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Biomedical subjects

E L Baker

Publications and source records attributed to E L Baker.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Accuracy of work history obtained from a spouse.

In an evaluation of the usefulness of collecting work exposure information from wives of workers, 26 husband-wife pairs were interviewed separately about exposure of the husband to organic solvents. There was 58% concordance between the husbands and wives for answers to a simple question regarding solvent exposure. Amplification of these answers through the use of a computerized occupation-exposure linkage system yielded 81% concordance. When the analysis was restricted to those reporting exposure to solvents for more than five years, an 88% concordance was achieved with the linkage system. It was concluded that wives can accurately recall their husbands' work histories with respect to jobs having solvent exposure. The exposure specificity of such histories is significantly enhanced by the use of an occupation-exposure linkage system.

Environmental Exposure↗
PubMed1986

Transmission of occupational disease to family contacts.

As recognition of occupational illness increases, the scope of health problems related to work widens. An important area of concern is the worker's family, which has been shown to be at increased risk of disease attributable to the hazards previously thought to be relevant only to the worker. Such "para-occupational" disease occurs particularly in spouses and children through transport by the worker of hazardous materials from the worksite into the home. The most common vehicle has been contaminated work clothing brought home for cleaning. Outbreaks of severe illness caused by lead, beryllium, asbestos, and other compounds have been traced to home contamination by industrial dust. In this review, we describe reports of "para-occupational" illness that demonstrate the importance of early recognition by medical professionals of this cause of illness and of strict control of the dissemination of hazardous materials outside the workplace.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Persistently elevated polychlorinated biphenyl levels from residual contamination of workplace surfaces.

A short-term follow-up study was performed on 55 workers in a gear plant exposed to PCB that contaminated the work surfaces. Current work did not involve the use of PCBs. Exposure was to residual PCB left behind by a capacitor company which formerly used the site. Elevated PCB levels were found in production area workers; these elevations persisted on retesting 1 year later. Efforts should be made to identify potentially toxic materials left behind on work surfaces of buildings before remodeling or reuse.

Environmental Exposure↗
PubMed1986

Neurobehavioral testing in monitoring hazardous workplace exposures.

Exposure to workplace toxins, particularly organic solvents, lead, and pesticides, has been shown to cause both transient and persistent derangements of CNS function. Neurobehavioral testing is described as a means of evaluating the health effects of exposure to toxic chemicals. The use of neurobehavioral testing is most appropriate where an exposure has been characterized and the diseases of interest specified. Most investigators use batteries of tests to evaluate psychomotor function, memory, verbal ability, mood, and visual/spatial abilities. Because of the shortcoming of the interviewer-administered test batteries, existing neurobehavioral tests have been adapted to a computer-administered format. This tool offers promise for future efforts to monitor CNS function in exposed workers.

Central Nervous System Diseases↗
PubMed1985

Exacerbation of coronary artery disease by occupational carbon monoxide exposure: a report to two fatalities and a review of the literature.

The recent deaths of two workers with coronary artery disease (CAD) following exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) at work reinforced our appreciation of the hazard of this exposure to individuals with preexisting heart disease. Carbon monoxide acts to precipitate ischemia by reducing oxygen delivery to the myocardium. Animal and in vitro experiments suggest that CO may accelerate the development of atherosclerosis, particularly if exposure is in association with other risk factors. Thus, persons with known CAD who are exposed to CO at work are at risk for both the acceleration of the course of the underlying disease and for precipitation of acute ischemia or infarction following excessive exposure. Particular attention should be given to control of CO exposures in light of this hazard. For various reasons, preplacement evaluations or other job selection procedures do not adequately address his hazard. In view of the high prevalence of CAD in the U.S. and the high frequency of workplace exposure to CO, particular attention should be given to control of CO exposure through industrial hygiene measures.

Carbon Monoxide↗
PubMed1985

The neurotoxicity of industrial solvents: a review of the literature.

Organic solvents, particularly stryrene, are used widely in boatbuilding. They may be absorbed by workers either through the respiratory tract or the skin. Uptake is influenced by level and duration of exposure, work load, and specific physiochemical features of each solvent, as well as by work practices and use of protective equipment. Kinetics of metabolism and excretion kinetics are highly variable among compounds. Metabolites can be measured in blood, urine, or exhaled breath and may serve as indirect indices of absorption. Acute high-dose exposure to organic solvents can produce a transient narcotic effect on the central nervous system. This effect occurs in proportion to brain dose, which in turn is determined by intensity and duration of exposure. Additionally, chronic exposures to organic solvents have been reported to produce an increased frequency of neurologic signs and symptoms. These findings include peripheral neuropathies and toxic encephalopathies. The latter are characterized by alterations in affect, memory loss, and impaired cognition. Concern exists that prolonged excessive exposure to organic solvents may lead to premature and persistent dementia in certain workers.

Humans↗
PubMed1985

Computerized assessment of human neurotoxicity: sensitivity to nitrous oxide exposure.

