bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Farmers' health and safety programs in Sweden
Authors: Höglund Sverker 
Published: April 2007

AbstractIn 1977, the Swedish Farmers' Federation initialed a pilot project of preventive occupational health services to farmers. After a few years it was decided that this occupationspecific service, Farmers' Preventive Health Service (Lantbrukshälsan), should be permanently established within the federation of farmers. Today, 33 special regional centers have been established around Sweden, providing occupational health services to famers, farm workers, and others occupied in farm‐related enterprises. At another 30 locations collaboration has been established with other existing health care centers. Farmers must pay a fee to become a member of the organization and to provide affiliation is voluntary. Today about 40,000 farmers are members. The main goal of the Farmers' preventive health service (FPHS) is to prevent work‐related injuries and illnesses and to provide clinical services to farmers for occupational medical problems.Every second year a health check‐up is performed; during the years in between other services such as farm visits, first aid courses, and sessions on prevention/amelioration of back and neck problems are provided. A team of occupational nurses, physiotherapists, agricultural safety engineers, doctors, and secretaries work together to provide comprehensive services. This integrated medical‐technical approach to service provision is a prerequisite to successful intervention for the many occupational hazards which may cause damage to health. Respiratory problems related to inhalation of organic dust, pesticide exposures, allergies, and orthopedic diseases are important. Psychosocial work‐related problems seem to be increasing among farmers.
Farmers' occupational health program in Finland, 1979‐1988: From research to practice
Authors: Husman Kaj , Notkola Veijo , Virolainen Ritva , Nuutinen Jyrki , Tupi Kirsti , Penttinen Jyrki , Heikkonen Jalmari 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe Kuopio Regional Institute of Occupational Health, in collaboration with the Social Insurance Institution and the National Board of Health, conducted and evaluated a national model for the famers' occupational health services. In January 1985 the National Board of Health instructed the Finnish municipal health centers to start the provision of Farmers' occupational health services based on the recommendation given by the research group. The service was evaluated by experiments carried out during 1982, 1985, and 1986. The main problem in function of the services was that the health hazards (exposures) were difficult to observe and evaluate. The system of how the occupational health nurse evaluates the working conditions should be further developed.The efficiency of the services was studied by postal inquiries in 1982 and 1986. Farmers' knowledge about the appropriate means of reducing hazardous exposures had increased significantly due to the occupational health services.At the local level, the main problem in providing services for occupational farmers is that health centers do not have the resources to offer services for all farmers at the same time. Altogether by the end of 1986, about 30% of all active farmers in Finland (45,000 farmers) were willing to have occupational health services, which is voluntary for self‐employed farmers.
The bassett farm safety and health project
Authors: Pratt David S. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe Bassett Farm Safety and Health Project was started in 1980 when Drs. May and Pratt made clinical observations on respiratory illnesses in farmers. The initial work involved the investigation of clinical syndromes associated with dust exposures and, from there, environmental dust studies. The current scope of work of The Farm Safety and Health Project includes three major components: research, education, and patient care. The research activities currently include studies into the analysis of injuries on farms, hearing loss in a randomly selected population, and estimating the annual incidence of Silo Filler's Disease in New York State. Educational activities currently include a statewide hearing conservation project, and the provision of numerous education materials for farmers and farm workers. The clinical activities include the establishment of an occupational medicine clinic in the fall of 1988, designed specifically for evaluation and treatment of agricultural workers with occupation‐related illness and injuries.
