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Biomedical subjects

L J Fine

Publications and source records attributed to L J Fine.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Hand wrist cumulative trauma disorders in industry.

A total of 574 active workers from six different industrial sites were categorised into four force repetitive exposure groups. Workers in low force-low repetitive jobs served as an internal comparison population for the three other groups. Videotapes and surface electromyography were used to estimate hand force and repetitiveness. The presence of cumulative trauma disorders (CTD) was determined by structured interview and standardised non-invasive physical examination. Only workers who had been working on the study jobs for at least one year at the time of evaluation were eligible for selection. Categorisation of jobs and identification of CTDs were carried out independently by investigators who were appropriately blinded to exposure and outcome. The analysis of associations between CTDs and exposure categories were performed using Mantel-Haenszel plant adjusted odds ratios and unconditional multiple logistic regression. Significant positive associations were observed between hand wrist CTDs and high force-high repetitive jobs. These associations were independent of age, sex, years on the specific job, and plant.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Behavioural evaluation of workers exposed to mixtures of organic solvents.

Reports from Scandinavia have suggested behavioural impairment among long term workers exposed to solvents below regulatory standards. A cross sectional study of behavioural performance was conducted among printers and spray painters exposed to mixtures of organic solvents to replicate the Scandinavian studies and to examine dose-response relationships. Eligible subjects consisted of 640 hourly workers from four midwestern United States companies. Of these, 269 responded to requests to participate and 240 were selected for study based on restrictions for age, sex, education, and other potentially confounding variables. The subjects tested had been employed on average for six years. Each subject completed an occupational history, underwent a medical examination, and completed a battery of behavioural tests. These included the Fitts law psychomotor task, the Stroop colour-word test, the Sternberg short term memory scanning test, the short term memory span test, and the continuous recognition memory test. Solvent exposure for each subject was defined as an exposed or non-exposed category based on a plant industrial hygiene walk-through and the concentration of solvents based on an analysis of full shift personal air samples by gas chromatography. The first definition was used to maintain consistency with Scandinavian studies, but the second was considered to be more accurate. The average full shift solvent concentration was 302 ppm for the printing plant workers and 6-13 ppm for the workers at other plants. Isopropanol and hexane were the major components, compared with toluene in Scandinavian studies. Performance on behavioural tests was analysed using multiple linear regression with solvent concentration as an independent variable. Other relevant demographic variables were also considered for inclusion. No significant (p greater than 0.05) relation between solvent concentration and impairment on any of the 10 behavioural variables was observed after controlling for confounding variables. Exposed/non-exposed comparisons showed a significantly poorer digit span among those exposed, but this has not been generally reported in the Scandinavian studies. The medical examination showed no abnormalities of clinical significance. The inability to replicate the findings of the Scandinavian studies could have been due to the shortness of the duration of workers' exposure, the type of solvents in the mixtures, use of different behavioural tests, or to selection factors.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Excess days lost as an index for identifying jobs with ergonomic stress.

A new health impact index, excess cost, is advocated for identifying jobs in need of further study regarding ergonomic problems. The excess cost index is compared with incidence rate, excess count, and severity rate indices in terms of concept and appropriateness to the purpose. The four indices are illustrated with data regarding medical leave from an automobile assembly plant and evaluated in terms of ability to identify jobs most strongly contributing to excessive days lost.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1984

Solvent vapor exposures in booth spray painting and spray glueing, and associated operations.

Time-weighted average exposures for all solvents present at detectable levels were obtained for eighty-nine solvent-using workers and thirty-six control-group (unexposed) workers in seven plants of three companies applying paints and glues, primarily by spraying. Over twenty solvents were quantified if detected. Concentrations of specific solvents and cumulative fractions of TLVs were measured for various job types. All spray painting and most spray glueing was conducted in operating spray booths. Only low to moderate exposures were observed, with one TWA exceeding the cumulative TLV and three additional TWAs exceeding 50 percent of the cumulative TLV. It may be concluded that solvent TWA exposures in spraying of paints and glues are often well-controlled by common spray booths, and further, that other solvent-use operations including light-duty solvent wiping and manual paint mixing do not frequently produce high exposures (relative to TLV levels) in the presence of ordinary general room ventilation.