We recently developed a flexible, portable, computer-based neurobehavioral evaluation system (NES) to standardize data collection in epidemiologic field studies of individuals at risk for neurobehavioral toxicity. The current study was performed to examine the system's sensitivity to subtle neurobehavioral impairment induced pharmacologically in normal subjects. Twelve men 18 to 36 years old were tested with the NES three times, in an initial training session followed by separate drug and control sessions in randomized order. During drug sessions subjects received a combination of 20% nitrous oxide and 80% oxygen through a nasal mask. In control sessions subjects received 100% oxygen. Nine NES tests evaluating psychomotor performance, visuospatial ability, memory, and mood were administered in approximately 40 minutes. Nitrous oxide exposure impaired performance on three tests: continuous performance, symbol-digit substitution, and finger tapping. Another test, pattern memory, showed a trend toward impairment, while the remainder were not affected by the drug. These data are consistent with previous reports that the threshold effect of nitrous oxide is a decrement in psychomotor speed. The findings indicate that our NES is sensitive to short-term impairment in central nervous system function of the type induced by a number of neuroactive agents. In view of its efficiency in data acquisition and analysis, computerized neurobehavioral testing appears to be a very promising method for evaluation of effects of a wide range of pharmacologic agents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Occupational lead neurotoxicity: improvement in behavioural effects after reduction of exposure.

To evaluate critical exposure levels and the reversibility of lead neurotoxicity a group of lead exposed foundry workers and an unexposed reference population were followed up for three years. During this period, tests designed to monitor neurobehavioural function and lead dose were administered. Evaluations of 160 workers during the first year showed dose dependent decrements in mood, visual/motor performance, memory, and verbal concept formation. Subsequently, an improvement in the hygienic conditions at the plant resulted in striking reductions in blood lead concentrations over the following two years. Attendant improvement in indices of tension (20% reduction), anger (18%), depression (26%), fatigue (27%), and confusion (13%) was observed. Performance on neurobehavioural testing generally correlated best with integrated dose estimates derived from blood lead concentrations measured periodically over the study period; zinc protoporphyrin levels were less well correlated with function. This investigation confirms the importance of compliance with workplace standards designed to lower exposures to ensure that individual blood lead concentrations remain below 50 micrograms/dl.

Behavior↗
PubMed1985

A computer-administered neurobehavioral evaluation system for occupational and environmental epidemiology. Rationale, methodology, and pilot study results.

To facilitate the conduct of epidemiologic studies of populations at risk for or suffering from central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction due to environmental agents, a computer-administered neurobehavioral evaluation system has been developed. The system includes a set of testing programs designed to run on a microcomputer and questionnaires to facilitate interpretation of results. Standard tasks evaluating memory, psychomotor function, verbal ability, visuospatial ability, and mood were selected and adapted for computer presentation following the recommendation of an expert committee of the World Health Organization and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. In two pilot surveys, test performance was found to be influenced by age, education level, and socioeconomic status in ways consistent with prior research findings. Performance on tests of short-term memory and reaction time was negatively correlated with intensity of organic solvent exposure among industrial painters. In view of the ease of administration and data handling, high subject acceptability, and sensitivity to the effects of known neurotoxic agents, computer-based assessment of CNS function holds promise for future epidemiologic research.

Central Nervous System↗
PubMed1985

Respiratory illness in the construction trades. I. The significance of asbestos-associated pleural disease among sheet metal workers.

To assess the rate of roentgenographic and lung function abnormalities in asbestos-exposed construction workers, the authors studied 314 white male members of a local sheet metal workers union. Health outcomes were assessed by questionnaire, simple spirometry, and chest roentgenography; data were collected and interpreted following guidelines of the American Thoracic Society and the International Labor Office. Analyses of union records showed the tested population to be representative of all those eligible for testing. Pleural abnormalities were common, increasing to a prevalence of approximately 70% in workers with more than 30 years employment. Roentgenographic evidence of pleural disease was significantly correlated with decreased forced vital capacity (p = 0.027) after controlling for the potential confounding effects of age, height, cigarette consumption history, and employment duration. In contrast, forced expiratory volume in 1 s showed a stronger association with amount smoked (p = 0.022) than with pleural abnormality (p = 0.316). Logistic regression analyses showed that cigarettes act to increase the effect of asbestos in causing pleural disease among exposed workers. Cigarettes, in the absence of significant asbestos exposure, do not appear to cause pleural disease. The authors conclude that construction workers, such as those described herein, have a considerably increased rate of pleural disease, which has functional significance in view of the correlations noted with forced vital capacity measurements. Therefore, pleural disease in asbestos-exposed workers is not only an indicator of exposure but also an indicator of early impairment of pulmonary function.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Occupational lead neurotoxicity: a behavioural and electrophysiological evaluation. Study design and year one results.

To evaluate the effects of chronic lead exposure on the nervous system in adults, a set of neurobehavioural and electrophysiological tests was administered to 99 lead exposed foundry employees and 61 unexposed workers. Current and past blood lead concentrations were used to estimate the degree of lead absorption; all previous blood lead concentrations had been less than or equal to 90 micrograms/100 ml. Characteristic signs (such as wrist extensor weakness) or symptoms (such as colic) of lead poisoning were not seen. Sensory conduction in the sural nerve was not affected. By contrast, various neurobehavioural functions deteriorated with increasing lead burden. Workers with blood lead concentrations between 40 and 60 micrograms/100 ml showed impaired performance on tests of verbal concept formation, visual/motor performance, memory, and mood. Thus impairment in central nervous system function in lead exposed adults occurred in the absence of peripheral nervous system derangement and increased in severity with increasing lead dose.

Adolescent↗