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Objectives This study, developed within the frame of the Partnership for European Research on Occupational Safety and Health joint research activities and based on the frame designed by the 2013 European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) study, is the first example of using the points of view of European occupational safety and health (OSH) researchers. The objective is to identify priorities for OSH research that may contribute to the achievement of present and future sustainable growth objectives set by the European strategies. Methods The study was carried out using a modified Delphi method with a two-round survey. Each round involved a panel of about 110 researchers representing the network member institutes was selected according to specific criteria, including the ownership of research expertise in at least one of the four macroareas identified by the reference report developed by EU-OSHA in 2013. Results The study identified some innovative research topics (for example, ‘Emerging technological devices’ and ‘OSH consequences of markets integration’) and research priorities (ie, crowdsourcing, e-work, zero-hours contract s ) that are not reflected in previous studies of this nature. The absence of any reference to violence and harassment at work among the researchers’ proposals is a major difference from previous similar studies, while topics related to gender issues and electromagnetic fields show a lower importance. Conclusions The innovative design of a research priorities identification process, which takes advantage of a large, representative and qualified panel of European researchers allowed the definition of a number of research priorities able to support the inclusion of innovative OSH research issues in the scope of the next European research agenda.

Background In the course of setting up the National Mesothelioma Surveillance Program (PNSM), established in France in 1998, the question arose as to the most suitable method of assessing occupational exposure. The aim of this study was to define the most suitable rating method for assessing occupational asbestos exposure in order to assess medico-social care. Method The study included 100 subjects—50 cases of mesothelioma and 50 controls—randomly selected and representing 457 jobs held. Job asbestos exposure was assessed by a six-expert panel using two methods: “by job” rating, where all the jobs in were assessed regardless of the subjects; and “by subject” rating, where all the jobs of a subject were assessed at the same time. Consensus was obtained and subjects' exposure was calculated for each rating. Then, two internal experts assessed job asbestos exposure with the “by subject” rating. Kappa coefficients were used to measure agreement between the ratings. Results Agreement between “by job” and “by subject” ratings was very good for subject probability of exposure (kappa = 0.84) and cumulative exposure index (kappa = 0.80). Agreement between the six-expert panel and the two internal experts was good for subject exposure (kappa for probability = 0.71; kappa for cumulative exposure index= 0.68). Conclusion This study shows that the two rating systems have good or very good agreement. These results validate the routine use in the PNSM of the “by subject” rating, with the advantage of being convenient and quick to provide feedback on occupational asbestos exposure to mesothelioma cases for compensation. Am. J. Ind. Med. 55:440–449, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Objectives: To measure the levels of exposure to nitrogen trichloride (NCl 3 ) and aldehydes among cleaning and disinfecting workers in the atmosphere of food industry plants during cleaning and disinfecting operations, and to examine how they relate to irritant and chronic respiratory symptoms—which are indices of pulmonary function—and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) to methacholine. Methods: 175 exposed workers (M = 149; F = 26) recruited from 17 enterprises of the food industry (8 cattle, pig, and ovine slaughterhouses, 8 fowl slaughterhouses, and 1 catering firm) and 70 non-exposed workers (M = 52; F = 18) were examined. Concentration levels of NCl 3 and aldhehydes were measured by personal sampling. Symptoms were assessed by means of a questionnaire and the methacholine bronchial challenge (MBC) test using an abbreviated method. Subjects were labelled MBC+ if forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) fell by 20% or more. The linear dose-response slope (DRS) was calculated as the percentage fall in FEV1 at last dose divided by the total dose administered. Results: 277 air samples were taken in the 17 food industry plants. For a given plant and in a given workshop, the actual concentrations of chloramines, aldehydes, and quaternary ammonium compounds were measured with personal samplers during the different steps of the procedures. For each cleaner, a total exposure index Σ was calculated. A statistically significant concentration-response relationship was found between eye, nasal, and throat symptoms of irritation—but not chronic respiratory symptoms—and exposure levels or exposure duration. No relation was found between BHR and exposure. Conclusions: These data show that cleaning and disinfecting workers in the food industry are at risk of developing eye, nasal, and throat irritation symptoms. Although NCl 3 exposure does not seem to carry a risk of developing permanent BHR, the possibility of transient BHR cannot be ruled out entirely.

The use of peroxyacetic acid (PAA) in the disinfection processes in the food industry or for medical purposes is increasing. As it is the product of the reaction of acetic acid (AA) and hydrogen peroxide (HP) and coexists with them, and given the fact that the chemical properties of these two substances are not very different from PAA, the sampling and analysis of this substance in working atmospheres is difficult. A specific sampling device was developed. It is composed of: (i) a cassette with quartz fibre filters impregnated with titanium oxysulfate hydrate for the sampling of HP followed by; (ii) a tube filled with silica gel soaked with methyl p-tolylsulfoxide for the sampling of PAA. The analysis of this silica gel was performed by liquid chromatography with UV detection of the methyl p-sulfone generated by the sampling of PAA. The conservation of the sampling media (before and after sampling) and its efficiency were also checked. From the results of sampling campaigns performed in various workplaces, the relative contributions of PAA, AA and HP to an exposure index, taking into account the atmospheric concentrations and the threshold limit values, were established. This calculation shows that the simultaneous determination of PAA and HP, which the method presented in this paper allows, provides a fairly good estimation of the exposure.

Relations between exposure to chlorinated compounds and biological markers of response to oxidative stimuli were investigated in swimmers, taking into account the effect of training. Twenty-two male swimmers aged 15-25 years were surveyed twice. Prevalence of irritant symptoms and asthma and number of hours of training were reported. Exposure to nitrogen trichloride (NCl3) and blood response to oxidative stimuli [catalase, superoxide dismutase (Cu2+/Zn2+SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities and ceruloplasmin, ferritin and total antioxidant concentrations] were measured. Univariate analyses were completed by multivariate analyses. High prevalences of irritant symptoms and asthma were found. Multivariate analysis confirmed the results of the univariate analyses and showed that Cu2+/Zn2+SOD activity was increased by exposure and by training (P3/4-0.01, P3/4-0.0001, respectively). Erythrocyte GSH-Px was decreased, whereas plasma GSH-Px was increased by exposure (P3/4-0.002, P3/4-0.002). No other association was found. Higher irritant symptoms and increases in the activities of erythrocyte Cu2+/Zn2+SOD and of plasma GSH-Px with exposure support the hypothesis that the production of reactive oxygen species is not only related to training but also to exposure to chlorinated compounds. Other athletes tend to have respiratory problems such as asthma, but the exposure to chlorinated compounds may increase the respiratory disease among swimmers.