Adhesives↗
PubMed1983

Occupational cadmium exposure and renal status.

With chronic low-level exposure to cadmium (Cd) the kidney is considered to be the organ at risk. Thus, permissible exposure levels (PEL) should be established to protect against the risk of renal dysfunction for a working lifetime. In this study, the prevalence of renal dysfunction among 33 male subjects exposed to Cd fumes at and below the current PEL of 100 microgramsCd/m3 for at least 21 years, was 21% (adjusted for confounding factors). The average cumulative time-weighted exposure in subjects with abnormal renal function was 1137 micrograms/m3 years, which was significantly different (p = .02) from subjects with normal renal function. These findings are consistent with those of other investigators and suggest that the current PEL does not protect against the risk of renal dysfunction, secondary to Cd fume exposure, for a working lifetime (approximately equal to 40 years).

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Metallothionein and occupational exposure to cadmium.

The relationship between metallothionein (MT), chronic exposure to cadmium (Cd), and renal function was investigated in 53 men who were occupationally exposed to Cd. The aim was to determine if MT is a potential biological monitor for chronic exposure to Cd which would be useful for preventing Cd nephropathy. In this study MT excretion, serum MT, and serum creatinine concentrations were significantly higher in subjects with abnormal renal function who had been exposed to Cd. MT excretion was also linearly related on an individual basis to protein excretion, beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2-M) excretion, and cumulative time weighted exposure (dose). MT excretion was also a better predictor of dose than either beta 2-M excretion or Cd excretion. The findings suggest that MT is a potential biological monitor for chronic Cd exposure that would be useful for preventing Cd-induced nephropathy. Further studies of non-specific nephropathies and MT are needed to determine if MT is a specific indicator of proximal tubule function secondary to chronic exposure to Cd.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Respiratory morbidity among processing and mill workers. A cross-sectional survey in three tire-manufacturing plants.

Three hundred seventy workers in three tire-manufacturing plants were studied to determine the presence of respiratory morbidity among workers with relatively low current exposure to respirable dust (range, 0.04 to 0.70 mg/m3). Workers in the processing, milling, and less dusty areas of the plants were divided into three groups on the basis of their current and past exposure to respirable dust. Significantly more eye irritation (p less than .01) was found among workers in the milling areas. Workers in the milling areas who were current cigarette smokers had significantly (p less than .05) more chronic bronchitis and loose or productive objective cough than all other current cigarette smokers. The mean forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), when corrected for age and height, decreased significantly (p less than .01) with increasing duration of cigarette smoking. The mean FEV1 and the forced vital capacity (FVC), when corrected for age, height and cigarette smoking, were the lowest in the group with the lowest dust exposure and highest in the group with moderate dust exposure (the milling areas). The measurement of the difference in flow at 50% of FVC on air and on a helium-oxygen mixture is a sensitive test for small-airway obstruction in the laboratory. In the field, however, the helium-oxygen flow difference did not vary with duration of cigarette smoking as expected, and there was no significant variation by exposure category.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

The association between parental occupation and childhood malignancy.

A case control study was conducted to test Fabia and Thuy's observation that there was an excess of fathers in hydrocarbon-related occupations among children who died of childhood cancer compared to their controls. The study comprised 692 children who were born and died in Massachusetts for the years 1947-1957, and 1963-1967 and a control group of 1,384. No significant association was found between the four major groups of childhood cancer and the three hydrocarbon-related occupations: (1) mechanics and gas station attendants; (2) machinists; and (3) painters, cleaners, and dyers. However, there were two significant associations: (a) paternal employment as a paper or pulp mill worker was associated with tumors of the brain and other parts of the nervous system (relative odds of 2.8); and (b) paternal employment as a mechanic or machinist was associated with tumors of the urinary tract (relative odds of 2.5). Without strong supporting evidence from other studies, the authors are reluctant to conclude that these associations are causal. A weak association between childhood leukemia-lymphoma are parents' ages was observed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Teaching occupational health to physicians.

