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A fatality associated with the deployment of an automobile airbag.

Airbags have become an increasingly accepted automobile safety feature that can reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with motor vehicle collisions. We present the following case report of an unusual fatality with multiple internal injuries from a minor mechanism motor vehicle collision. The cause of injuries was determined to be secondary to the deployment of a driver's side airbag without the concomitant use of a lap-shoulder belt.

Accidents, Traffic↗

Patterns of maxillofacial injuries as a function of automobile restraint use.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the pattern and severity of maxillofacial injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident (MVA) resulting from automobile restraint use. DESIGN: Retrospective database review of patients injured in a MVA who were admitted to the level I trauma center at the University of Louisville Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. METHODS: Demographic data, drug and alcohol impairment screening, and comorbidity data were obtained from database searches of trauma records. Forty-four patients had an airbag deployed, 34 patients wore seat belts, and 94 patients were unrestrained. All maxillofacial Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) ratings were compared among the three groups. RESULTS: Twenty-two of the 44 patients (50%) in the airbag group sustained only facial injuries. Fifteen of them had lacerations; four others had only facial abrasions. Three of the airbag patients had moderate facial injuries (AIS = 2); none required operative management. The airbag group had a mean AIS rating of 1.13, the seat belt group a mean AIS of 1.29, and the unrestrained group a mean AIS of 1.46. Patients using either seat belts (mean age, 40.5 y) or airbags (mean age, 44.9 y) were older than the unrestrained group (mean age, 39.6 y). Drug and/or alcohol impairment was significantly greater in the unrestrained group (mean, 38%) compared with the seat belt group (mean, 26%) and the airbag group (mean 11%.). CONCLUSIONS: Use of airbags is associated with less severe maxillofacial injuries compared with either a seat belt alone or no restraint. There is an inherent risk of minor maxillofacial injuries with airbag usage, but the severity of injury is distinctly reduced.

Accidents, Traffic↗

Seat belt use and automobile safety counseling by pediatricians.

Safety restraints have proven effective in the prevention of serious automobile injuries and deaths, but safety education has been ineffective in getting consumers to use restraints. We surveyed the personal and counseling practices of a group of pediatricians over a one-year period to determine whether prenatal and postpartum safety education of parents influenced the pediatricians' own use of car restraints and their counseling practices. Seventy-two percent of participating pediatricians reported that they always or often wore restraints, but usage had not increased at the conclusion of the study. Seventy percent of pediatricians stated that they provided safety counseling in the prenatal and postpartum periods and during health examinations. There was a strong correlation between personal seat belt usage and frequency of counseling.

Accidents, Traffic↗

Automobile-induced obstruction of the intrathoracic caudal vena cava in a dog.

A two-year-old labrador retriever was examined after a year's history of persistent ascites and exercise intolerance that began shortly after the dog was struck by an automobile. Contrast venography showed tortuosity of the intrathoracic caudal vena cava with partial obstruction caused by kinking of the vessel. Surgical resection of a fibrous connective band that was found to be tethering the intrathoracic vena cava ventrally, creating a partial obstruction, was performed. A hypothesis of the aetiology of this phenomenon is presented.

Accidents, Traffic↗

Benzo(a)pyrene in gasoline partially persists in automobile exhaust.

On average 36 percent of the benzo[a]pyrene in an automobile's exhaust gas comes from the benzo[a]pyrene originally in the gasoline. Between 0.1 and 0.2 percent of the benzo[a]pyrene in the gasoline survives the combustion process and is recovered from the exhaust; 5 percent accumulates in the crankcase oil. Some of the benzo[a]pyrene in the gasoline is converted into other polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons and other more polar compounds. For our experiments we used commercial gasoline containing benzo[a]pyrene at 1.0 part per million to which was added benzo[a]pyrene-8,9-(14)C at 1.1 parts per million as a radioactive tracer.

Benzopyrenes↗

Automobile shredder residue gasification.

Automobile Shredder Residue (ASR) shows a broad chemical composition owing to the presence of different materials, and its high organic content makes it interesting as a source of energy. In this work, a bench scale two-stage reactor is used for gasifying ASR. The reactor shows an efficient ASR gasification, avoiding the formation of difficult to manage char and tar and allowing an easy recovery of energy. The results of the investigation were used to test a simple model based on mass and energy balances and chemical equilibrium, predicting syngas composition including the presence of problematic elements such as sulphur and chlorine. Gasification data calculated by the model agree in a satisfactory way with the experimental ones. Due to the large variation in ASR composition, the model predicts that ASR gasification is industrially feasible only if a blend of ASR and RDF is used as a reactor feed.

Conservation of Energy Resources↗

Increased sister chromatid exchange (SCE) frequencies in lymphocytes from traffic policemen exposed to automobile exhaust pollution.

Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) frequencies were determined in peripheral lymphocytes from traffic policemen drawn from various busy traffic points of Madras metro in India. These policemen were under constant exposure to automobile exhaust pollution during their 8 h work schedule. Analysis of SCE frequencies revealed a significantly greater number of SCE/cell in these policemen as against the matched control population. Sixty percent of these subjects who remained in the service after 5 years showed insignificant but higher values of SCE than in the initial analysis.

Adult↗

Bioassay-directed fractionation and salmonella mutagenicity of automobile and forklift diesel exhaust particles.

Many pulmonary toxicity studies of diesel exhaust particles (DEPs) have used an automobile-generated sample (A-DEPs) whose mutagenicity has not been reported. In contrast, many mutagenicity studies of DEPs have used a forklift-generated sample (SRM 2975) that has been evaluated in only a few pulmonary toxicity studies. Therefore, we evaluated the mutagenicity of both DEPs in Salmonella coupled to a bioassay-directed fractionation. The percentage of extractable organic material (EOM) was 26.3% for A-DEPs and 2% for SRM 2975. Most of the A-EOM (~55%) eluted in the hexane fraction, reflecting the presence of alkanes and alkenes, typical of uncombusted fuel. In contrast, most of the SRM 2975 EOM (~58%) eluted in the polar methanol fraction, indicative of oxygenated and/or nitrated organics derived from combustion. Most of the direct-acting, base-substitution activity of the A-EOM eluted in the hexane/dichloromethane (DCM) fraction, but this activity eluted in the polar methanol fraction for the SRM 2975 EOM. The direct-acting frameshift mutagenicity eluted across fractions of A-EOM, whereas > 80% eluted only in the DCM fraction of SRM 2975 EOM. The A-DEPs were more mutagenic than SRM 2975 per mass of particle, having 227 times more polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-type and 8-45 more nitroarene-type mutagenic activity. These differences were associated with the different conditions under which the two DEP samples were generated and collected. A comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the health effects of DEPs requires the evaluation of DEP standards for a variety of end points, and our results highlight the need for multidisciplinary studies on a variety of representative samples of DEPs.

Biological Assay↗

Range gated active night vision system for automobiles.

Night vision for automobiles is an emerging safety feature that is being introduced for automotive safety. We develop what we believe is an innovative new night vision system using gated imaging principles. The concept of gated imaging is described and its basic advantages, including the backscatter reduction mechanism for improved vision through fog, rain, and snow. Evaluation of performance is presented by analyzing bar pattern modulation and comparing Johnson chart predictions.

Journal Article↗

Simultaneous measurement of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in simulated automobile exhaust using medium pressure ionization-mass spectrometry.

In previous papers we have demonstrated two different, two-color resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) schemes for the simultaneous measurement of trace amounts (ppbV to pptV) of nitrogen monoxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)). The goal of this study is to provide a laser ionization-mass spectrometric scheme capable of measuring ppmV to ppthV concentrations of NO and NO(2) within vehicle exhaust containing up to ppthV of aromatic hydrocarbons and a time frame of seconds. Two ionization schemes are used here to measure NO and NO(2) in simulated automobile exhaust with three different sources. REMPI Scheme 1 uses broad-bandwidth light and an effusive source to measure NO (limit of detection (LOD) 300 ppmV), NO(2) (LOD 100 ppmV), and aromatic hydrocarbons (via photoionization) along with fragments (via electron impact). REMPI Scheme 2 uses narrow-bandwidth light and a medium pressure laser ionization (MPLI) source to measure NO (LOD 60 ppmV), NO(2) (LOD 3 ppmV), and fragments (via electron impact). The LOD is determined using 10-second sampling times. A newly developed delayed-ion extraction technique for MPLI is then applied to REMPI Scheme 2, dramatically reducing the electron impact signal, so that only NO and NO(2) are observed. We conclude that Scheme 2 with delayed-electron extraction is best suited for measuring in situ NO and NO(2) within engine exhaust.

Algorithms↗

Characterization of automobile float glass with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

A comparative analysis of the discriminating power of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), each coupled with refractive index (RI) measurements, is presented for a study of 23 samples of automobile float glass. Elemental emission intensity ratios (LIBS) and elemental concentration ratios (LA-ICP-MS) and their associated confidence intervals were calculated for each float glass sample. The ratios and confidence intervals were used to determine the discrimination power of each analytical method. It was possible to discriminate 83% of the glass samples with 99% confidence based on LIBS spectra alone, and 96-99% of the samples could be discriminated based on LIBS spectra taken in conjunction with RI data at the same confidence level. LA-ICP-MS data allowed for 100% discrimination of the samples without the need for RI data. The results provide evidence to support the use of LIBS combined with RI for forensic analysis of float glass in laboratories that do not have access to LA-ICP-MS.

