1. Occupational Risks of Podologists: A Combined Assessment of VOCs, Vibration, Noise Levels and Health Complaints.
- Author
-
Arsal Yıldırım, Serap, Pekey, Beyhan, Aydin, Levent, Peker Karatoprak, Ayfer, Kolaylı, Fetiye, Argun Barış, Serap, Er, Doğanhan Kadir, Yazıcı Özçelik, Eda, and Yapsakli, Kozet
- Subjects
- *
OCCUPATIONAL disease risk factors , *RISK assessment , *NOISE , *RESEARCH funding , *SKIN diseases , *OCCUPATIONAL hazards , *VIBRATION (Mechanics) , *QUESTIONNAIRES , *WORK environment , *EYE diseases , *RESPIRATORY diseases , *OCCUPATIONAL exposure , *ORGANIC compounds , *INDUSTRIAL safety , *INDUSTRIAL hygiene - Abstract
Podologists are exposed to many occupational hazards, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from insole manufacturing and noise/vibration during nail or tissue grinding. In this study, VOCs, noise, and vibration were measured in five podiatry clinics and three offices. Questionnaires were administered to 23 podologists and 19 office workers to inquire about their pain, ocular, skin and respiratory complaints. The results showed that the podologists' exposure to the total VOC concentrations was approximately twice as high as that of the office workers. The podologists' complaints regarding pain were found to be correlated with ambient noise and hand-arm vibration levels. Ocular, skin, and respiratory complaints were also found to be correlated with total VOC concentrations. These results suggest that VOCs, noise and vibration in the working environment may impair podologists' health and that they have an intensifying effect on each other, increasing the severity of health issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF