Search

Background The aim of this study was to determine whether a text messaging intervention (supported by a smartphone application) would be effective in the promotion of sun-safe behaviours. Both excessive and insufficient exposure to ultra-violet (UV) radiation were considered. Methods A randomized control crossover trial was conducted. 112 participants from nine sites in the United Kingdom contributed to the study. There were three intervention waves, two in winter (Vitamin D-focussed) and one in summer (UV exposure-focussed). Stages of Change, Standard Erythemal (UV) Dose and assayed blood samples (Vitamin D) were employed to evaluate the effectiveness throughout the 21-day data collection periods. Results The intervention was effective in promoting positive progression in Stages of Change for Vitamin D; and this in turn was predictive of increased Vitamin D levels in participants. More limited positive findings were found with respect to UV exposure. Overall, for those in the Intervention, Vitamin D levels were significantly predicted to increase during both of the winter data collection waves. Conclusions Interventions of this type are recommended to promote healthy Vitamin-D levels in construction workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have devised a novel method for evaluating the effectiveness of protective gloves and have undertaken a small study to assess this approach. Three types of glove were tested in a standardised simulation test with a permethrin-based pesticide. Pre- washed cotton gloves were used to collect the samples. One was worn over the protective glove on one hand to measure the potential deposition of pesticide on the hands had the gloves not been worn. A second was placed under the protective glove on the opposite hand to measure the actual deposition of permethrin on the hands when the gloves were worn. This regime was reversed half way through each test in an attempt to prevent bias. Measurable inner glove contamination occurred on 25 out of 30 occasions. Geometric mean protection factors were calculated from the ratio of outer and inner sampling glove contamination, with average protection factors of 470, 200 and 96 being obtained for the two nitrile and PVC gloves, respectively. The PVC gloves were the least effective in preventing inner glove contamination, probably because the glove was thick and fairly inflexible, causing more pesticide to enter the glove around the cuff. Although the tasks were standardised, variability occurred due to worker behaviour and equipment failure. The spray pump failed on five occasions, resulting in higher levels of inner glove contamination and a geometric mean protection factor of 32. On the occasions when the pump worked correctly, the level of protection provided by the gloves rose dramatically with mean protection factors of 220 and 450 being obtained for workers categorised as "messy" and "tidy", respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution of dermal exposure to the total body burden of a given chemical is difficult to assess. However, it is possible that as regulatory pressures lead to reductions in inhalation exposure, the proportion of uptake via the dermal route will increase. This study brings together recent work in the field of dermal exposure to provide a model to estimate both exposure and uptake of solvents through the skin. Using spray painters as an example, the process of modelling exposure is described from identifying the determinants of exposure through to calculating the flux of solvent through the stratum corneum and thus the total dermal uptake. Results from a range of exposure scenarios are presented and areas requiring further research and validation are highlighted. The model should allow the estimation of combined dermal and inhalation exposure to solvents in both current work situations and retrospective epidemiological studies. Furthermore, it is envisaged that the model may provide the basis for generic assessment of dermal exposure and uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The discriminative power of existing dermal exposure models is limited. Most models only allow occupational hygienists to rank workers between and within workplaces according to broad bands of dermal exposure. No allowance is made for the work practices of different individuals. In this study a process-based, structured approach has been used to estimate dermal exposure from overspray generated by a spray painting process. Factors for spray technique, object shape and workers’ individual work practices involved in the processes of droplet formation and deposition were incorporated into the model. The model was applied to predict dermal exposure of airless spray painters and the results were compared with exposure data. The predicted levels of exposure showed reasonable rank correlation with the measured exposure, although the model tended to over-predict the actual level of exposure. It was concluded that a structured, process-based approach has the potential to produce reliable estimates of dermal exposure. The reliability of exposure models of this type should be explored further and the relationship between the determinants of exposure should be validated by additional field studies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objectives: The purpose was to analyze the relationship between semi-quantitative indices of exposure to manmade vitreous fibers and lung cancer mortality among European rock/slag wool (RSW) workers.Methods: The study population comprised 9,603 male workers employed in RSW production in seven factories in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Germany, followed up for mortality as of 1990-91. Estimates of past exposure to respirable fibers were used to calculate cumulative exposure with a 15-year lag and maximum annual exposure based on employment history up to 1977. Rate ratios were estimated via multivariate Poisson regression, adjusting for country, age, calendar year, time since first employment, and employment status.Results: A total of 159 lung cancer deaths were included in the analysis of which 97 among workers with more than one year of employment. We found nonstatistically significant trends in lung cancer risk according to cumulative exposure. Relative risks (RR) in the four quartiles were 1.0 (reference), 1.3 (95 percent confidence interval [CI] = 0.8-2.4), 1.2 (CI = 0.7-2.1), and 1.5 (CI = 0.7-3.0, P test for trend = 0.4). When workers with less than one year of employment were excluded, there was no increased risk; the RRs in the four quartiles were 1.0, 0.9 (CI = 0.4-2.0), 0.8 (CI = 0.3-1.9), and 1.0 (CI = 0.4-2.7). No trend was present according