A comprehensive training program for physicians interested in occupational health is presented. The objectives are to prepare students to identify and prevent occupational disease, with an emphasis on the development of a public health perspective. Seven content areas are described: epidemiology and biostatistics, toxicology, industrial hygiene, safety and ergonomics, policy issues, administration, and clinical aspects. These are organized in a matrix to provide appropriate levels of training for medical students, resident physicians, and general practioners as well as physicians seeking specialty training.

Curriculum↗
PubMed1978

Cancer mortality and morbidity among rubber workers.

Mortality and morbidity from cancer among a cohort of 13,570 white male rubber workers were examined. Each man worked for at least 5 years at the Akron, Ohio, plant of the B. F. Goodrich Company. The potential period of follow-up was from January 1, 1940 to June 30, 1976. Departmental work histories were based primarily on records maintained by Local no. 5, United Rubber Workers. The occurrence of cancer was measured by death certificates and by a survey of Akron-area hospital tumor registries from 1964 to 1974. Two types of analyses were made: 1) an external comparison of mortality rates of rubber workers versus rates of U.S. white males, and 2) an internal comparison of cancer morbidity rates among persons who were employed in various work areas of the plant. Excess cases of specific cancers (observed/expected numbers) among workers in specific work areas included: stomach and intestine: rubber making (30/14.4); lung: tire curing (31/14.1), fuel cells and/or deicers (46/29.1); bladder: chemical plant (6/2.4), and tire building (16/10.7); skin cancer: tire assembly (12/1.9); brain cancer: tire assembly (8/2.0); lymphatic cancer: tire building (8/3.2); and leukemia: calendering (8/2.2), tire curing (8/2.6), tire building (12/7.5), elevators (4/1.4), tubes (4/1.6), and rubber fabrics (4/1.1). Agents that may be responsible for these excesses were considered.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Pulmonary function in granite dust exposure: a four-year follow-up.

Pulmonary function studies were performed on 974 workers in Vermont granite sheds in 1974. Of these subjects, 668 had been studied 4 years earlier and had remained in jobs in which their exposure to granite dust had not changed based on dust concentrations measured during 1970. The yearly decrement in pulmonary function observed in the 668 granite shed workers was excessive (0.07 to 0.08 liter per year for forced vital capacity and 0.05 to 0.07 liter per year for forced expiratory volume in 1 sec). This exceeded the expected decrement derived from several other occupational and population groups. Studies from this laboratory and published cross-sectional and longitudinal data consistently indicate a decrement of no more than 0.03 to 0.04 liter per year in both forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 sec. The observed decrements were independent of exposure groups and not accounted for by cigarette smoking. In 528 additional granite shed workers, decrements in ventilatory capacity had been measured for one, 2, or 3 years and were consistently of the same order of magnitude. Dust concentrations within defined jobs and between granite sheds showed great variability. Despite this, a suggestive relationship between exposure and decrement in ventilatory function was demonstrated at the end of 2 years; however, at the end of 4 years the relationship could no longer be shown with these exposure groupings. The difficulty in characterizing individual dust exposures and projecting dust concentrations for several years is considered to account for the absence of a dose-response relationship at the 4-year follow-up. The results of this study suggest that our previous estimates of annual deterioration in ventilatory capacity attributable to work in granite sheds are underestimates. We conclude that present dust concentrations in Vermont granite sheds cause excessive deterioration of lung capacity. To prevent these effects, dust concentrations must be lowered.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Occupational disease in the rubber industry.

We have studied mortality patterns in a large cohort of rubber workers. We have examined workers exposed to curing fumes, processing dusts, and industrial talc and have begun to evaluate exposures of these workers in detail. Gastrointestinal (especially stomach) cancer appears in excess in processing workers. Lung cancer is excessive in curing workers. Leukemia is increased generally. All three groups studied for respiratory disease have an increase in disease prevalence which is related to intensity and duration of exposure. Since both an increase in stomach cancer and respiratory disease is seen in processing workers, exposures in this area must be controlled. Since both lung cancer and chronic respiratory disease is excessive in curing rooms, this exposure must be controlled. The leukemia risk is probably related to solvents. Whether this is all explainable by past benzene exposure is unknown. Further studies are planned to refine our knowledge concerning these risks so that occupational disease in the rubber industry can be prevented.

Adult↗