examination of adolescent occupational injury levels and the reasons why this problem is large and growing. In closing, we consider ways to improve public policies in order to portray this problem accurately, the first step toward meaningful injury prevention strategies. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Work‐related injuries among Massachusetts children: A study based on emergency department data
Authors: Brooks Daniel R. , Davis Letitia K. , Gallagher Susan S. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractMillions of children in the United States work and, despite federal and state laws, face safety hazards. Previous studies have documented large numbers of injuries suffered on the job by working children. This study describes work‐related injuries to children 14–17 years old in 14 Massachusetts communities (representing 5% of the state population) based on data from emergency departments and hospital admissions collected as part of a large population‐based surveillance study of injuries to children and adolescents from 1979 to 1982. An estimated 1,176 work‐related injuries occurred during the three‐year period, accounting for 7–13% of all injury‐related emergency department visits in this age group; the proportion among 17‐year‐olds was 14–26%. Cuts and lacerations were the most frequent type of injury, cutting/piercing was the most common cause, and cutting instruments were the most frequently identified products. Seventeen children were hospitalized for work‐related injuries during the course of the study. The estimated annual rate of occupational injury rose from 3.7/1,000 children for 14‐ to 15‐year‐olds to 44.7/1000 for 17‐year‐olds; these rates count all resident children, regardless of their employment status, in the denominator. Rates based on actual hours worked are much higher, and strongly suggest that working minors should be considered a high‐risk group for occupational injury. This study adds to the mounting evidence that work‐related injuries to children are a significant public health problem and contribute significantly to the overall incidence of injuries among children 14–17 years old. The study also demonstrates the potential of emergency department data as a valuable source of information about work‐related injuries to children. Active surveillance systems combining data from emergency departments, workers' compensation, and other potential sources should be established to fully document the nature and extent of the problem. Efforts to prevent these injuries will require the combined attention of employers, parents, medical providers, educators and regulators, as well as working children themselves. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Current trends in state child labor legislation and enforcement
Authors: Beyer Dorianne 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThere is much current child labor law activity, none of it reflecting concern with occupational health hazards. The focus of the legislation is on time for and dedication to education as youth's foremost priority. The only areas of state legislative change that could affect children's health and safety in the workplace are a general movement toward monetarily increasing fines and penalties and some minor inclusions of agricultural restrictions on young workers. Enforcement efforts are in all cases a primary indication of state commitment to child labor law protections, and these efforts are decreasing. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Organic dust exposures from compost handling: Case presentation and respiratory exposure assessment
Authors: Weber S. , Kullman G. , Petsonk E. , Jones W. G. , Olenchock S. , Sorenson W. , Parker J. , Marcelo‐Baciu R. , Frazer D. , Castranova V. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractInhalation of dust from contaminated organic materials may result in acute respiratory tract illness. Possible mechanisms include toxic and cellular reactions to microbial and other organic products or immunologic responses after prior sensitization to an antigen. A case is presented of a 52 year old male who developed fever, myalgia, and marked dyspnea 12 hr after shoveling composted wood chips and leaves. Inspiratory crackles, hypoxemia, and bilateral patchy pulmonary infiltrates were seen. Precipitating antibody tests for the usual antigens were inconclusive. He improved over 3 days.In order to assess the environmental conditions the patient had experienced, we returned to the site to reproduce and measure respiratory exposures during hand loading of the compost. Visible clouds of fine particulate were easily generated during handling activities. Microscopic examination of these dusts indicated a predominance of spores. Endotoxin concentrations from inspirable and respirable dust samples ranged from 636 to 16,300 endotoxin units/m3. Levels of contaminants found were consistent with those associated with respiratory illness in other agricultural settings.Two respiratory disorders, hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) and organic dust toxic syndrome (ODTS), may occur after exposure to organic dusts containing fungal spores and endotoxins. Despite extensive clinical and environmental investigations, we were unable to differentiate these two disorders, and suggest they may represent parts of a spectrum of responses to complex organic dusts, rather than completely distinct clinical entities. © 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.
Mortality patterns among men in the motor vehicle manufacturing industry
Authors: Delzell Elizabeth , MacAluso Maurizio , Honda Yasushi , Austin Harland 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThis retrospective follow‐up study evaluates the mortality experience of 123,232 male hourly workers employed at a motor vehicle manufacturing company in 1973. Company computerized personnel records were used to identify subjects and to obtain their employment history. Follow‐up through December 31, 1985 was conducted using company, state, and national data sources. The mortality rates of the cohort were compared with the rates of the United States (U.S.) general population of white or black men, adjusting for age and calendar time, and using the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) as the measure of association.The overall mortality rate of cohort members is lower than the U.S. rate by 11% among whites (11,060 observed/12,427 expected deaths; SMR = 89) and by 24% among blacks (3,744/4,926 deaths; SMR = 76). These low mortality rates reflect deficits of diseases other than cancer. Cancer SMRs are 99 for whites and 90 for blacks. There are slight excesses of stomach cancer (SMR = 113) and of lung cancer (SMR = 108) among whites and of cancer of the large intestine and rectum (SMR = 114) and of the lymphopoietic tissue (SMR = 111) among blacks. Both whites and blacks have a large deficit of buccal cancer and pharynx cancer, and blacks also have a deficit of esophagus cancer.The cohort's overall deficit of deaths is due largely to the favorable mortality experience of active workers. In contrast, white subjects who have left active employment have an 11% mortality excess, and inactive black subjects have a mortality rate that is similar to the general population rate. The increased mortality among inactive whites is not limited to any one particular disease category. This pattern may reflect illness‐related employment termination and generalized confounding by socioeconomic status, although the study does not rule out a relationship between workplace exposures and specific diseases. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Use of city directories as a source of occupational data in a case‐cotnrol study
Authors: Rosenbaum Paula F. , Vena John E. , Zielezny Maria A. , Michalek Arthur 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe association between occupational factors and male breast cancer was investigated in a population‐based case‐control study conducted in Western New York state. Since 9% of cases and controls were missing occupational information in the tumor registry (usual occupation) and screening clinic (type of work done) files, supplemental occupational data were collected from commercial city directories. Occupational data were located for 69% of participants via the city directory thereby reducing the missing occupational data to 3%. For individuals with occupational listings in both the original source document and the city directories, similar titles were found for 94% of cases. Factors to be considered in assessing the feasiblty of directory usage include purpose of study, degree of directory coverage within the geographic area, gender of participants, and availability of personnel and resources. City directories are a valuable supplemental source of occupational data for hypothesis generating case‐control studies or registry‐based studies of men conducted in urban areas. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.