to maximum annual exposure. The results were not consistent among countries.Conclusions: We found a positive association between exposure to respirable fibers and lung cancer mortality. However, the lack of statistical significance, the dependence of the results on inclusion of short-term workers, the lack of consistency among countries, and the possible correlation between exposure to respirable fibers and to other agents reduce the weight of such evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a possibility that wearing traditional sampling pumps could affect worker behaviour and undermine the validity of occupational hygiene exposure measurement. Sampling pumps are bulky and can be noisy, and if these characteristics alter work patterns sufficiently exposures may be modified. This paper describes a carefully controlled pilot study designed to test the hypothesis that the wearing of personal sampling pumps may affect workers' exposure. Comparisons were made using pump-based systems and diffusive samplers to measure organic vapours. Diffusive samplers were chosen as controls because they are much less bulky and therefore less likely to affect behaviour. A carefully constructed sampling strategy, involving measurements on between 13 and 20 workers on 6 working days, was used at five sites. On alternate days both sampling methods were used, side-by-side, on the workers and on the remaining days only diffusive samplers were worn. The sites chosen had minimal day-to-day variation in environmental conditions. The results showed that at one site the concentrations were approximately 50% higher on the days when pumps were worn compared with other days. At the remaining sites no significant differences were found. From the characteristics of the work at the site where differences were observed it is suggested that pumps may affect measured concentrations when people have flexible work patterns and spend part of their time seated and/or the work is in quiet areas. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper highlights a number of strategic issues which we consider important in exposure estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As part of an epidemiological study of the health of workers in 74 Scottish hard rock quarries we are estimating workers' exposures to respirable dust and quartz. Respirable dust and quartz concentrations have recently been measured at each quarry in the course of routine compliance monitoring under the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Scottish Quarry Owners Scheme for Respirable Dust and Quartz, over 300 surveys at 85 quarries have been completed and over 1700 samples collected. The validity of using these measurements for exposure monitoring has been investigated by carrying out a series of detailed surveys at four of the quarries. Three 1-week long surveys have been carried out at each quarry, one each in winter, summer and spring or autumn. In both the compliance monitoring surveys and the research studies respirable dust and quartz levels differed substantially between quarries and between occupations within quarries. For most occupations the proportions of quartz observed in dust clearly depended on the rock type. There was a wide range of measured dust and quartz concentrations within most occupational groups. Much of the variability could be attributed to the month of the survey, implying a possible association with weather and production levels, both of which vary between months. We have also observed clear changes in dust and quartz concentrations directly attributable to changes in work practices and improvements in dust control and differences between the two types of survey could be explained by such improvements. The compliance monitoring results are a useful source of information on dust and quartz exposure, but care will be required to ensure that account is taken of seasonal differences. The results also demonstrate the importance of taking account of changes in work practice and dust control measures when estimating past exposures to any workplace pollutant. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this paper is to compare fibre count estimates for laboratories using the United States (U.S.) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Method 7400 ‘B’ Rules and the World Health Organization (WHO) MRMF Reference Method. These two counting methods were compared by exchanging microscope slides prepared from airborne MMRF samples used for U.S. and European quality control programmes. Five U.S. and five European laboratories experienced with counting MMMF samples participated in the exchange. Fourteen different microscope slides were analysed once by each laboratory; U.S. laboratories analysed the slides by counting fibres according to NIOSH Method 7400 ‘B’ Rules and European laboratories counted using the WHO Reference Method. For all 14 samples, the five laboratories using NIOSH Method 7400 ‘B’ Rules produced lower mean counts than laboratories using the WHO Reference Method; these differences were statistically significant (P < 0.025). Additional data are needed to determine if the differences observed are caused by differences in the methods or by subjective interpretation by the counters. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this study was to evaluate three different analytical techniques for estimating concentrations of airborne asbestos during a short-term removal operation. Samples were collected during the removal of asbestos-insulated water tanks. The tank insulation consisted of chrysotile mixed with glass fibre and cellulose. The short time-span, less than 40 min, combined with low level of release of asbestos fibre expected, made the operation difficult to evaluate. The large air samples needed for adequate quantitative assessment were collected using high flowrates for short periods. Airborne samples were collected for phase contrast optical, and scanning and transmission electron, microscopic (PCOM, SEM and TEM) analysis, using direct transfer techniques. Membrane filter samples collected for PCOM analysis were rejected because of excessive particle loading. The mean chrysotile asbestos fibre concentrations determined, by the European Reference Method (ERM) of fibre counting, and using SEM at 10 000 x and TEM at 2200 x, were 0.12 and 0.11 f ml, respectively. A comparison of side-by-side samples suggested that TEM analysis might be indistinguishable from SEM for ERM fibre counting. The results indicated, however, that when total asbestos fibres were counted TEM analysis provided consistently greater estimates of concentrations of airborne fibres. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]