1,038 results
Search Results
2. Dust Exposures in Swedish Soft Tissue Paper Mills
- Author
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Kjell Torén, Gerd Sallsten, Richard L. Neitzel, Eva Andersson, Marianne Andersson, and Susanna Lohman
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Sweden ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Dust ,Air Pollutants, Occupational ,complex mixtures ,Work environment ,Occupational safety and health ,Adverse health effect ,Occupational Exposure ,Environmental health ,Humans ,Environmental science ,Mill ,Dust exposure ,Regulatory agency ,Environmental Monitoring ,Paper dust ,Exposure assessment - Abstract
Objectives Paper dust has previously been linked to adverse health effects. However, a comprehensive dataset of paper dust exposures does not appear to have been published previously. Our study was intended to address this need by describing a large dataset of measurements made in Swedish soft tissue paper mills. Methods We compiled personal and area total dust exposure measurements collected from a range of operations by our research staff at four soft tissue paper mills in Sweden. We also compiled measurements made by the occupational health staff at each mill and the Swedish Work Environment Authority. We analyzed these measurements to describe patterns and trends in exposures and used mixed-effects regression models to identify measurement characteristics that predicted exposure levels. Results We compiled 1578 measurements from 1971 to 2009, of which 1026 (65%) were personal samples. Statistically significant differences were found between measurements made by research, mill, and Swedish Work Environment Authority staff, as well as between personal and area measurements. The measurement data suggest that, beginning in the 1980s, exposures declined at three of the four mills, but that overexposures were still common at the end of the period. Papermaking and converting operations had the highest observed dust exposures. One mill had significantly lower exposures than the others. Type of measurement (personal versus area) and source of measurement (research staff, company, or regulatory agency) were not significant predictors of measured total dust exposure after controlling for mill, operation, and time. Conclusions Our analysis of measured paper dust exposures may be useful for historical and contemporary exposure assessment in our own and other epidemiological studies. We have identified specific characteristics (i.e. papermaking operations and mill) and time trends that are important data features to consider, and documented continuing overexposure situations. Our results highlight the ongoing need for application of exposure controls to reduce paper dust exposures in the soft tissue paper industry.
- Published
- 2021
3. Lung function and paper dust exposure among workers in a soft tissue paper mill
- Author
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Susanna Lohman, Kjell Torén, Gerd Sallsten, Richard L. Neitzel, and Eva Andersson
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Adult ,Lung Diseases ,Male ,Paper ,Spirometry ,Vital capacity ,Vital Capacity ,Cumulative Exposure ,Air Pollutants, Occupational ,law.invention ,FEV1/FVC ratio ,law ,Forced Expiratory Volume ,Occupational Exposure ,Environmental health ,medicine ,Humans ,COPD ,Lung Diseases, Obstructive ,Sweden ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,business.industry ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Dust ,Obstructive lung disease ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,Occupational ,Confidence interval ,respiratory tract diseases ,Organic dust ,Female ,Particulate Matter ,Original Article ,business ,Spirometer - Abstract
Purpose To study respiratory effects of exposure to soft paper dust exposure, a relationship that is rarely studied. Methods Soft tissue paper mill workers at a Swedish paper mill were investigated using a questionnaire and lung function and atopy screening. Spirometry without bronchodilation was performed with a dry wedge spirometer, and forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) were obtained and expressed as percent predicted. Exposure to soft paper dust was assessed from historical stationary and personal measurements of total dust, in addition to historical information about the work, department, and production. The impact of high exposure to soft paper dust (> 5 mg/m3) vs. lower exposure ≤ 5 mg/m3, as well as cumulative exposure, was analyzed using multiple linear regression models. Multivariate models were adjusted for smoking, atopy, gender, and body mass index. Results One hundred ninety-eight current workers (124 male and 74 female) were included. There were significant associations between both cumulative exposure and years of high exposure to soft paper dust and impaired lung function. Each year of high exposure to soft paper dust was associated with a 0.87% decrease in FEV1 [95% confidence interval (CI) − 1.39 to − 0.35] and decreased FVC (− 0.54%, 95% CI − 1.00 to − 0.08) compared to the lower exposed workers. Conclusions The present study shows that occupational exposure to soft paper dust (years exceeding 5 mg/m3 total dust) is associated with lung function impairment and increased prevalence of obstructive lung function impairment.
- Published
- 2019
4. Printing ink related chemicals, including synthetic phenolic antioxidants, organophosphite antioxidants, and photoinitiators, in printing paper products and implications for human exposure
- Author
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Scott A. Mabury and Runzeng Liu
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Food intake ,Printing ink ,Bisphenol A ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,010501 environmental sciences ,01 natural sciences ,Photoinitiators ,Antioxidants ,Organophosphite antioxidants ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Adverse health effect ,Humans ,Food science ,Synthetic phenolic antioxidants ,lcsh:Environmental sciences ,Volume concentration ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,General Environmental Science ,lcsh:GE1-350 ,Paperboard ,Chemistry ,Dust ,Butylated Hydroxytoluene ,Human exposure ,3. Good health ,Food packaging ,visual_art ,Printing paper products ,Printing, Three-Dimensional ,visual_art.visual_art_medium ,Ink - Abstract
Although synthetic antioxidants (AOs) and photoinitiators (PIs) are known to be used in printing inks, there are little data on residual concentrations in printing paper products. In the present study, twenty-five PIs, ten AOs, and six transformation products were analyzed in two types of printing paper products, magazines and paperboard food packaging materials, both of which are unavoidable everyday products in our life. Nine AOs and six transformation products can be detected in food packaging materials with total concentrations (geometric mean, GM) of 1.16 × 104 ng/dm2. Twenty-two PIs were detected in food packaging materials with total concentrations (GM) of 1.76 × 104 ng/dm2. These chemicals were also detected in magazines, albeit at low concentrations (GM of AOs: 466 ng/dm2, GM of PIs: 1.17 × 103 ng/dm2). Magazine front covers were found to have much higher concentrations of the target compounds than magazine inside pages. Tris(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl) phosphate (AO168O), 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT), bisphenol A (BPA), and benzophenone (BP) were among the predominant chemicals in those printing paper products. Preliminary calculations suggest that dermal exposure to AOs (GM: 6.25 ng/day) and PIs (GM: 17.0 ng/day) via contact with printing paper products is a minor exposure pathway compared to food intake/dust ingestion and is exceedingly unlikely to cause adverse health effects.
- Published
- 2020
5. Occupational exposure to soft paper dust and mortality
- Author
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Kjell, Torén, Richard, Neitzel, Gerd, Sallsten, and Eva, Andersson
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Adult ,Male ,Paper ,Sweden ,organic dusts ,Dust ,Asthma ,respiratory tract diseases ,Cohort Studies ,Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ,Manufacturing and Industrial Facilities ,Occupational Exposure ,Humans ,Female ,Longitudinal Studies ,Workplace - Abstract
Objectives Occupational exposure to soft paper dust is associated with impaired lung function. Whether there is an increased risk for asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is unclear. Methods We studied 7870 workers from three Swedish soft paper mills, and defined high-exposed workers, as having been exposed to soft paper dust exceeding 5 mg/m3 for at least 5 years. The remaining workers were classified as ‘low exposed’. Person-years at risk were calculated and stratified according to gender, age and calendar-year. The follow-up time was from 1960 to 2013. The expected numbers of deaths were calculated using the Swedish population as reference and standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) with 95% CIs were assessed. Results There was an increased mortality due to obstructive lung disease (asthma and COPD), among high-exposed workers, SMR 1.89, 95% CI 1.20 to 2.83, based on 23 observed cases. High-exposed workers had an increased mortality from asthma, SMR 4.13, 95% CI 1.78 to 8.14, based on eight observed cases. The increased asthma mortality was also observed among high-exposed men, SMR 4.38, 95% CI 1.42 to 10.2, based on five observed cases. The asthma mortality among low-exposed workers, both men and women, was not increased. The COPD mortality was not clearly increased among high-exposed workers (SMR 1.52, 95% CI 0.85 to 2.50). Conclusion High occupational exposure to soft paper dust increases the mortality due to asthma, and the results suggest that soft paper dust levels in workplaces should be below 5 mg/m3.
- Published
- 2019
6. A semi-quantitative job exposure matrix for dust exposures in Swedish soft tissue paper mills
- Author
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Susanna Lohman, Eva Andersson, Richard L. Neitzel, Gerd Sallsten, Kjell Torén, and Marianne Andersson
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Paper ,Sweden ,business.industry ,Job-exposure matrix ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Dust ,Air Pollutants, Occupational ,complex mixtures ,Environmental health ,Occupational Exposure ,Cohort ,Manufacturing Industry ,Medicine ,Humans ,Dust exposure ,Occupational exposure ,Exposure control ,business ,Semi quantitative ,Exposure assessment ,Paper dust ,Environmental Monitoring - Abstract
Background Total paper dust exposure has been associated with respiratory problems among workers in the soft tissue paper industry. However, a comprehensive job exposure matrix (JEM) has not been developed for application to this industry. Our study was intended to address this need and to support further studies of mortality and morbidity in a cohort of Swedish workers from this industry. Methods We evaluated four participating soft tissue paper mills in Sweden. We combined information on process and equipment status from the mills with knowledge of the mills obtained through research efforts and paper dust measurements made at all four mills to develop a semi-quantitative JEM with seven dust exposure levels. The JEM was targeted at workers enrolled into a soft tissue paper mill cohort and working any time between 1960 and 2009. Results The JEM includes a total of 14 421 cells, with each cell corresponding to the exposure for a job title, department, or work location for a one-year period. Exposure levels in the JEM were estimated to decline at three of the four mills from 1971 to 2009, but overexposures (ie, exceedances of the relevant occupational exposure limits) remained common at the end of the period. Conclusions The JEM results highlight the need for ongoing exposure control efforts in the soft tissue paper industry, and will inform ongoing epidemiological studies of the health effects of exposure to paper dust in Sweden. It is freely available for use by other researchers.