Practice‐based agromedicine: The need for client‐centered research
Authors: Schuman Stanley H. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractDuring recent years, several client calls received from Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service office and private physicians have required client‐oriented investigations. These have practical implications for preventive medicine and public service. The challenges for differential diagnosis across disciplines are not for the faint‐of‐heart or the narrow thinking specialist. Examples of incidents that have signaled a problem and resulting research projects are: 1) anaphylactic cardiovascular response to red imported fire ant venom (statewide morbidity survey); (2) unexplained contact dermatitis in tomato harvesters and floral designers (immunodermatologic study and statewide survey of florists); (3) concerns over two unexplained cancer deaths at an experimental agricultural research station (farmer's mortality study); (4) a household outbreak of organophosphate poisoning (statewide hospital morbidity survey); and (5) a woman in early pregnancy exposed to misapplication of chlordane in her house (literature review and update on trends in U.S. birth defects). These examples reflect a broad but responsive interdisciplinary approach to the needs of the clients of the South Carolina Agromedicine Program.
Safety programs of the farm safety association in Ontario, Canada
Authors: Reed Jane 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe Ontario Farm Safety Association, established in 1973 under the Workers' Compensation Act, provides safety education services to the agricultural community to reduce injuries and fatalities. With a staff of 14, various programs are administered including health and safety seminars, inspections, technical consulting, specialized agricultural safety publications and audio‐visual materials, statistical gathering and analysis, as well as elementary school programs.
The farm family perception of occupational health: A multistate survey of knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and ideas
Authors: Thu Kendall , Donham Kelley J. , Yoder Denise , Ogilvie Linda 
Published: April 2007

AbstractIt is vitally important to integrate the views and concerns of the farm family into the process of policy development. If the input is not there, policy planners could implement programs that are philosophically separated from the farm families' concerns and attitudes. This would destroy credibility and future farmer support of any new program development.From May of 1988 to April of 1989, a phone and mail survey of approximately 1,500 farmers and spouses was conducted to assess knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding agricultural safety and health. The survey was conducted in Iowa, New York, South Carolina, and Washington state.Preliminary results from Iowa and New York indicated that: 1) farmers value highly, and are concerned with, occupational health and safety issues; 2) farmers report that their major concerns include stress, trauma and respiratory problems; 3) farmers would like access to an occupational health and safety service; and 4) any new farm health and safety programs must include farmer input to ensure practicality, applicability, and acceptance.
A case for social marketing and education for acceptance and implementation of preventive health and occupational safety measure programs for rural communities
Authors: Rowley Beverley Davies 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe environment in which acceptance and implementation of preventive health and occupational safety occurs is not conducive to the message being heard, nor are people acting upon the message. Diffusion of innovation and community development models are explored for possible approaches to health education in the rural community. In particular, the community‐oriented primary care approach to medical practice is discussed. In addition, the responsibility of the rural community is outlined.
Continuing importance of nitrate contamination of groundwater and wells in rural areas
Authors: Johnson Carl J. , Kross Burton C. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe contamination of groundwater and rural drinking water supplies by nitrates from livestock and human excrement, other organic waste, or chemical fertilizers is a potential hazard throughout the world. Infant illness and death from nitrate‐induced methemoglobinemia is probably often misdiagnosed, perhaps as sudden infant death syndrome, and certainly contributes to the national infant death rate statistics. A 1950 report listed 144 cases of infant methemoglobinemia with 14 deaths in one 30‐month period in Minnesota. Infant deaths resulting from misdiagnosis of this preventable, treatable intoxication were still occurring as recently as 1986 in South Dakota. In this state, about 39% of dug or bored wells were unsafe due to high nitrate content, compared with 22% of drilled wells and 16% of driven wells. Properly constructed wells more than 30 m deep are more likely to be safe. Groundwater concentrations of nitrate may be unsafe for consumption, and standards are needed to regulate such contamination. Such standards could serve as guidelines and could be enforceable in the case of water systems dependent on wells.
