Occupations involving exposure to hot metal have been associated with elevated lung cancer mortality in many mortality statistics. Metalworkers have also been more common among lung cancer cases in some case control studies. Recent cohort studies in iron and steel foundries have revealed an increased risk of lung cancer among foundry workers. In the foundry air, carcinogenic substances such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have been identified.

Humans↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Occupational cancer of the urinary bladder.

The occupational etiology of bladder cancer has been known for more than 70 yr. The best-known etiologic agents are aromatic amines such as 2-naphthylamine and benzidine. The proportion of bladder cancers due to occupational exposure varies with the industrialization of the area in question. In heavily industrialized countries occupational exposure may be associated with as much as 25% of cases in men. Industries with a confirmed or highly probable increased risk of bladder cancer are dyestuff and chemical manufacture, pigment and paint manufacture, cable manufacture, textile works (dyeing), leather works, the coal tar industry, and the gas industry. In addition to these relatively well established risk industries, a number of occupations have been shown to be associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer in epidemiologic studies. These include barbers, butchers, clerks, electricians, hairdressers, mechanics, medical occupations, metalworkers, painters, photographers, plumbers, shoemakers and shoe repairers, tailors, and textile workers. The etiologic agents in these occupations are obscure and it is difficult to know whether these associations are causal.

Epidemiologic Methods↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Low-back pain in nurses and some loading factors of work.

Questionnaires were sent to qualified nurses (QNs) and nursing aides (NAs) to study the prevalence of low-back pain (LBP) and sciatica in relation to age, work-load, free time activities, menstruation, pregnancies and number of children. LBP and sciatica severe enough to make them unfit for daily tasks were significantly more common in NAs. Back injury and disability pension due to sciatic symptoms were also more common in NAs. Occupationally, NAs had twice the amount of lifting, bending, and rotation, while QNs reported more sitting and standing at work. Under the age of 30, the heaviness of the work was related to LBP in both NAs and QNs. It was concluded that prevention should be directed to improvements in the occupational work load, particularly for younger nurses.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Psychological prognosis of diagnosed chronic organic solvent intoxication.

The psychological prognosis of 86 patients (40 men and 46 women) with previously diagnosed chronic solvent intoxication due to trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene, or solvent mixtures was studied after a follow-up period (mean 5.9 years). The patients' mean age at the time of diagnosis was 38.6 years, and the mean duration of solvent exposure was 10.7 years. Tests for intelligence, short-term memory, and sensory and motor functions were applied. The group means of the patients' intellectual functions were increased after the follow-up period. At the group level, the scores on one sensorimotor task and tasks requiring manual dexterity were lower. Individual patients performed better, worse, or equally when the results of the initial examination and the reexamination were compared. The overall prognosis of psychological test results was better with a longer follow-up period and lower age. Patients who used drugs with neurological effects had a poorer overall psychological prognosis. The characteristic of solvent exposure were related only to the prognosis of some single tests for sensory and motor functions.

Adult↗