- Published
- 2019
7. Valorisation of residual iron dust as Fenton catalyst for pulp and paper wastewater treatment
- Author
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João Peres Ribeiro, Luana Sarinho, Márcia C. Neves, and Maria Isabel Nunes
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Heterogeneous catalysis ,Operating cost ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,AOX ,Iron ,Dust ,General Medicine ,Pulp bleaching wastewater ,Hydrogen Peroxide ,COD ,Wastewater ,Toxicology ,Pollution ,Waste Disposal, Fluid ,Colour ,Water Purification ,Oxidation-Reduction ,Water Pollutants, Chemical - Abstract
In this work, the performance of residual iron dust (RID) from metallurgic industry was assessed as Fenton catalyst for the treatment of real pulp bleaching wastewater. The focus was on the removal of recalcitrant pollutants AOX (adsorbable organic halides), by a novel, cleaner, and cost-effective circular solution based on a waste-derived catalyst. The behaviour of RID as iron source was firstly assessed by performing leaching tests at different RID:wastewater w/v ratios and contact time. Afterwards, RID-catalysed homogeneous and heterogeneous Fenton processes were conducted to maximise AOX removal from the pulp bleaching wastewater. Reusability of RID was assessed by a simple collect-and-reuse methodology, without any modification. Similar AOX removal under less consumption of chemicals was achieved with the novel heterogeneous Fenton process. Reaction in the bulk solution was the main pathway of AOX removal, given that the low surface area and porosity of the material did not allow for a high contribution of surface reaction to the overall performance. Moreover, AOX removal was similar over two consecutive treatment cycles, with Fenton process being responsible for 56.7-62.1% removal of AOX from the wastewater, and the leaching step adding 11.4-13.2%. At the end of treatment, COD either decreased (1st cycle) or remained unchanged (2nd and 3rd cycle). The operating cost of the optimised heterogeneous Fenton was 3-11% lower than under conventional Fenton process. This work presented a novel, circular solution based on a low-cost waste-derived catalyst, advancing the knowledge needed to foster industrial application of such technologies to increase industrial environmental performance and efficiency. published
- Published
- 2022
8. Portable paper-based colorimetric nanoprobe for the detection of Stachybotrys chartarum using peptide labeled magnetic nanoparticles
- Author
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Ghadeer A. R. Y. Suaifan and Mohammed Zourob
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Paper ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Stachybotrys chartarum ,Nanoprobe ,Peptide ,Aspergillus flavus ,02 engineering and technology ,Proof of Concept Study ,01 natural sciences ,Analytical Chemistry ,Fungal Proteins ,Stachybotrys ,Limit of Detection ,Environmental Microbiology ,medicine ,Magnetite Nanoparticles ,Soil Microbiology ,Detection limit ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,Protease ,Chromatography ,biology ,Chemistry ,fungi ,010401 analytical chemistry ,Substrate (chemistry) ,Dust ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,biology.organism_classification ,0104 chemical sciences ,Magnetic nanoparticles ,Colorimetry ,Gold ,Peptides ,0210 nano-technology ,Biomarkers ,Peptide Hydrolases - Abstract
A colorimetric assay is presented for the detection of Stachybotrys chartarum proteases as biomarkers. The assay comprises a gold film acting as solid support and carrying an immobilized peptide substrate that is specific for S. chartarum protease. The substrate was conjugated to black magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) to form a monolayer on the gold film. Hence, detection nanoprobe is black. If, however, the peptide-MNP fragments are cleaved by S. chartarum proteases present in a sample, the golden color of the detecting nanoprobe becomes apparent so that positive visual readout is enabled. The method was applied to the determination of S. chartarum in (spiked) environmental samples. The limit of detection ranges from 10 to 100 spores·mL−1 depending on the kind of sample (culture, dust, mold and soil). Assay specificity was examined for Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium solani. Penicillin chrysogenum, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and negative readouts were observed visually for all samples, except for those also containing S. chartarum.
- Published
- 2019
9. Portable Colorimetric Paper-Based Biosensing Device for the Assessment of Bisphenol A in Indoor Dust
- Author
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Silvana Andreescu, Alan Rossner, and Ramiz S. J. Alkasir
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Paper ,endocrine system ,Bisphenol A ,Chromatography, Gas ,Color ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Phenols ,Limit of Detection ,Humans ,Environmental Chemistry ,Benzhydryl Compounds ,Colorimetry ,Exposure assessment ,Detection limit ,Chromatography ,urogenital system ,Reproducibility of Results ,Dust ,Environmental Exposure ,Equipment Design ,General Chemistry ,Paper based ,Environmental exposure ,chemistry ,Air Pollution, Indoor ,Environmental chemistry ,Calibration ,Environmental science ,Sample collection ,Biosensor ,hormones, hormone substitutes, and hormone antagonists - Abstract
Bisphenol A (BPA) is found in polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins and is used in a variety of commercial and consumer products. The leaching of BPA can result in human exposure via inhalation, ingestion, and dermal routes. As a result, humans have been exposed in their home and work environment to BPA. Conventional methods for BPA exposure assessment rely on cumbersome laboratory instrumentation with high capital and operational expenditures which limit the number of samples that can be analyzed. We report here the design of a compact portable colorimetric paper-based biosensing device with integrated sampling/analysis units for field-based measurements of BPA in indoor dust. The system employs interchangeable low-cost paper-based enzyme sensors as a test zone for BPA detection interfaced with an air-sampling cassette as a sample collection area. The sensor response was concentration-dependent with a detection limit of 0.28 μg/g. The sensor was validated with the conventional gas chromatography method and used to detect BPA exposure in household dust. BPA concentrations ranged from 0.05 to 3.87 μg/g in 57 household dust samples when both methods were used. The potential of this method for field measurements of dust samples is discussed.
- Published
- 2015
10. Lung Function Among Workers in the Soft Tissue Paper-Producing Industry
- Author
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Annette Pfahlberg, Petra Zöbelein, Olaf Gefeller, Hans Jürgen Raithel, and Thomas Kraus
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Adult ,Lung Diseases ,Male ,Paper ,Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine ,Spirometry ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Vital Capacity ,Cumulative Exposure ,Air Pollutants, Occupational ,Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine ,Logistic regression ,Risk Assessment ,Severity of Illness Index ,Pulmonary function testing ,Cohort Studies ,FEV1/FVC ratio ,Animal science ,Predictive Value of Tests ,Reference Values ,Forced Expiratory Volume ,Occupational Exposure ,Linear regression ,medicine ,Humans ,Industry ,Probability ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,business.industry ,Confounding ,Dust ,Middle Aged ,respiratory system ,Respiration Disorders ,Respiratory Function Tests ,respiratory tract diseases ,Surgery ,Occupational Diseases ,Case-Control Studies ,Female ,Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine ,business ,Body mass index ,Environmental Monitoring ,circulatory and respiratory physiology - Abstract
Objectives To describe lung function in correlation with information on exposure to dust and fibers in soft tissue paper-producing factories in Germany. Methods Ambient monitoring was performed for inhalable, respirable dust and fibers in nine soft tissue paper-producing factories. In a study group of 1,047 workers (189 control subjects, 240 workers with moderate exposure, and 618 workers with high exposure), spirometry (FVC, FEV 1 ) was performed. Information on occupational history, duration of exposure, workshop within the company, former occupational exposures, and smoking habits were collected. By employing multiple linear regression modeling, the potentially confounding effects of age, sex, body mass index, smoking habits, and factory were incorporated into the analysis of FVC, FEV 1 , and FEV 1 in percent of FVC (FEV 1 %FVC). By employing a logistic regression model, odds ratios were calculated for FVC Results The mean concentrations for inhalable, respirable, and fibrous dusts were 12.4 mg/m 3 , 0.28 mg/m 3 , and 420,000 fibers per cubic meter. With relation to cumulative dust and fiber exposure, a decrease of FVC from 105.4% predicted to 96.9% predicted (dust) and 97.1% predicted (fibers) in the subgroup with highest cumulative exposure was observed. For FEV 1 , a decrease from 107.3% predicted to 103.0% predicted (dust) and 102.8% predicted (fibers) was found. The parameter estimates show dose-response relationships that are more pronounced for FVC compared to FEV 1 . FEV 1 %FVC did not change significantly with increasing cumulative exposure, indicating a restrictive pattern of the findings. Conclusions Due to high ambient dust concentrations and the observed adverse effects on lung function, a reduction of dust exposure and secondary preventive measures is advised.