Nitrate‐N in the soil profile and tile drainage water as influenced by tillage
Authors: Randall Gyles W. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractConservation tillage systems facilitate the infiltration of greater amounts of precipitation into the soil profile by reducing surface runoff. Concern has developed among some scientists because higher infiltration and percolation rates are often linked to potentially higher leaching losses of agricultural chemicals. Soil samples were taken in 1 foot increments to a depth of 5 feet to ascertain the accumulation and distribution of nitratenitrogen (NO3‐N) in the soil profile as influenced by tillage. Two long‐term tillage studies on fine‐textured, clay loam soils were sampled in July and November 1977 following 2 years of limited rainfall. Nitrate‐N accumulation in the 0 to 3 foot profile in late July was reduced by 75% (no tillage) to 38% (chisel plow) compared with the conventional moldboard tillage system in this 8‐year‐old study. Accumulation in the 0 to 5 foot profile after harvest was 751, 546, 345, and 198 Ib NO3‐N/A for the moldboard plow, chisel‐plow, disk‐, and no‐tillage systems, respectively. Another 3 year study showed accumulations of 625, 619, 468, and 391 pounds NO3‐N/A after harvest with the moldboard plow, ridge‐plant, chisel‐plow, and no‐tillage systems, respectively. These data indicate that tillage can have substantial effects on the accumulation of NO3 in soils and that additional research is needed to determine the mechanisms responsible for these differences.
Some issues in risk assessment for agricultural chemicals
Authors: Rodricks Joseph V. , Rachman Nancy J. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractRisk assessment is now a significant feature of most environmental risk management programs, in both industry and government. The purpose of this paper is to describe the elements of risk assessment, their strengths and limitations, and their relationship to other activities, including research and risk management. Risk assessment issues to be examined are those especially important to the agricultural community, including problems of high‐risk subpopulations, exposure through unauthorized pathways (e.g., those resulting from groundwater contamination or pesticide misuse), and inadequacies in toxicity and residue data bases.
Current trends and new directions in crop protection
Authors: Menn Julius J. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractSynthetic agricultural chemicals will continue to be the major component in protecting food and fiber crops from attack by insects, fungi, and weeds. This trend will most likely continue through the end of this century and possibly beyond. The discovery and introduction of potent new pesticides such as the sulfonylurea and imidazolinone herbicides and synthetic pyrethroid insecticides have demonstrated that excellent weed and insect control can be achieved with minute amounts of chemical per treated unit area in comparison to older chemicals. In some instances, these reductions approached two orders of magnitude. Further improvements in delivery systems and formulations have also contributed to reductions in the chemical load in the environment. However, increased regulatory demands; environmental concerns; developing resistance in key pests; increasing costs of research, development, manufacturing, and selling; and even a smaller number of basic producers, all in concert impact heavily on future developments in chemical pesticides.We can expect also that, within the next decade, there will be an increasing number of introductions of biological pesticides, including microbials and biochemicals derived from microbiological sources. These new products—including mycoherbicides, mycofungicides, and biological insecticides—are expected to become prominent control measures in the intermediate time span (10‐20 years), to be supplemented in the longterm by products and transgenic plants derived from recombinant DNA technology.
Pancoast and the image of silicosis
Authors: Cherniack Martin G. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractIn the two decades following the First World War, American occupational medicine was consumed in cataloguing the pneumoconioses, and no physician was more prominent than Henry K. Pancoast of the University of Pennsylvania. In a landmark trial following the worst silicosis outbreak in the United States at Gauley Bridge, West Virginia, Pancoast testified for the defense, attributing the disease to tuberculosis. Pancoast was not an isolated commentator, as the prominence of the cases attracted some of the country's leading authorities on occupational medicine. Pancoast's error, as well as the accuracy of some of his colleagues, clarifies an important occupational disease in its epidemic period. There is also a less historically specific exposition of the impact of professional involvement in social policy, liability, and compensation.