Journal Article↗

Transient elevation of serum activity of MB isoenzyme of creatine phosphokinase in drivers involved in automobile accidents.

Drivers involved in automobile accidents were screened for the presence of occult cardiac injury without regard for apparent severity of the accident or injury. An electrocardiogram was recorded, and serum levels of total creatine phosphokinase and the MB isoenzyme of creatine phosphokinase (myocardial form) were measured as soon as possible after the accident and subsequently during admission (or on the following day in patients treated and discharged from the emergency room). Electrocardiographic abnormalities were observed in 18 of 82 patients but correlated poorly with other evidence of the severity or location of injury. Of the 22 drivers admitted to the hospital (for any cause), nine demonstrated significant early elevations of the activity of the MB isoenzyme of creatine phosphokinase. We conclude that blunt cardiac trauma is a clinical subtlety; to be found, it must be sought. The ECG is of limited value. Measurement of the serum activity of the MB isoenzyme of creatine phosphokinase early after injury would appear to offer the best evidence of cardiac trauma.

Accidents, Traffic↗

Association of hsp70 polymorphisms with risk of noise-induced hearing loss in Chinese automobile workers.

Severe noise exposure can induce heat shock proteins (Hsps), and exposure to moderate noise has been reported to confer protection against noise-induced damage to hearing. Whether there is any association of genetic variation in both constitutive and inducible hsp70 genes with noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is presently unknown. Using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism, we genotyped 3 polymorphisms (+190A/ B, +1267A/B, and +2437A/B) in the hsp70-1 (rs1043618), hsp70-2 (rs1061581), and hsp70-hom (rs2227956) genes, respectively, and investigated the associations of these polymorphisms with risk of developing NIHL in 194 automobile workers working in a similar noise environment as evaluated by audiological assessment. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess the associations with the risk genotypes, and Whap software was used to analyze their haplotypes. Our results showed that there was no statistically significant difference in the genotype and allele distributions of hsp70-1, hsp70-2, and hsp70-hom between the NIHL group and the normal group (P > 0.05) with and without adjustment for age, sex, smoking, history of explosive noise exposure, and cumulative noise exposure. However, haplotype analysis revealed that the Hap5 (ie, haplotype +190A/+1267B/+2437A) and Hap6 (ie, haplotype +190A/+1267B/+2437B) were significantly more frequent in the NIHL group than in the normal group (20/9, P = 0.022, and 7/0, P = 0.005, respectively). Compared with Hap1 (ie, +190A/+1267A/+2437A), Hap5 was associated with a nearly 3-fold increased risk of NIHL (adjusted odds ratio, 2.67; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-6.27). Seven of the NIHL patients had Hap6, but none of the controls had this haplotype. Our results suggest that some haplotypes of the hsp70 genes may be associated with a higher susceptibility to NIHL.

Adult↗

Promoting automobile safety belt use by young children.

A program using behavioral practice, assertiveness training, and social and contrived reinforcers was developed to establish and maintain automobile safety belt use by young children. Sixteen children (ages 4.8 to 7 years) who never used their safety belts during a 5-day preexperimental observation period were randomly assigned to two groups of eight each. A multiple baseline design across groups was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the training program. During the 8-day baseline period for Group 1, no children used their safety belts when unobtrusively observed while being driven from school. During the 26-day intervention period, the children were buckled up on 96% of the observations. Follow-up probes conducted 2-3 months after program discontinuance found safety belt use to range from 86% to 100%. For Group 2, the 14-day baseline safety belt use averaged 6% and increased to a mean of 81% during the 20-day training and maintenance program. Follow-up probes 2-3 months later found safety belt use to occur during 75% to 96% of the observations. Parent questionnaires indicated the generalizability and social validity of the program.

Accidents, Traffic↗

Sedating drugs and automobile accidents leading to hospitalization.

The use of central nervous system depressant drugs among 244 people hospitalized for injuries suffered in an automobile accident was similar for drivers presumed at fault for the accident compared with other drivers and passengers. It was only slightly higher in the three groups than it was in the population at large. The absence of an important association in this population might be related to the warnings given to people filling prescriptions for these drugs.

Accidents, Traffic↗

Application of time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry to automobile paint analysis.

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) provides a method of elemental analysis that can distinguish among automotive paint samples of the same or nearly the same color. TOF-SIMS survey spectra were employed to determine the relative abundances of elements in the surface layers of the paint chips. The depth profile of paint samples permitted the analysis of small paint chips, the reproducible results for specific elements, and the identification of each car paint. Seventy-three samples of blue, red, white, and silver automobile paints from the major manufacturers in Korea were investigated using high resolution TOF-SIMS technique. It was found that paints of the same color produced by different manufacturers could be distinguished by this technique. TOF-SIMS is a reliable, nondestructive, and small area analyzing method for characterization of the elemental composition of automotive paint chips.

Journal Article↗