- Published
- 2004
11. Nasal symptoms among workers exposed to soft paper dust
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Johan Hellgren, Stig Hagberg, Kjell Torén, Eriksson C, Anna-Carin Olin, and G. Karlsson
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Adult ,Male ,Paper ,Spirometry ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Visual analogue scale ,Population ,Occupational medicine ,Acoustic rhinometry ,Occupational Exposure ,Odds Ratio ,Prevalence ,otorhinolaryngologic diseases ,medicine ,Humans ,education ,Rhinitis ,Sweden ,education.field_of_study ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,business.industry ,Interleukin-8 ,Smoking ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Dust ,Odds ratio ,Middle Aged ,respiratory system ,Surgery ,Case-Control Studies ,Anesthesia ,Peak Nasal Inspiratory Flow ,Nasal Lavage ,Female ,business - Abstract
Objectives: To clarify whether occupational exposure to paper-dust is associated with an increased risk of non-infectious rhinitis. Methods: Thirty-seven workers exposed to paper-dust in a soft-paper mill were compared with 36 unexposed controls. The study was performed under normal working conditions during the non-pollen season. Medical and occupational history was taken down in a comprehensive questionnaire and nasal symptoms were scored on a visual analogue scale (VAS). Pulmonary and nasal function was assessed by spirometry, acoustic rhinometry and peak nasal inspiratory flow. Nasal lavage was analysed for interleukin-8 (IL-8) and nasal transit time was monitored with the saccharine test. Concentrations of inhalable dust for each exposed subject during the day of the clinical study were measured with personal sampling devices. Results: There was an increased prevalence of nasal blockage and crust formation among the exposed workers. However, there was no difference with regard to acoustic rhinometry, nasal transit time or nasal peak inspiratory flow. In the whole population, IL-8 in nasal lavage was higher among men than among women, 193 ng/l vs 132 ng/l, P=0.006. There was also a positive trend (P=0.01) with increasing nasal IL-8 going from non-smokers (122 ng/l), ex-smokers (126 ng/l) to current smokers (235 ng/l). Conclusions: We have found that occupational exposure to paper-dust is associated with symptoms of nasal blockage and nasal crusting. We find no objective signs of nasal inflammation, even among the subgroup with the highest current exposure.
- Published
- 2001
12. Nested case-control study of lung cancer among pulp and paper workers in relation to exposure to dusts
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Wiełsaw Szymczak and Irena Szadkowska-Stańczyk
- Subjects
Male ,Paper ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Lung Neoplasms ,Air Pollutants, Occupational ,Occupational medicine ,Occupational Exposure ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,Environmental health ,Epidemiology ,Odds Ratio ,Humans ,Medicine ,Lung cancer ,business.industry ,Smoking ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Case-control study ,Dust ,Odds ratio ,Silicon Dioxide ,medicine.disease ,Wood ,Surgery ,Occupational Diseases ,Logistic Models ,Standardized mortality ratio ,Case-Control Studies ,Multivariate Analysis ,Nested case-control study ,Cohort ,Female ,business - Abstract
Background Numerous studies have indicated an increased risk of lung cancer in pulp and paper industry workers. In a 1990 survey, standardized mortality ratio (SMR) was found to be 122 (95% CI:96–153) for lung cancer in Polish male workers in the pulp and paper industry, and 166 (95% CI:95–270) among workers engaged in paper production. Methods A nested case-control design within a cohort of pulp and paper workers was applied. Seventy-nine lung cancer cases and 237 “healthy” controls were selected from the cohort of 10,460 workers employed during the years 1968–1990, and observed until the end of 1995. Based on personnel files, occupational exposure was reconstructed by experts. Using a questionnaire, data on smoking habits were collected. ORs unadjusted and adjusted for smoking were calculated applying the model of conditional logistic regression. Results Occupational exposure to inorganic dusts (kaolin, lime, cement, brick, grindstone) adjusted for smoking was a significant lung cancer risk factor, with a 4.0-fold risk (95% CI:1.3–12.6), and a dose-response by cumulative dose index. Among organic dusts only wood dust increased albeit insignificantly the risk for those exposed (adjusted for smoking OR = 2.1, 95% CI:0.9–4.9), but without dose-response relationship. Conclusions Exposure to occupational dust with relatively low content of silica, but at high concentrations may be considered as a factor increasing lung cancer risk. However, the observation made in this study should be viewed with caution as it was based on a small number of cases, and further evidence is needed to confirm or refute the authors' hypothesis. Am. J. Ind. Med. 39:547–556, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
- Published
- 2001
13. Respiratory Function and Immunological Status in Paper-Recycling Workers
- Author
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Z Ebling, Josipa Kern, Jadranka Mustajbegović, Schachter En, Jelena Macan, Bozica Kanceljak, and Eugenija Zuskin
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Adult ,Male ,Paper ,Conservation of Natural Resources ,Vital capacity ,Chronic bronchitis ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Croatia ,Respiratory Tract Diseases ,Air Pollutants, Occupational ,FEV1/FVC ratio ,Internal medicine ,Karelia air-pollution. Malodorous sulfur-compounds. Lung-function. Pulmonary-function. Mill workers. Occupational asthma. New-hampshire. Pulp-mills. Dust. Mortality ,Humans ,Medicine ,Respiratory function ,Respiratory system ,Aged ,business.industry ,Smoking ,Respiratory disease ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Dust ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,respiratory tract diseases ,Surgery ,Occupational Diseases ,Chronic cough ,Dyspnea ,Chronic Disease ,Respiratory Physiological Phenomena ,medicine.symptom ,business ,Occupational asthma - Abstract
Karelia air-pollution. Malodorous sulfur-compounds. Lung-function. Pulmonary-function. Mill workers. Occupational asthma. New-hampshire. Pulp-mills. Dust. Mortality. The respiratory function and Immunological status of workers employed in the paper recycling industry were studied. The mean age of the 101 studied workers was 41 years, and the mean duration of their exposure was 17 years. A group of 87 unexposed workers of similar age, duration of employment, and smoking history was studied for the prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms. Lung function in the paper workers was measured by recording maximum expiratory flow volume (MEFV) curves and recording forced vital capacity (FVC), 1-second forced expiratory volume (FEV1), and maximum expiratory flow rates at 50% and the last 25 % of the FVC (FEF50, FEF25). Immunological studies were performed in all 101 paper workers and in 37 control workers (volunteers). These included skin-prick tests with paper-dust extracts and other nonoccupational allergens, as well as the measurement of total serum immunoglobulin E. Significantly higher prevalences of all chronic respiratory symptoms were found in paper compared with control workers (P < 0.01). The highest prevalences were found for chronic cough (36.6%), chronic phlegm (34.7%), chronic bronchitis (33.7%), sinusitis (31.7%), and dyspnea (18.8%). Occupational asthma was diagnosed in four(4.0%) of the paper workers. A logistic regression analysis performed on chronic respiratory symptoms of paper workers indicated significant effects of smoking and exposure, with the smoking effect bring the most important. Multivariate analysis of lung-function parameters indicate significant effects of exposure. For paper workers, the measured FEF50 and FEF25 were significantly decreased, compared with predicted values, suggesting obstructive changes located primarily in smaller airways. Among 101 tested paper workers, 16 (15.8%) had positive shin-prick tests to at least one of the paper extracts ; none of the control workers reacted to these extracts. increased serum IgE levels were found in 21% of the paper workers and in 5 % of control workers (P < 0.05). Paper workers with positive skin-prick tests to any of the paper and/or other tested extracts had higher prevalences of chronic respiratory symptoms and lower measured lung-function tests compared with predicted than did those with negative skin-prick tests, but the differences were not statistically significant. The measured concentrations of total and respirable dust in this industry were higher than those recommended by Croatian standards. Our study suggests that work in the paper-recycling industry is associated with respiratory impairment and that sensitive workers employed in this industry may be at particular risk of developing chronic respiratory abnormalities
- Published
- 1998
14. Authors' response (April 30, 2018) to the letter to the editor concerning the paper 'Histological findings and lung dust analysis as the basis for occupational disease compensation in asbestos-related lung cancer in Germany'
- Author
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Inke Feder, Anja Theile, and Andrea Tannapfel
- Subjects
lung dust analysis ,Lung Neoplasms ,asbestos bodies ,lcsh:R ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,lcsh:Medicine ,Asbestos ,Dust ,General Medicine ,compensation ,Occupational Diseases ,lung cancer ,Germany ,occupational disease ,Humans ,lung fiber burden - Published
- 2018
15. Letter to the Editor (April 4, 2018) concerning the paper 'Histological findings and lung dust analysis as the basis for occupational disease compensation in asbestos-related lung cancer in Germany'
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Philip Landrigan, Richard Lemen, and on behalf of the Collegium Ramazzini
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medicine.medical_specialty ,lung biopsy ,Letter to the editor ,Lung Neoplasms ,Occupational disease ,lcsh:Medicine ,Lung biopsy ,medicine.disease_cause ,Asbestos ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,asbestos fiber levels ,Germany ,Chrysotile ,medicine ,Humans ,Lung cancer ,Lung ,business.industry ,asbestos bodies ,lcsh:R ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Dust ,occupational exposure ,General Medicine ,medicine.disease ,chrysotile asbestos ,030210 environmental & occupational health ,Dermatology ,Occupational Diseases ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,undercounting of disease ,Occupational exposure ,business - Published
- 2018
16. Effects of Recycled Paper Dust Extracts on Isolated Guinea Pig Trachea
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Satindra Goswami, A. E. Wan, Paul D. Siegel, Saul Maayani, Schachter En, Mike Whitmer, Rienzi N, Jadranka Mustajbegović, Eugenija Zuskin, and Vincent Castranova
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Atropine ,Male ,Paper ,Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine ,Conservation of Natural Resources ,Bronchoconstriction ,Guinea Pigs ,Neuropeptide ,Pharmacology ,Calcium in biology ,Guinea pig ,Parasympathetic nervous system ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Gallic Acid ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors ,Bronchitis ,Pyrilamine ,Bronchial Spasm ,Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ,Dust ,Muscle, Smooth ,Calcium Channel Blockers ,Bronchodilator Agents ,Trachea ,Nordihydroguaiaretic acid ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,chemistry ,Capsaicin ,Anesthesia ,Histamine H1 Antagonists ,Cholinergic ,medicine.drug - Abstract
The effect of paper dust collected at two different locations in a paper recycling plant (PD1 and PD2) on isolated nonsensitized guinea pig tracheal smooth muscle was studied in vitro. Dust extracts were prepared as a 1:10 w/v aqueous solution. Dose-related contractions of guinea pig tracheal rings were elicited with both PD1 and PD2. Pharmacologic studies were performed with atropine (10(-6) M), indometacin (10(-6) M), pyrilamine (10(-6) M), LY171883 (10(-5) M), nordihydroguaiaretic acid (10(-5) M), and TMB8 (10(-5) M). The possible role of endogenous neuropeptides in this constrictor process was studied by depleting neural mediators with capsaicin (5 x 10(-6) M) before challenge with dust extracts. Constrictor effects were partially inhibited by a wide variety of the mediator blocking agents. The effects of both extracts were almost totally inhibited by the anticholinergic agent atropine, suggesting that a principal pathway mediating this response may involve the parasympathetic nervous system. The intracellular calcium-blocking agent TMB8 also induced a reduction of the contractile responses to PD1 and PD2 consistent with the well established role of intracellular calcium in smooth muscle constriction. Pretreatment with capsaicin significantly increased the contractile activity of paper dust extracts but only at the higher doses of these extracts. This suggests that the effect of paper dust is not initiated by the release of mediators stored in sensory nerves but that the prerelease of these mediators may enhance the constrictor effects of these dusts. We suggest that paper dust extracts cause dose-related airway smooth muscle constriction possibly associated with the release of cholinergic as well as other mediators. The constrictor effect does not require tissue presensitization or the release of neuropeptides from sensory nerves.
