Biomedical subjects

R A Etzel

Publications and source records attributed to R A Etzel.

58 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Use of a 24-hour recall diary to assess exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.

Methods to assess exposure to environmental tobacco smoke need to be valid and relatively easy to use. We therefore explored the use of a 24-h environmental tobacco smoke exposure-recall diary by comparing data from the 24-h diary with questionnaire responses and levels of salivary cotinine--a biochemical marker of environmental tobacco smoke exposure. A total of 875 nonsmokers at five Rhode Island worksites participated in the study. Twenty-five percent of the participants lived with smokers, and 96% had regular exposure to environmental tobacco smoke at work. Individuals who lived with smokers reported more exposures in the 24-h diary, both outside of work and during work hours, compared with those who had no smokers in their household. The correlation between saliva cotinine concentrations and the exposures recorded in the diary was weak (r = .10). Brief instruments for assessment of environmental tobacco smoke should be viewed cautiously, and use of this 24-h recall diary is not recommended.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Laboratory investigation of a poisoning epidemic in Sierra Leone.

In June 1986, an epidemic of poisoning occurred in Sierra Leone, West Africa; it involved 49 persons--with 14 deaths. Our laboratory's approach and investigation of this incident is described. Using positive chemical ionization mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the toxicant was identified as parathion, a highly toxic organophosphorus pesticide. Analysis of various items supported the epidemiologic hypothesis that bread was made from contaminated flour and that the flour became contaminated with parathion during a truck shipment. Modern analytical instruments played a major role in this laboratory investigation and effected the identification of the unknown toxicant within hours of receiving the initial bread sample. Close cooperation and clear communication between the epidemiologic and laboratory teams were important in this investigation.

Bread↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Out-of-hospital deaths due to asthma in North Carolina, 1980-1988.

Because deaths that occur outside hospitals have not been well-described, we studied out-of-hospital deaths from asthma in North Carolina from 1980 through 1988. We investigated out-of-hospital deaths from asthma using information from the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. We excluded deaths for which a hospital was listed as the place where the death occurred. For the nine years studied, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner recorded 89 of 158 investigated deaths from asthma as having occurred out of hospital. Of the 89 deaths, 73% occurred in the decedent's home. The rates of out-of-hospital deaths from asthma increased as the age of the decedents increased, were higher in rural countries than they were in urban counties, and were over three times higher for blacks and American Indians than they were for whites. Racial minorities may warrant special attention in any attempt to prevent out-of-hospital deaths due to asthma.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Asthma. The states' challenge.

At the national level, asthma is increasingly being recognized as an important public health problem. Because of the significant role of environmental exposure in asthma morbidity, public health agencies have a critical role to play in the surveillance and prevention of the disease. In April 1996, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, with assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, surveyed state and territorial public health departments to determine the status of their asthma surveillance and intervention programs. Of the 51 health departments that responded, only eight reported that they had implemented an asthma control program within the previous 10 years. Reasons cited for not having programs included lack of funds, shortage of personnel, and asthma not being a priority. Most states were unable to assess the burden of asthma because they lack data or face barriers to using existing data. Removing barriers to the use of data is a first step toward defining the scope of the asthma problem.

Adolescent↗