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Biomedical subjects

J W Stratton

Publications and source records attributed to J W Stratton.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1990

A crisis of community anxiety and mistrust: the Medfly eradication project in Santa Clara County, California, 1981-82.

Public anxiety of near panic proportions was created by the announcement of a plan to commence aerial application of malathion bait over a large urban area in California for the eradication of the Mediterranean fruit fly within four days. A risk assessment had reported the project entailed no significant risk to health but environmentalist groups and the media ignored the report. We describe the successful measures taken by State health workers to counteract the anxiety which itself constituted a serious public health problem. The most important measure was the rapid convening of a Health Advisory Committee composed of recognized experts and local professionals and leaders to provide an authoritative, respected and sympathetic voice to deal with the community's concerns. These experiences may be of value to other communities facing unwarranted anxiety over perceived environmental hazards.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Cholinesterase activity depression among California agricultural pesticide applicators.

Cholinesterase activity measurements for 542 California agricultural pesticide applicators under medical supervision during the first 9 months of 1985 were analyzed. Twenty-six workers, 4.8% of the sample, had cholinesterase values at or below the California threshold values for removal from continued exposure to cholinesterase-inhibiting pesticides (60% of baseline for red blood cell cholinesterase and 50% of baseline for plasma cholinesterase activity). Eight of these 26 workers, 31.5%, had pesticide-related illnesses. Pesticides most frequently associated with cholinesterase depressions exceeding California threshold values included mevinphos (Phosdrin), oxydemeton methyl (Metasystox-R), methomyl (Lannate), and acephate (Orthene); these pesticides included organophosphates in toxicity categories I and II and one carbamate in toxicity category I.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗
PubMed1989

Health symptoms and occupational exposure to flea control products among California pet handlers.

A statewide telephone survey of health symptoms associated with occupational exposure to flea control products among California pet handlers was conducted in 1987 following several reports of ill workers. The 696 employees interviewed worked at veterinary clinics, pet stores, pet boarding kennels, pet grooming shops, and animal control facilities. Symptom incidence and frequency and flea control product use were reported for the 3 months prior to interview. Eye and skin symptoms and unusual tiredness were elevated among workers who applied flea control products to animals or facilities. After adjustment for potential confounders, these symptoms were elevated 64% to 258% among applicators as compared to nonapplicators who worked in the same facilities. Workers who used protective clothing and equipment and followed some protective work practices were not at increased symptom risk. Some specific flea control active ingredients and application procedures were associated with respiratory effects and with symptoms suggesting systemic pesticide poisoning.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Protecting agricultural applicators from over-exposure to cholinesterase-inhibiting pesticides: perspectives from the California programme.

California's requirement for medical supervision of applicators regularly handling Toxicity Category I and II organophosphate and carbamate cholinesterase-inhibiting pesticides is examined from a policy perspective by the California Department of Health Services (CDHS). Changes to increase the effectiveness of medical supervision and solutions to a number of practical implementation problems are discussed, including the pesticides which should be monitored, the use of individual cholinesterase baselines, the enzymes to be measured, and the frequency of cholinesterase testing.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of chlorine dioxide water disinfection on hematologic and serum parameters of renal dialysis patients.

A study of the blood chemistry parameters of 20 renal dialysis patients was undertaken when a local water district introduced chlorine dioxide (CIO2) as a disinfectant at the filtration plant headworks for 12 months without informing the renal dialysis clinic in the area of this potentially adverse change. Due to data limitations, including changes in clinical laboratories and lack of pre-exposure data for some patients, the analysis was focused on 17 patients for whom data was produced by the same clinical laboratory, for 3 months of pre-exposure and 1 month of exposure. Least-squares means of each parameter by CIO2 levels of 0.0 and 1.0 mg/L at the treatment plant were adjusted for age, sex, and creatinine. Water purification at the clinic included passing the water through granular activated carbon, filtration by 5-mu filters, and the use of reverse osmosis. Chlorination products measured at the clinic after this purification and prior to preparation of the dialysate consisted only of chlorite at the 0.02-0.08 mg/L level. No evidence of CIO2-induced anemia was found, nor were any other biologically significant responses observed. Study limitations include several potentially important hematologic parameters which were not measured, the small sample size, and three clinical laboratory changes.

Blood↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Acute health effects from community exposure to N-propyl mercaptan from an ethoprop (Mocap)-treated potato field in Siskiyou County, California.

A 145-acre potato field adjacent to Dorris, California, was treated with ethoprop (Mocap) to control nematodes. Ethoprop releases n-propyl mercaptan, a highly odorous and volatile gas, as a degradation product of the pesticide. An epidemiological investigation was undertaken by the California Department of Health Services because community residents sought medical attention for odor-related illness. Elevated health effects were found among those who reported smelling a strong odor (n-propyl mercaptan has a characteristic onion-like odor). In a logistic regression analysis, the most highly elevated 6-wk health effect incidence risks, expressed as odds ratios (ORs) adjusted for age, sex, and current cigarette smoking status, were for headache (OR = 5.08), diarrhea (OR = 3.80), runny nose (OR = 5.31), sore throat (OR = 3.58), burning/itching eyes (OR = 5.64), fever (OR = 3.59), hay fever attacks (OR = 3.50), and asthma attacks (OR = 6.0). Based upon these elevated health effects, it is recommended that human exposures to n-propyl mercaptan be minimized to the extent practicable.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Assessment of acute health effects from the Medfly Eradication Project in Santa Clara County, California.

Surveys were performed to assess the acute health effects of aerial application of malathion bait over a large urban area. Three indirect attempts to assess utilization of health care services were made: (1) surveillance of a major hospital emergency department was undertaken, (2) ambulance dispatches were reviewed, and (3) emergency treatments for asthma at a university hospital were reviewed. These assessments were negative but insensitive. Prevalence of self-reported symptoms was assessed with two surveys that were subject to severe time constraints. Personal interviews of the same individuals, before and after the spraying, were conducted: one was conducted by telephone and the other by residential visit. Results indicated no detectable increase in acute morbidity. Also, after the spraying, there was a decrease in anxiety-related symptoms.

Adolescent↗