- Published
- 1998
17. Respiratory health effects and exposure to superabsorbent polymer and paper dust - an epidemiological study
- Author
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Kjell Torén, Mathias Holm, and Anna Dahlman-Höglund
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,Paper ,Pore size ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Veterinary medicine ,Polymers ,Respirable dust ,Toxicology ,Atopy ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,Epidemiology ,medicine ,Humans ,Industry ,Respiratory health ,Asthma ,Sweden ,business.industry ,lcsh:Public aspects of medicine ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Dust ,lcsh:RA1-1270 ,Middle Aged ,Respiration Disorders ,medicine.disease ,Occupational Diseases ,Epidemiologic Studies ,Superabsorbent polymer ,Female ,business ,Research Article ,Paper dust - Abstract
Background The primary aim of the present study was to investigate if exposure to dust from absorbent hygiene products containing superabsorbent polymer is related to symptoms from the airways and from the eyes. The secondary aim was to estimate the current exposure to superabsorbent polymer among production and maintenance workers in a plant producing hygiene products. Methods The cohort comprised 1043 workers of whom 689 were exposed to super absorbent polymer and 804 were exposed to paper dust (overlapping groups). There was 186 workers not exposed to either superabsorbent polymer or to paper dust They were investigated with a comprehensive questionnaire about exposure, asthma, rhinitis and symptoms from eyes and airways. The results were analyzed with logistic regression models adjusting for sex, age, atopy and smoking habits. An aerosol sampler equipped with a polytetrafluoroethylene filter with 1 μm pore size was used for personal samplings in order to measure inhalable dust and superabsorbent polymer. Results The prevalence of nasal crusts (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.01-2.0) and nose-bleeding (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.2-2.4) was increased among the paper dust exposed workers (adjusted for superabsorbent polymer exposure). There were no significant effects associated with exposure to superabsorbent polymer (adjusted for paper dust exposure). The average exposure to inhalable levels of total dust (paper dust) varied between 0.40 and 1.37 mg/m3. For superabsorbent polymer dust the average exposure varied between 0.02 and 0.81 mg/m3. Conclusions In conclusion, our study shows that workers manufacturing diapers in the hygiene industry have an increased prevalence of symptoms from the nose, especially nose-bleeding. There was no relation between exposure to superabsorbent polymer and symptoms from eyes, nose or respiratory tract, but exposure to paper dust was associated with nose-bleeding and nasal crusts. This group of workers had also a considerable exposure to superabsorbent polymer dust.
- Published
- 2011
18. [Hygienic features of working conditions and their impact on the health of women engaged in the present-day manufacture of paper wallpaper]
- Author
-
N N, Pichugina
- Subjects
Adult ,Occupational Diseases ,Paper ,Prevalence ,Humans ,Industry ,Women's Health ,Dust ,Female ,Hygiene ,Air Pollutants, Occupational ,Middle Aged ,Russia - Abstract
The purpose of the investigation was to comprehensively assess working conditions and their impact on the health of female workers engaged in the manufacture of present-day paper wallpaper. A complex of sanitary-and-hygienic, clinical-and-physiological, sociomedical, and statistical studies was used to tackle the tasks set in the investigation. Stage 1 made a sanitary-and-hygienic assessment of industrial factors (microclimate, noise, vibration, the content of toxicants and dust) in the workplaces of female workers from the papering shops using an Elita rolling automatic machine. The following stage analyzed morbidity among the workers and identified a number of functional parameters. A combination of poor factors characterizing their parameters and exceeding the sanitary standards influenced on the workers engaged in the manufacture of paper wallpaper. The leading harmful industrial factors are heating microclimate, production noise, and the working air level of harmful chemical substances in the working air. The production process under such microclimatic conditions causes the body's thermal changes characterized by the senses of total warm discomfort and the tension of thermoregulatory mechanisms, as confirmed by weighed mean skin temperature studies and decreased working capacity. The working conditions in the manufacture of wallpaper products are shown to result in an increase in female morbidity.
- Published
- 2011
19. Cohort mortality study of Swedish pulp and paper mill workers-nonmalignant diseases
- Author
-
Ing-Liss Bryngelsson, Kjell Torén, Anders Magnuson, Håkan Westberg, Gun Wingren, Eva Andersson, and Bodil Persson
- Subjects
Adult ,Lung Diseases ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Myocardial Infarction ,engineering.material ,Occupational medicine ,stomatognathic system ,Environmental health ,Occupational Exposure ,Epidemiology ,medicine ,Mill ,Humans ,Sulfites ,Mortality ,Occupations ,Aged ,Retrospective Studies ,Sweden ,business.industry ,Sulfates ,Pulp (paper) ,digestive, oral, and skin physiology ,technology, industry, and agriculture ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,food and beverages ,Retrospective cohort study ,Paper mill ,Dust ,Middle Aged ,Wood ,stomatognathic diseases ,Cohort ,Physical therapy ,engineering ,Female ,business ,Cohort study ,Follow-Up Studies - Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine mortality among pulp and paper mill workers according to the main mill pulping process, department, and gender, particular reference being given to diseases of the circulatory and respiratory systems.The cohort of 18 163 men and 2 291 women employed between 1939 and 1999 and with1 year of employment was followed for mortality from 1952 to 2001 (acute myocardial infarction from 1969). Standardized mortality ratios (SMR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated by comparing the observed number of deaths with the expected number for the entire Swedish population. Exposure was assessed from personnel files in the mills. Data from an exposure measurement database are also presented.There were 5898 deaths in the cohort. Total mortality had an SMR of 1.02 (95% CI 0.98-1.06) for the men in the sulfate mills and an SMR of 0.93 (95% CI 0.90-0.97) for the men in the sulfite mills. Mortality from acute myocardial infarction was increased among the men in both the sulfate and sulfite mills [SMR 1.22 (95% CI 1.12-1.32) and SMR 1.11 (95% CI 1.02-1.21), respectively] and by department in sulfate pulping (SMR 1.29, 95% CI 1.07-1.54), paper production (SMR 1.26, 95% CI 1.06-1.49), and maintenance (SMR 1.16, 95% CI 1.02-1.30). Mortality from cerebrovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and nonmalignant respiratory diseases was not increased.Death from acute myocardial infarction, but not cerebrovascular diseases, was increased in this cohort and was probably related to a combination of different occupational exposures (eg, dust, sulfur compounds, shift work, and noise).