Cross‐sectional study of platinum salts sensitization among precious metals refinery workers
Authors: Baker Dean B. , Gann Peter H. , Brooks Stuart M. , Gallagher Joan , Bernstein I. Leonard 
Published: April 2007

AbstractA cross‐sectional medical evaluation was conducted to determine respiratory and dermatological effects of platinum salts sensitization among workers in a secondary refinery of precious metals. Fifteen of 107 current employees and eight (28%) of 29 former employees, who had been terminated from employment on average for 5 years because of respiratory symptoms, had positive skin reactivity to platinum salts. Platinum salts skin reactivity was significantly associated with average air concentrations of platinum salts in employees' present work area. Workers with positive platinum salts skin tests had significantly higher prevalences of reported rhinitis, asthma, and dermatitis than negative skin test workers. They also had increased bronchial response to cold air challenge and elevated levels of total serum IgE. Platinum salts sensitization was not associated with atopic tendency as measured by sensitivity to common aeroallergens, but was strongly associated with cigarette smoking status. The findings indicate that cigarette smoking may be a risk factor for the development of platinum salts allergy. The persistence of platinum salts sensitization and high prevalence of adverse health outcomes among former workers demonstrate the importance of regular medical monitoring so that sensitized workers can be removed from exposure before they develop long‐term health problems.
Use of video display terminals during pregnancy and the risk of spontaneous abortion, low birthweight, or intrauterine growth retardation
Authors: Windham Gayle C. , Fenster Laura , Swan Shanna H. , Neutra Raymond R. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractUse of video display terminals (VDTs) during pregnancy among working women was examined using data from a large case‐control study of spontaneous abortions (SAB) occurring in 1986–1987. The crude odds ratio for SAB and VDT use was 1.2 for use of less than 20 hours per week (95% CI = 0.88, 1.6) as well as for 20 hours or more (CI = 0.87, 1.5), with little change after adjustment for a variety of confounders. The effects of VDT use may vary by the gestational age at SAB, with stronger associations seen in earlier (≤ 12 weeks) compared to later SABs. Use of VDTs within specific occupational categories was examined, yielding adjusted odds ratios varying from 0.5 to 1.7. The risk for low birthweight (LBW) among the control group also was not greatly elevated at either VDT use level, with adjusted ORs of 1.1 (0.52, 2.1) and 1.4 (0.75, 2.5), respectively. However, the risk for intrauterine growth retardation was somewhat elevated among women with greater VDT use (OR = 1.6, CI = 0.92, 2.9).
Chromosomal aberrations, sister chromatid exchanges, and urinary thioethers in nurses handling antineoplastic drugs
Authors: Sarto Franco , Trevisan Andrea , Tomanin Rosella , Canova Arianna , Fiorentino Mario 
Published: April 2007

AbstractIn this study we examined the structural chromosomal aberrations (CA) and sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) of 12 nurses handling moderate quantities of antineoplastic drugs. Urinary thioethers were also measured to assess the potential exposure to alkyl‐ating drugs. Two control groups with similar mean age and smoking habits and working in the same hospital were also studied: 1) control clerks and 2) control nurses. Our study did not show any clear increase of chromosomal damage in exposed nurses as compared to controls. However, CA in control nurses were significantly increased (p = 0.05) with respect to control clerks. The results of baseline urinary excretion of thioethers were statistically higher (p < 0.02) in exposed subjects than in control clerks.
Organic acids and bases: Review of toxicological studies
Authors: Leung Hon‐Wing , Paustenbach Dennis J. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractOrganic acids and bases are among the most frequently used chemicals in the manufacturing industries. However, the toxicology of only a number of them has been fully characterized, and for fewer still have occupational exposure limits been established. This paper reviews the acute and chronic toxicity data of the organic acids and bases, and considers the mechanism by which these chemicals produce their effects. A methodology for establishing preliminary occupational exposure limits based on the physicochemical properties of these chemicals is presented. Workplace exposure limits for 20 organic acids and bases which currently have no exposure guidelines are suggested. Advice regarding appropriate medical treatment of exposure to these materials is discussed.
