Biomedical subjects

R G Ames

Publications and source records attributed to R G Ames.

39 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Irritative and systemic symptoms following exposure to Microban disinfectant through a school ventilation system.

Microban, a pesticide not registered in California, was sprayed into an operating heating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC) unit at an elementary school in San Francisco, California. This incident occurred on Monday, September 28, 1992, while 396 students and 67 staff members were in the school. The Microban formulation used contains ortho-phenylphenol (0.21%), a quaternary ammonium complex (di-isobutylphenoxy-ethoxy-ethyldimethylbenzyl-ammonium chloride, 0.69%), and bromine (0.04%). This study of the health effects of Microban mist exposure on the school staff was conducted as a result of legal and toxicological concerns. California registration for this formulation had been denied because of inadequate data and because there were concerns about inhalation toxicity in test animals. Predicted health effects from short-duration exposure to Microban are primarily skin and mucous membrane irritation. A self-administered health symptom questionnaire that covered the work week following the evacuation was used to determine a pattern of higher symptom risks for those who were at work on Monday and who reported that they felt they were exposed to a chemical. Symptoms, which were generally consistent with exposure to an irritating chemical, were elevated on Monday and Tuesday; the symptoms normalized by the end of the work week. No additional health effects were detected following application of chlorpyrifos to cracks and crevices for ant control 2 d following the Microban incident. Strict supervision and coordination of pesticide use in public schools are recommended to prevent adverse health effects and emotional trauma in students and staff.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Chronic neurologic sequelae to cholinesterase inhibition among agricultural pesticide applicators.

To test the hypothesis that chronic neurologic sequelae are associated with cholinesterase depression short of frank organophosphate poisoning, we compared 45 male subjects who had a history of moderate cholinesterase inhibition with 90 male subjects who had neither past cholinesterase inhibition nor current pesticide exposure. Cholinesterase-inhibited subjects were defined as having had a history of (a) red blood cell cholinesterase at 70% or less of baseline or (b) plasma cholinesterase at 60% or less of baseline absent symptoms of frank poisoning. In the subject comparison evaluation, only 1 of 27 neurologic tests (i.e., serial digit performance) was significant statistically, but it was opposite of the direction hypothesized. In a companion study for which the same battery of neurologic tests and the same subjects were used, neurologic sequelae were related to high exposures among subjects who sought treatment for organophosphate poisoning. The data in the current study, in which the subjects experienced lower exposures short of frank poisoning, provide some evidence that preventing acute organophosphate poisoning also prevents neurologic sequelae.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Respiratory disease and suicide among U.S. coal miners: is there a relationship?

A case-control study was performed to test whether or not respiratory disease in coal miners presented a risk for suicide. While coal miners in general do not experience elevated rates of suicide, coal miners with respiratory disease have been found to have high rates of psychiatric disability, especially depressive reactions. Further, depression has been related to suicide. To test the hypothesis, 50 suicide deaths from four National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health cohorts of coal miners were matched by age at death to two series of controls, a noncancer, nonaccident control series, and a cancer control series. Using odds ratios (tested by chi-square) the risks of obstructive lung disease and coal workers pneumoconiosis were evaluated together with the risks of years of underground mining, cigarette smoking at the time of cohort creation, and ever having smoked cigarettes. Neither respiratory disease was found to pose a statistically elevated risk of suicide in this sample of U.S. white male coal miners.

Adult↗