- Published
- 2008
20. Ovarian cancer and occupational exposure among pulp and paper employees in Norway
- Author
-
Hilde, Langseth and Kristina, Kjaerheim
- Subjects
Ovarian Neoplasms ,Paper ,Norway ,Asbestos ,Dust ,Risk Factors ,Talc ,Case-Control Studies ,Occupational Exposure ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,Confidence Intervals ,Humans ,Female ,Epidemiologic Methods - Abstract
A cohort study of female pulp and paper workers in Norway has shown a significantly increased risk of ovarian cancer. Other than the involvement of hormonal and reproductive factors, little is known of the etiology of ovarian cancer. Asbestos and talc are two agents hypothesized to influence the development of the disease. The present study aimed to investigate the association between ovarian cancer and occupational exposure to asbestos, talc, and total dust among Norwegian pulp and paper workers.Forty-six cases of ovarian cancer, with four controls each, were included in the study. Occupational exposure was assessed by combining work histories from personnel files, questionnaire information about production processes, and exposure assessments from the mills. To obtain information about possible confounders, cases and controls were invited to participate in a personal interview.The odds ratio for asbestos exposure was 2.02, 95% confidence interval 0.72-5.66. For talc exposure, the odds ratio was 1.10, and for ever exposure to total dust, it was below 1.00. The risk estimates did not essentially differ after adjustment for possible confounding variables.The results do not confirm an association between exposure to asbestos, talc, and total dust and ovarian cancer among Norwegian pulp and paper workers. However, the odds ratio for asbestos exposure was doubled, and control for established nonoccupational risk factors did not change the estimate. Therefore, the possibility that exposure to substances in the work environment contributes to the elevated risk cannot be rejected.
- Published
- 2004
21. The control of allergens of dust mites and domestic pets: a position paper
- Author
-
Ashley Woodcock, F. Carswell, Jane Warner, E. B. Mitchell, Peter H. Howarth, Matthew J. Colloff, Jon G Ayres, T. G. Merrett, M. J. Walshaw, and Jill A. Warner
- Subjects
Adult ,Mites ,Tick Control ,business.industry ,Immunology ,Infant ,Dust ,Allergens ,Dust mites ,Toxicology ,Dogs ,Animals, Domestic ,Cats ,Hypersensitivity ,Animals ,Humans ,Immunology and Allergy ,Position paper ,Medicine ,Child ,business - Published
- 1992
22. Exposure to airborne Gram-negative bacteria, dust and endotoxin in paper factories
- Author
-
Zofia, Prazmo, Jacek, Dutkiewicz, Czesława, Skórska, Jolanta, Sitkowska, and Grazyna, Cholewa
- Subjects
Endotoxins ,Paper ,Air Pollution, Indoor ,Occupational Exposure ,Gram-Negative Bacteria ,Respiratory Tract Diseases ,Humans ,Industry ,Dust ,Poland ,Risk Assessment ,Environmental Monitoring - Abstract
Air samples for determination of the concentration of Gram-negative bacteria, dust and endotoxin were collected at 10 sites in 2 large pulp and paper mills (paper factories) located in northern Poland, of which one (plant "A") was an older type facility while the other (plant "B") was a modern, fully automated factory with an effective ventilatory system. In both factories paper was produced from wood chips derived mostly from Scots pine. The concentrations of Gram-negative bacteria in the air of examined factories were within a range of 11.0-310.0 cfu/m(3), being greatest in the old type factory "A" at the initial stages of production cycle comprising handling of chips and pulp production. The mean value for these sites (246.9 cfu/m(3)) was significantly greater (t-test, p0.01) compared to final stages of paper production in the same factory (mean 32.1 cfu/m(3)) and to corresponding stages of chip handling in the modern "B" factory (mean 94.4 cfu/m(3)). The values of the respirable fraction of airborne Gram-negative flora were at most sites within a range of 40.0-56.9%. The species of the family Enterobacteriaceacae, mostly belonging to the genera Enterobacter, Pantoea, Rahnella and Klebsiella, distinctly prevailed in the air of the examined factories. Altogether, 19 species or genera of Gram-negative bacteria were identified in the collected air samples, out of these 9 were reported as having allergenic, immunotoxic and/or infectious properties. The concentration of dust in the air of paper factories ranged from 0.13-3.9 mg/m(3) and never exceeded the safe level. The concentration of bacterial endotoxin in the air of paper factories varied within a fairly wide range of 0.0042-2.5 micro g/m(3). At 4 sites associated with initial chip handling and pulp production large concentrations of airborne endotoxin between 0.2-2.5 micro g/m(3) were found, significantly exceeding suggested safe levels. In conclusion, despite Gram-negative bacteria occur in the air of paper mills in relatively low concentrations which never exceeded the value of 1,000 cfu/m(3) proposed as safe level, they may exert adverse effects on exposed workers, as evidenced by high concentrations of airborne endotoxin and the presence of numerous potentially pathogenic species. Thus, these microorganisms pose a potential risk of respiratory disease for the workers of pulp and paper mills, in particular for those engaged in handling of wood chips and production of pulp.
- Published
- 2003
23. [Assessment of asbestos exposure, mortality study, and health intervention in workers formerly exposed to asbestos in a small factory making drying machines for textile finishing and the paper mill industry in Pistoia, Italy]
- Author
-
A, Fedi, B, Blagini, Antonella, Melosi, E, Marzuoli, M, Ancillotti, G, Gorini, Adele Seniori, Costantini, S, Silvestri, and A, Innocenti
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,Mesothelioma ,Paper ,Lung Neoplasms ,Manufactured Materials ,Asbestos, Serpentine ,Pleural Neoplasms ,Occupational Health Services ,Air Pollutants, Occupational ,Violence ,Cohort Studies ,Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ,X-Ray Diffraction ,Cause of Death ,Neoplasms ,Occupational Exposure ,Humans ,Workplace ,Aged ,Mineral Fibers ,Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ,Asbestos, Crocidolite ,Asbestos ,Dust ,Occupational Diseases ,Italy ,Cardiovascular Diseases ,Textile Industry ,Equipment Contamination ,Asbestos, Amosite ,Follow-Up Studies - Abstract
Three malignant pleural mesotheliomas occurred among workers of a small factory that manufactured drying machines for the textile and paper mill industries using asbestos cement (crocidolite, amosite and chrysotile) as insulating panels. The Occupational Medicine Unit of the Local Health Unit of Pistoia, Italy, carried out an intervention programme in the plant in order to 1) assess past asbestos exposure via analysis of the fibre content of samples from drying machines, and of dust samples collected in the factory. Information on the characteristics of occupational exposure was also collected; 2) investigate cancer mortality by means of a mortality study of the employees and, 3) carry out a health intervention programme in workers formally exposed to asbestos in the past.Samples from the drying machines and dust samples collected in the factory were analysed using X-ray diffractometric methods. Information on the characteristics of occupational exposure were collected by interviewing plant workers. Two-hundred and fifty employees who had worked in the factory between 1962 and 2000 were included in the mortality study. Follow-up was performed from 1962 to 2002. Health intervention in workers exposed to asbestos in the past involved general practitioners and occupational physicians (first level medical examinations); pneumologists and radiologists (second level medical examinations) of the local health unit.Asbestos fibres were found both in samples from drying machines and in dust samples collected in the factory. Interviews with workers showed that asbestos exposure varied considerably. The SMR for mesothelioma and lung cancer in 234 male workers were 37.0 (95%CI: 4.47-130.0), and 1.29 (95%CI: 0.26-3.78), respectively, based on mortality rates for Tuscany region. Sixty-two workers underwent first level medical examinations; 57 second level examinations. Chronic obstructive lung disease was found in 3 workers; restrictive lung disease was found in 3 employees, one of whom had pleural plaques.Further investigation is needed in order to identify unknown asbestos exposures in small metal engineering factories.
- Published
- 2005
24. Use of industrial waste for reduction of COD from paper mill effluent
- Author
-
C P, Das and L N, Patnaik
- Subjects
Diffusion ,Oxygen ,Paper ,Industrial Waste ,Dust ,Adsorption ,Incineration ,Environmental Pollution - Abstract
Batch experiments have been carried out to study the reduction of COD from pulp and paper mill effluent by blast furnace flue dust (BFD) and slag generated in steel plant and chrome alloy plants respectively. Reduction efficiencies which attain equilibrium after 8 hours, were observed to be more than 72% and 57% for the BFD and slag respectively. The adsorption processes for both adsorbents follow first order kinetics and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. Particle diffusion studies indicate that predominately adsorption of COD contributing components takes place rapidly by external mass transfer followed by intraparticle diffusion. Column experiments indicate that the reduction of COD decreases with increasing flow rate and decreasing bed height. The break through time and bed depth data show the applicability of BDST model.