Implications of OSHA's reliance on TLVs in developing the air contaminants standard
Authors: Robinson James C. , Paxman Dalton G. , Rappaport Stephen M. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThis paper evaluates the decision by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to base its Air Contaminants Standard on the threshold limit values (TLVs) of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. Contrary to the claim made by OSHA in promulgating the standard, the TLV list was not the sole available basis for a generic standard covering toxic air contaminants. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) presented data indicating that the TLVs were insufficiently protective for 98 substances. NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limits (RELs) were available for 59 of these substances. The ratio of PEL to REL ranged up to 1,000, with a median of 2.5 and a mean of 71.4. OSHA excluded 42 substances from the standard altogether despite the availability of NIOSH RELs, solely because no TLV had been established.
Long‐term mortality in miners with coal workers' pneumoconiosis in the netherlands: A pilot study
Authors: Meijers Jan M. M. , Swaen Gerard M. H. , Slangen Jos J. M. , Van Vliet Kees , Sturmans Ferd 
Published: April 2007

AbstractIn order to investigate whether the prolonged exposure to coal mine dust increases the cancer risk for coal miners, a pilot study in a selected cohort of 334 Dutch miners with coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP), followed from 1956 until 1983, was conducted. In total, 165 miners had died (49.4%); for 162 (98.2%) the cause of death was traced. In comparison to the general Dutch male population, total mortality in the cohort was statistically significantly increased (SMR: 153). This was in general due to the significantly higher than expected cancer mortality (SMR: 163), cancer of stomach and small intestine (SMR: 401) and nonmalignant respiratory disease (SMR: 426). The lung cancer mortality was within the expected range.
Can exposure to electromagnetic radiation in diathermy operators be estimated from interview data?: A pilot study
Authors: Larsen Anders Ingemann , Skotte Jørgen 
Published: April 2007

AbstractAs preparation for a case‐control study dealing with possible teratogenic property of shortwaves, a pilot study was conducted in order to compare exposure assessment from different sources. In 11 physiotherapy clinics, exposure assessments based on interviews within 1 week among the exposed physiotherapists were compared with exposure assessments based on observations including measurements. It was possible to discriminate between recent high and low peak exposure. Furthermore, an interview index reflecting the duration of the exposure correlated to some extent with the corresponding measurements.
Retrospective cohort mortality study of cancer among sewage plant workers
Authors: Lafleur John , Vena John E. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThere is little known about the incidence of cancer among sewage workers. In this paper we examine findings from a retrospective cohort study of 487 white male sewer authority workers employed between January 1950 and October 1979. Vital status was ascertained for 93% of the cohort yielding a total of 6,886 person years. Total mortality from all causes was comparable to that of the general white male U.S. population (Standardized Mortality Ratio [SMR] = 0.91, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 0.77‐1.07). The cohort was subdivided into those not exposed, and sewer workers who were exposed to sewage effluent, sludge, or wastewater containing chemicals including potential carcinogens. Among the nonexposed group, mortality from all causes was significantly low (SMR = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.33‐0.88). Among the exposed sewer workers, mortality from all causes was not significantly different from that of the general white male U.S. population (SMR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.84‐1.19). Mortality from all cancers among exposed sewer workers was slightly higher than that of the general population (SMR = 1.19, 95% CI = 0.79‐1.7). Statistically significant elevated mortality ratios were seen for cancer of the larynx (SMR = 7.93, 95% CI = 1.59‐23.96), and cancer of the liver (SMR = 5.4, 95% CI = 1.10‐16.05). Careful study of the medical and occupational histories of these cases suggested that larynx cancer was possibly work‐related, while liver cancer was not. A group estimated to be the highest exposed, composed predominantly of operatives, had a higher directly adjusted death rate from all malignant neoplasms combined compared to all other workers (rate ratio = 1.64). These findings of increased risk of cancer among exposed sewage workers, especially operators, are based on small number of cases and should be interpreted with caution. Studies of larger cohorts are needed to clarify the risk of these cancers among sewage workers.