- Published
- 2002
25. Airways inflammation among workers in a paper industry
- Author
-
J Thorn, Ragnar Rylander, and R Attefors
- Subjects
Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine ,Spirometry ,Adult ,Male ,Paper ,beta-Glucans ,Provocation test ,Occupational disease ,Atopy ,Ascomycota ,Occupational Exposure ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,medicine ,Humans ,Immunologic Factors ,Glucans ,Asthma ,Eosinophil cationic protein ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,business.industry ,Smoking ,Dust ,respiratory system ,medicine.disease ,Pulp and paper industry ,respiratory tract diseases ,Respiratory Function Tests ,Endotoxins ,Immunology ,Bronchoconstriction ,Methacholine ,Female ,Pneumoconiosis ,medicine.symptom ,business ,medicine.drug - Abstract
Exposure to organic dusts may cause airways inflammation in a large proportion of exposed persons. Most studies have relied on questionnaires and spirometry for diagnosis. To assess the possibility of determining the presence of inflammation using clinical diagnostic procedures, a study was undertaken among workers in a paper industry. Participants were 83 workers and 44 controls. Airborne endotoxin and (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan levels at the worksites were determined. The effects of this exposure were evaluated using a questionnaire, spirometry and measurements of airway responsiveness (methacholine) and levels of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), myeloperoxidase (MPO), and C-reactive protein (CRP) in serum. The workers had a decreased baseline forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and an increased airway responsiveness compared with controls. The concentrations of ECP and MPO were elevated compared with controls. There was a relation between exposure to endotoxin and (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan and airway responsiveness as well as ECP levels, when controlling for age, sex, smoking habits, atopy and asthma. The results suggest an increased prevalence of subjective respiratory symptoms, and an increased airway responsiveness among exposed workers. There was also a relationship between the serum concentration of eosinophil cationic protein and airway responsiveness. Taken together, the results suggest the presence of airways inflammation in the workers.
- Published
- 1999
26. [Characteristics of paper dust extract in vitro]
- Author
-
E, Zuskin, J, Mustajbegović, L, Borcić-Konjarek, and V, Decković-Vukres
- Subjects
Atropine ,Paper ,Trachea ,Conservation of Natural Resources ,Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ,Guinea Pigs ,Animals ,Parasympatholytics ,Dust ,Muscle, Smooth ,In Vitro Techniques ,Muscle Contraction - Abstract
The effects of recycling paper dust extract on isolated nonsensitized guinea pig tracheal smooth muscle were studied in vitro. Dust extract was prepared as a 1:10 w/v aqueous solution. Dose related contractions of guinea pig tracheal rings were elicited with paper dust extract. Pharmacologic studies were performed with atropine (10(-6) M), indomethacine (10(-6) M), pyrilamine (10(-6) M), Ly 171883 (10(-5) M), NDGA (10(-5) M) and TMB8 (10(-5) M). The effects of extract were almost totally inhibited by the anticholinergic agent atropine, suggesting that a principal pathway mediating this response may involve the parasympathetic nervous system. The intracellular calcium blocking agent TMB8 also induced a reduction of the contractile response to paper dust extract, which is consistent with intracellular calcium's well established role in smooth muscle constriction. We suggest that paper dust extract causes dose related airway smooth muscle constriction, possibly associated with the release of cholinergic as well as other mediators. The constrictor effect does not require tissue presensitization.
- Published
- 1999
27. Health effects of working in pulp and paper mills: exposure, obstructive airways diseases, hypersensitivity reactions, and cardiovascular diseases
- Author
-
Kjell Torén, Stig Hagberg, and Håkan Westberg
- Subjects
Paper ,Pathology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Allergy ,Physiology ,Air Pollutants, Occupational ,engineering.material ,Occupational medicine ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Risk Factors ,Occupational Exposure ,medicine ,Hypersensitivity ,Humans ,Industry ,Lung Diseases, Obstructive ,Respiratory system ,Asthma ,Chlorine dioxide ,business.industry ,Pulp (paper) ,Respiratory disease ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Dust ,medicine.disease ,Occupational Diseases ,chemistry ,Cardiovascular Diseases ,Toxicity ,engineering ,business - Abstract
Workers in the pulp and paper industry are exposed to different substances, such as hydrogen sulfide and other reduced sulfur compounds, chlorine, chlorine dioxide, sulfur dioxide, terpenes, and paper dust. The exposure level depends on the process, i.e., sulfite, sulfate, groundwood, bleachery, or paper production. Hitherto, exposures have been poorly described and more studies are certainly needed. Workers with repeated exposure peaks to chlorine, e.g., bleachery workers, seem to have an impaired lung function and an increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms. Exposure to high levels of paper dust, (> 5 mg/m3) causes impaired lung function. Therefore, exposure to respiratory irritants is an important, and probably overlooked, occupational risk among certain groups of pulp and paper workers. Some studies indicate that sulfate workers with high exposure to reduced sulfur compounds have an increased mortality due to ischemic heart disease. However, before any definite conclusions can be drawn, the impact of important confounders, such as shift-work and smoking habits have to be further evaluated.
- Published
- 1996
28. Industrial hygiene measurements in a new industry: the repulping and deinking of paper waste
- Author
-
B A, Rix and E, Lynge
- Subjects
Endotoxins ,Paper ,Conservation of Natural Resources ,Denmark ,Humans ,Dust ,Occupational Health - Abstract
Six Danish paper recycling plants were included in an assessment of exposure to chemicals. A questionnaire on processes was completed, and in-plant industrial hygiene measurement data collected 1982-1994 were examined. The assessment of chemicals did not reveal a major use of possible carcinogens, but acrylamide may have been released in the work environment in one plant. A total of 197 hygiene measurements were recorded: 126 in the largest plant. Airborne concentrations of dust, microorganisms, and endotoxins varied widely between plants. High concentrations of dust were recorded in the paper machine area in one plant and in the repulping unit in another plant. In general, endotoxin levels were low, but endotoxin levels were increased in one plant when reuse of process water was intensified. Changes in procedures should be assessed by industrial hygiene measurements.
- Published
- 1996
29. [Risk of death from malignant neoplasms among paper mill workers]
- Author
-
I, Szadkowska-Stańczyk, U, Wilczyńska, and W, Szymczak
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,Paper ,Brain Neoplasms ,Dust ,Air Pollutants, Occupational ,Middle Aged ,Risk Assessment ,Cohort Studies ,Occupational Diseases ,Survival Rate ,Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ,Cause of Death ,Neoplasms ,Epidemiological Monitoring ,Humans ,Female ,Poland ,Sex Distribution ,Environmental Monitoring - Abstract
A cohort study was designed to evaluate the risk of death from malignant neoplasms among pulp and paper workers. This paper presents the evaluation of death risk among workers engaged only in the production of paper, paperboard and paper products. The cohort study covered 1,322 males and 1,914 females employed for, at least, one year in a big pulp and paper mill during the period 1968-90. The study of exposure to harmful factors revealed that concentrations of paper and paperboard dusts in this mill exceeded hygienic standards. The analysis of death risk by causes and gender of those under study was based on standardized mortality rate (SMR) calculated using the method of person-year observation. The general population of Poland was used as reference. The results do not confirm excess mortality from lung, stomach and hematopoietic cancers in paper mill workers reported by other authors. However, an elevated risk of bladder cancer in males (SMR = 491, two deaths) and brain cancer in females (SMR = 353, two deaths) was observed. Both SMR values were not statistically significant. Because of small number of deaths, risk according to exposure and latency was not evaluated.
- Published
- 1996
30. Lung function and exposure to paper dust in bookbinders--a pilot study
- Author
-
Monica Dahlqvist
- Subjects
Spirometry ,Adult ,Lung Diseases ,Paper ,Percentile ,Pilot Projects ,Animal science ,Forced Expiratory Volume ,Occupational Exposure ,Medicine ,Humans ,Lung function ,Aged ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,business.industry ,Bookbinding ,Dust ,General Medicine ,Single breath ,Middle Aged ,Control subjects ,respiratory tract diseases ,Weak correlation ,Occupational Diseases ,Population study ,business ,Paper dust - Abstract
Lung function deterioration has been reported among workers exposed to heavy exposure to paper dust (greater than 5 mg/m3). This pilot study was undertaken in order to evaluate the health effects of low exposure to paper dust (less than or equal to 1 mg/m3) in bookbinders. The study population consisted of 20 exposed subjects and 18 local office subjects. They were studied during identical conditions by means of dynamic and static spirometry, single breath wash-out with nitrogen (N2) and carbon monoxide (CO). The 90th percentile for daily average values of total dust was 0.6 mg/m3. Non-smoking exposed subjects had on the average an increase in FEV% (forced expiratory volume in one second in percentage of vital capacity) when compared to non-smoking local control subjects. We found a weak correlation between the increase in FEV% and daily average values of total dust (probably reflecting a higher exposure in the past). The results suggest that a low exposure to paper dust in bookbinders with a time of employment more than 10 years might cause a slight lung function deterioration without a clinical relevance.
- Published
- 1992
31. Respiratory symptoms and asthma among workers exposed to paper dust: a cohort study
- Author
-
Kjell Torén, Gunnar Thiringer, Gerd Sallsten, and Bengt Järvholm
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,Paper ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Time Factors ,Cumulative Exposure ,Rate ratio ,Cohort Studies ,Sex Factors ,Environmental health ,Wheeze ,Occupational Exposure ,medicine ,Prevalence ,Humans ,Selection Bias ,Asthma ,Retrospective Studies ,business.industry ,Incidence ,Smoking ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Retrospective cohort study ,Dust ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,Respiration Disorders ,respiratory tract diseases ,Surgery ,Logistic Models ,Cohort ,Bronchitis ,Regression Analysis ,Female ,medicine.symptom ,business ,Cohort study - Abstract
The aim of the present cohort study was to investigate whether exposure to paper dust causes increased risk for respiratory symptoms or asthma. The cohort included all workers at a soft paper mill who had worked there for more than 1 year 1960-1986 (n = 1,697). Randomly selected inhabitants of the mill town (n = 781) were used as unexposed referents. Both groups were investigated using a postal questionnaire. From the paper mill cohort, workers with high cumulative exposure (n = 313), with medium cumulative exposure (n = 321), and with low cumulative exposure (n = 338) to paper dust were selected. In the 1960s and 1970s, the dust levels were between 5 and 10 mg/m3. After adjustment for smoking and gender, paper dust exposure resulted in elevated prevalence ratios for chronic cough, chronic phlegm, wheeze, and breathlessness. The prevalence ratios ranged from 1.3 to 2.5. No significantly increased risk of asthma was found among the exposed, incidence rate ratio 1.4 (95% confidence interval 0.93-1.8). Among the exposed, there was an insignificantly increasing incidence rate ratio, 1.0, 1.4, 2.1, with increasing cumulative exposure. In conclusion, an increased risk for respiratory symptoms was observed among workers exposed to paper dust, but the study does not permit any definite conclusions regarding asthma and paper dust exposure.
- Published
- 1994
32. [Evaluation of exposure to toxic factors occurring in the cellulose and paper industry]
- Author
-
I, Szadkowska-Stańczyk, T, Rogaczewska, W, Sobala, and K, Widerkiewicz
- Subjects
Paper ,Occupational Exposure ,Humans ,Dust ,Air Pollutants, Occupational ,Maximum Allowable Concentration ,Cellulose ,Hazardous Substances ,Environmental Monitoring - Abstract
The study covered the work environment of a big plant producing sulfate cellulose, paper and paperboard. Measurements of chemical substance concentrations, performed by a local plant laboratory during the years 1976-1991, were analysed with reference to production departments and particular workplaces. Out of 37 substances under study, 16 were found in the air of workplaces. Their concentrations exceeded periodically hygienic standards. The most frequent excess of TLV applied to such compounds as wood dust (including hard beechwood), non-organic dusts containing 2-50% of crystalline silica and below 2% of silica, welding fumes, furfuryl aldehyde, sulfur dioxide, phenol and hydrogen sulfide. A computer-aided registrer of hygienic data facilitated the follow-up of dynamics of exposure to toxic compounds of workers employed at given workplaces.
- Published
- 1995
33. [Risk of neoplasms among workers in the paper-cellulose industry]
- Author
-
I, Szadkowska-Stańczyk, N, Szeszenia-Dabrowska, and T, Rogaczewska
- Subjects
Occupational Diseases ,Paper ,Lung Neoplasms ,Risk Factors ,Stomach Neoplasms ,Humans ,Dust ,Air Pollutants, Occupational ,Cellulose ,Hodgkin Disease ,Finland ,United States - Abstract
The results of various epidemiological research indicate that workers in the pulp and paper industry have an increased risk of developing and dying of malignant cancer with a specific location. The paper discusses recent studies in the area. The findings point to an increased risk of stomach cancer in workers occupationally exposed to pulp produced in the sulfite process. Workers making paper and cardboard are especially at risk for lung cancer. Some researchers signal a higher risk of lymphatic system cancer and stoma cancer. On the basis of existing data on exposure in the pulp and paper industry, it is impossible to determine the exact effects of exposure to a given compound or chemical. Assessment of exposure at particular work areas and analysis of data using the job exposure matrix is necessary. This should provide more information about cancerogenic compounds in the pulp and paper industry.
- Published
- 1992
34. [Substantiation of maximum permissible concentration of nutrient yeasts obtained during utilization of waste products in cellulose-paper industry]
- Author
-
L M, Sosedova, K I, Kal'chenko, V A, Khomutova, and N M, Muratova
- Subjects
Paper ,Yeasts ,Guinea Pigs ,Air Microbiology ,Animals ,Dust ,Air Pollutants, Occupational ,Maximum Allowable Concentration ,Cellulose ,Rats - Abstract
The contributors used the sensibilization threshold to establish MACs for the dust of the fodder yeast produced as a result of pulp and paper waste products' recycling. The product belongs to the group of substances with low toxicity. It does not produce local irritation and exhibits sensibilization properties in case of both epi- and intracutaneous introduction. The sensibilization threshold in repeated introductions of protein-containing dusts was registered at 4.1 mg/m3. In industrial conditions, the fodder yeast concentrations at the level of about 4 mg/m3 caused increased morbidity with temporary disability.
- Published
- 1991
35. CHARACTERIZATION OF AIRBORNE DUST IN A SOFT PAPER MILL
- Author
-
Kjell Thorén, Gerd Sallsten, and Wubeshet Sahle
- Subjects
Paper ,Chemistry ,Scanning electron microscope ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Analytical chemistry ,Mineralogy ,Dust ,Air Pollutants, Occupational ,General Medicine ,engineering.material ,Talc ,Wollastonite ,Microscopy, Electron ,Electron diffraction ,Microscopy ,engineering ,medicine ,Humans ,Gravimetric analysis ,Kaolinite ,Particle size ,Particle Size ,Electron Probe Microanalysis ,medicine.drug - Abstract
The characteristics of airborne dust in a soft paper production plant have been characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. A combination of X-ray diffraction, electron diffraction and energy-dispersive X-ray flouresence spectroscopy (EDX) was used to determine the structure and composition of the different components. Size distribution determination and phase identification were carried out. Besides the cellulose fibres, fibres of kaolinite, wollastonite, talc and other silicates were also identified. Gravimetric analysis and fibre counting by optical phase contrast microscopy were used to determine total dust and fibre concentrations. Total dust exposure at the plant was generally below 3 mg m-3. The respirable fraction of the total dust concentrations varied from 15 to 70%. The inorganic dust was 36 +/- 15% of the total dust. The ratio of inorganic fibres to total fibre concentration at the plant varied between 10 and 15%.
- Published
- 1990
36. Filter paper spot sampling of air-borne solids
- Author
-
B D, TEBBENS
- Subjects
Air ,Humans ,Dust ,Filtration - Published
- 2010
37. Counting coin and paper currency: were reported health problems related to the work environment?
- Author
-
Max Kiefer and Lisa J. Delaney
- Subjects
Air Movements ,Inhalation Exposure ,Actuarial science ,Manufactured Materials ,business.industry ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Commerce ,Dust ,Work environment ,Health problems ,Currency ,Metals ,Air Pollution, Indoor ,Occupational Exposure ,Medicine ,Humans ,Recreation ,business - Published
- 2002
38. Elimination of bagassosis in Louisiana paper manufacturing plant workers
- Author
-
Samuel B. Lehrer, E. Turer, H. Weill, and J.E. Salvaggio
- Subjects
Male ,Paper ,Organic dust ,business.industry ,Plant management ,Immunology ,Dust ,Micromonosporaceae ,Paper mill ,Biology ,Louisiana ,medicine.disease ,Toxicology ,Bagassosis ,medicine ,Thermoactinomyces sacchari antigen ,Humans ,Industry ,Immunology and Allergy ,Pneumoconiosis ,Bagasse ,business ,Paper manufacturing - Abstract
Summary The prevalence of bagassosis was investigated in a Louisiana paper mill, which in the past had considerable numbers of workers with the disease. Based on negative clinical histories and the low number of positive serological reactions of the workers' serum with Thermoactinomyces sacchari antigen, it was concluded that bagassosis was no longer present. This was thought to be due to a different method of storage of bagasse, which retards microbial decay and reduces airborne organic dust, and to the increased awareness of plant management resulting in greater safety measures.
- Published
- 1978
39. Issues and controversy: the measurement of crystalline silica; review papers on analytical methods
- Author
-
William J. Miles
- Subjects
Materials science ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Mineralogy ,Dust ,Silicon Dioxide ,Cristobalite ,United States ,law.invention ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Qualitative analysis ,chemistry ,Chemical engineering ,Polymorphism (materials science) ,law ,Silicate minerals ,Occupational Exposure ,Crystallization ,Phosphoric acid ,Dissolution ,Quartz ,National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S ,Environmental Monitoring - Abstract
This article reviews the analytical methods for crystalline silica polymorphs and summarizes promising techniques for compliance with health-related regulations. X-ray diffraction analysis appears to be the most promising method of determining quartz and cristobalite content at this threshold in many bulk mineral and chemical systems. Other analytical techniques can be used in some mineral and chemical assemblages, but usually lack polymorph specificity or sensitivity. All analytical methods benefit from concentration techniques that do not alter crystalline properties of silicas. National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Analytical Method 7601 as written suffers from destruction of the mineral residue containing crystalline silica polymorphs after dissolution of many silicate minerals in phosphoric acid and may also include digestion-resistant silicate minerals, but it is a promising concentration method for other analytical methods such as NIOSH Analytical Method 7500 (X-ray diffraction).
- Published
- 1999
40. Mortality from asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among workers in a soft paper mill: a case-referent study
- Author
-
Kjell Thorén, U Morgan, and Bengt Järvholm
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,Paper ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Pediatrics ,Pulmonary disease ,complex mixtures ,Risk Factors ,Epidemiology ,medicine ,Mill ,Humans ,Industry ,Lung Diseases, Obstructive ,Asthma ,Aged ,Sweden ,business.industry ,Respiratory disease ,digestive, oral, and skin physiology ,Smoking ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,technology, industry, and agriculture ,food and beverages ,Paper mill ,Respiratory tract neoplasm ,Dust ,Odds ratio ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,Respiratory Tract Neoplasms ,respiratory tract diseases ,Occupational Diseases ,Physical therapy ,business ,Research Article - Abstract
In a case-referent study encompassing 33 cases and 228 referents the potential risk for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and respiratory cancer among workers in a soft paper mill was evaluated. The cases were selected from registers of deaths and burials in the parishes around the paper mill. Information on exposure was obtained from the personnel register of the mill but because of shortage of information the cases could only be classified as "exposed" or "non-exposed." At some places in the mill the concentrations of paper dust had previously been high, 10-30 mg/m3. Employment at the paper mill was found to be associated with an increased risk of bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (odds ratio = 3.8, p less than 0.05).
- Published
- 1989
41. Lung function and respiratory symptoms among workers in a soft paper mill
- Author
-
Kjell Thorén, Ulf Drake, Bengt Järvholm, Gerd Sallsten, Björn Bake, and Wubeshet Sahle
- Subjects
Spirometry ,Lung Diseases ,Paper ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Cross-sectional study ,Physiology ,medicine ,Humans ,Respiratory system ,Lung function ,Asthma ,Sweden ,Lung ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,business.industry ,Respiratory disease ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Dust ,medicine.disease ,respiratory tract diseases ,Surgery ,Occupational Diseases ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,business ,Paper dust - Abstract
The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to investigate whether long-term exposure to soft paper dust causes impairment of lung function. Exposed workers (n = 287) and referents (n = 79) were investigated, using spirometry and questionnaires. Personal samplings of total dust showed that the actual mean concentrations did not exceed 3 mg/m3. The exposed subjects were divided into three categories according to historical and present exposure to paper dust; low exposure, moderate exposure and high exposure. The study did not show any lung function impairment due to exposure to paper dust. However, the exposed subjects had a significantly increased prevalence of symptoms from both the upper and lower airways as well as an increased prevalence of reported asthma. On the basis of our study, we conclude that lung function impairment does not occur among workers exposed to mean levels of soft paper dust below 5 mg/m3.
- Published
- 1989
42. Lung function in workers exposed to soft paper dust
- Author
-
Ulf Morgan, Inger Brolin, Bengt Järvholm, Jens Ericsson, Ulf Tylen, Kjell Thorén, and Björn Bake
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,Paper ,Pathology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Air Pollutants, Occupational ,Gastroenterology ,Pulmonary function testing ,Elastic recoil ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Humans ,Lung volumes ,Lung ,business.industry ,Respiratory disease ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Dust ,respiratory system ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,respiratory tract diseases ,Respiratory Function Tests ,Radiography ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,Cough ,Toxicity ,business ,Respiratory tract ,Paper dust - Abstract
In a cross-sectional study, 13 nonsmoking men with heavy exposure to paper dust were compared with 14 unexposed men, mainly office workers, employed at the same paper mill. They were studied using questionnaires, physical examinations, pulmonary function studies, and chest radiographs. Among those exposed there was an increased lung elastic recoil pressure (Pel) compared with controls which was significant (p less than 0.05) at the maximal level of total lung capacity (100% TLC). Furthermore, among the exposed workers there was also a significantly (p less than 0.05) decreased residual volume (RV). Two of the exposed men underwent lung biopsies, one of which showed fibrotic alveolar walls. Among the exposed there was also a significant (p less than 0.05) predominance of symptoms from the lower respiratory tract. We suggest that the observed pulmonary function impairment taken together with the histological examination of the lung biopsies are signs of a nonspecific reaction to high levels of paper dust.
- Published
- 1988
43. Respiratory symptoms and lung function following exposure in workers exposed to soft paper tissue dust
- Author
-
Bengt Järvholm, Jens Ericsson, and Fredrik Norin
- Subjects
Spirometry ,Adult ,Male ,Paper ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Respiratory Tract Diseases ,Vital Capacity ,Physiology ,complex mixtures ,FEV1/FVC ratio ,Impaired respiratory function ,Forced Expiratory Volume ,Medicine ,Humans ,Respiratory system ,Bronchitis ,Lung function ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,business.industry ,Phlegm ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Dust ,respiratory tract diseases ,Surgery ,Occupational Diseases ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Work shift ,Female ,medicine.symptom ,business ,Respiratory tract - Abstract
The objective of this study was to investigate if the dust in a mill producing soft paper tissue caused respiratory symptoms or impaired respiratory function. Using a questionnaire and spirometry, 355 persons were examined. They were divided into three groups according to present exposure to dust; low (less than 1 mg/m3), moderate (1-5 mg/m3) and heavy (greater than 5 mg/m3). There was a dose-dependent increase of symptoms from the upper respiratory tract. However, coughing and coughing with phlegm were not found to be more common among persons with heavy exposure compared to those with low exposure to the dust. There was no difference in FEV1 or FVC during a work shift. Persons with long-term (greater than 10 years) and heavy exposure to dust seemed to have impaired respiratory function compared to those with low and/or short-term exposure to the dust.
- Published
- 1988
44. [Working conditions and the means for their sanitary improvement in the manufacture of capacitor and electrolyte papers]
- Author
-
A M, Garbuz and V V, Semenova
- Subjects
Paper ,Occupational Medicine ,Electricity ,Noise, Occupational ,Temperature ,Humans ,Dust ,Air Pollutants, Occupational ,Microclimate ,USSR - Published
- 1987
45. [Industrial hygiene problems in the pulp and paper industry]
- Author
-
Iu A, Maniashin and N M, Meshchakova
- Subjects
Paper ,Siberia ,Occupational Medicine ,Noise, Occupational ,Temperature ,Dust ,Air Pollutants, Occupational ,Microclimate - Published
- 1981
46. [Paper filters for purification of air from microorganisms and dust in ventilation]
- Author
-
A I, SHAFIR, P A, KOUZOV, and N M, PANSHINSKAIA
- Subjects
Paper ,Air Pollution ,Respiration ,Humans ,Dust ,Ventilation - Published
- 1953
47. [The determination of free SiO2 and total Si in atmospheric dusts using precipitation paper chromatography]
- Author
-
E, Malý
- Subjects
Silicon ,Chromatography, Paper ,Air Pollution ,Dust ,Silicon Dioxide - Published
- 1966
48. [Measures for dust control in paper industry]
- Author
-
A E, SHABALIN
- Subjects
Paper ,Humans ,Industry ,Dust ,Occupational Health - Published
- 1957
49. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculation stimulates the production of foliar secondary metabolites in Passiflora setacea DC
- Author
-
Fabio Silva, Eduarda Falcão, and Brena Muniz
- Subjects
Plant Leaves ,Passiflora ,Seedlings ,Mycorrhizae ,Media Technology ,Dust ,Microbiology ,Environmental Microbiology - Research Paper - Abstract
Passiflora setacea DC. growing is of interest to the herbal industries since in its leaves are produced secondary metabolites that confer antioxidant, anxiolytic, and antidepressant properties in Passiflora. Therefore, it is important to search for sustainable alternatives that aim to enhance the production of these compounds to add value to the phytomass, such as the inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and the application of coconut coir dust, which has not been reported to P. setacea yet. The aim was to select the efficient combination of AMF and coconut coir dust to increase the compounds’ production and optimize the antioxidant activity in P. setacea leaves. The P. setacea seedlings that were cultivated in substrates without coconut coir dust and colonized by Gigaspora albida N.C. Schenck & G.S. Sm. produced more total saponins (1,707.43%), total tannins (469.98%), and total phenols (85.81%), in comparison to the non-mycorrhizal plants, in addition to enhancing the glomalin-related soil proteins. On the other hand, in general, the use of coir dust as a substrate has not been shown to increase the production of these bioactive compounds. It is concluded that the production of P. setacea seedlings using G. albida is an alternative to offer phytomass to the herbal medicines industry based on passion fruit.
- Published
- 2022
50. Occupational risk resulting from exposure to mineral wool when installing insulation in buildings
- Author
-
Małgorzata Kupczewska-Dobecka, Sławomir Czerczak, and Katarzyna Konieczko
- Subjects
Occupational risk ,Mineral wool ,lcsh:Medicine ,Product Labeling ,fibers ,Risk Assessment ,health effects ,Adverse health effect ,Occupational Exposure ,Humans ,Health risk ,Workplace ,labeling ,Mineral Fibers ,Volatile Organic Compounds ,insulation ,Construction Materials ,Silicates ,lcsh:R ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,toxicity ,Dust ,General Medicine ,Calcium Compounds ,Pulp and paper industry ,mineral wool ,eye diseases ,Environmental science - Abstract
Mineral wool is widely used for thermal and sound insulation. The subject of the study is to identify hazards for employees resulting from exposure to mineral wool, when it is used to insulate buildings, and to assess the risk arising from this exposure. When installing mineral wool insulation, respirable mineral fibers, dust, and volatile organic compounds may pose a hazard at workplaces. Based on the results of concentration measurements, it was assessed that the probability of adverse health effects related to the work of insulation installers, resulting from exposure to mineral wool fibers, is low, but for dust associated with exposure, an average health risk was estimated. An additional threat may be the sensitizing effect of substances used as binders and additives improving the utility properties of mineral wool, for example, phenol formaldehyde resins. The paper also contains some information on the labeling of mineral wool; this is very important because the label allows downstream users to recognize mineral wools, the composition and properties of which cause that they are not classified as carcinogens. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2020;33(6):757-69.
- Published
- 2020
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