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PubMed1993

Surveillance of HIV infection and zidovudine use among health care workers after occupational exposure to HIV-infected blood. The CDC Cooperative Needlestick Surveillance Group.

OBJECTIVE: To study the risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and the patterns of use and associated toxicity of zidovudine among health care workers after an occupational exposure to HIV. DESIGN: An ongoing, prospective surveillance project conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. PARTICIPANTS: Exposed workers voluntarily reported by 312 U.S. health care facilities from August 1983 to June 1992. RESULTS: Four of 1103 enrolled workers with percutaneous exposure to HIV-infected blood seroconverted (HIV seroconversion rate, 0.36%; upper limit of the 95% Cl, 0.83%); no enrolled workers with mucous membrane (n = 75) or skin (n = 67) contact seroconverted. During October 1988 to June 1992, 31% of 848 enrolled workers used zidovudine after exposure; this proportion increased from 5% during October through December 1988 to 43% during January through June 1992. Despite using zidovudine after exposure, one worker became infected with a strain of HIV that was apparently sensitive to zidovudine. Adverse symptoms, most commonly nausea, malaise or fatigue, and headache, were reported by 75% of workers using zidovudine; 31% of workers did not complete planned courses of zidovudine because of adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: The risk for HIV seroconversion after percutaneous exposure to HIV-infected blood is 0.36%, which is similar to previous estimates. Zidovudine is used after exposure by a sizable proportion of health care workers enrolled in the project despite frequent, minor, associated symptoms. Documented failures of postexposure zidovudine prophylaxis, including in one worker enrolled in this study, indicate that if zidovudine is protective, any protection afforded is not absolute. Postexposure zidovudine, if used, requires careful consideration of possible risks and benefits.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.↗
PubMed1994

Human immunodeficiency virus infection among health care workers who donate blood.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among health care workers who donate blood. DESIGN: Point prevalence survey of blood donors. SETTING: 20 U.S. blood centers that participate in an ongoing interview study of HIV-seropositive blood donors. MEASUREMENTS: Prevalence rates for HIV in persons who reported being health care workers were measured directly for 6 of the 20 blood centers. For the other 14 centers, we derived the numerator from the interview study in the same manner used for the 6 centers; we estimated the denominator using blood collection logs at those centers and extrapolations from the survey completed at the 6 blood centers. RESULTS: Between March 1990 and August 1991, 8519 health care workers donated blood at 6 hospitals and other medical facilities. Three persons were HIV seropositive: Two reported being health care workers and having nonoccupational risk factors for HIV infection; the occupation and other possible risk factors of the third seropositive donor could not be determined. Therefore, the highest overall prevalence of HIV infection among health care worker donors at these 6 centers was 0.04% (3 of 8519; upper limit of 95% CI, 0.1%). We estimated that during the same period, approximately 36,329 health care workers were tested for HIV at all 20 centers. Twenty-seven persons infected with HIV who donated at hospitals were identified; 7 did not return for interviews, so their health care occupations could not be verified. Thus, the highest estimated overall prevalence of HIV infection among health care worker donors at the 20 centers was 0.07% (27 of 36,329; upper limit of CI, 0.1%). Of the 20 known health care worker donors, 11 reported nonoccupational risks for HIV infection; 3 of the remaining 9 health care workers described occupational blood exposures that could have resulted in transmission of HIV. CONCLUSIONS: Blood donors can serve as a sentinel cohort when evaluating the risk for occupationally acquired HIV infection. These findings suggest that among the many health care worker donors in this study, HIV infection attributable to occupational exposure was uncommon.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Occupationally acquired infections in health care workers. Part I.

BACKGROUND: Health care workers are at occupational risk for a vast array of infections that cause substantial illness and occasional deaths. Despite this, few studies have examined the incidence, prevalence, or exposure-associated rates of infection or have considered infection-specific interventions recommended to maintain worker safety. OBJECTIVES: To review all recent reports of occupationally acquired infection in health care workers in order to characterize the type and frequency of infections, the recommended interventions, and the costs of protecting workers. Part I of this two-part review focuses on the historical and ethical aspects of the problem and reviews data on infections caused by specific airborne organisms. DATA SOURCES: A MEDLINE search and examination of infectious disease and infection control journals. DATA SELECTION: All English-language articles and meeting abstracts published between January 1983 and February 1996 related to occupationally acquired infections among health care workers were reviewed. Outbreak- and non-outbreak-associated incidence and prevalence rates were derived, as were costs to prevent, control, and treat infections in health care workers. DATA SYNTHESIS: More than 15 airborne infections have been transmitted to health care workers, including tuberculosis, varicella, measles, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus infection. Outbreak-associated attack rates range from 15% to 40%. Most occupational transmission is associated with violation of one or more of three basic principles of infection control: handwashing, vaccination of health care workers, and prompt placement of infectious patients into appropriate isolation. CONCLUSIONS: The risk for occupationally acquired infection is an unavoidable part of daily patient care. Infections that result from airborne transmission of organisms cause substantial illness and occasional deaths among health care workers. Further studies are needed to identify new infection control strategies to 1) improve protection of health care workers and 2) enhance compliance with established approaches. As health care is being reformed, the risk for and cost of occupationally acquired infection must be considered.

Ethics, Medical↗
PubMed1985

Obesity indices and their interrelationships when applied to workers.

Using results of periodic health examinations of middle or small size establishments in Kitakyushu-City conducted by an occupational health service from April to September in 1982, the relationships among ten obesity indices of 30-59 years old male workers (27,376 persons) were investigated classified by age groups (30-39, 40-49 and 50-59 age groups) and by occupations (total occupation, field workers and office workers). Obesity indices adopted here are those derived from weight and height and are used mostly in Japan. Though the means of obesity values were various, the means in the 40-49 age group were higher than those in other age groups through all the indices and all the occupations. And those for office workers were higher than those for field workers through all the indices and all the age groups. The percentage of workers whose obesity values were 20+ in the Minowa index was about 14% and this percentage was attained almost by 20+ in the Katsura and the Kato indices, by 15+ in the NK, the Matsuya, the Matsuki and the CN indices, by 5+ in the Broca index, by 25+ in the Quetelet index and by 156+ in the Rohrer index. Though the percentage of hypertensive office workers was higher than that of hypertensive field workers in the 40-49 age group, proportion adjusted by any obesity index was similar and there were scarcely any differences of adjusted proportions between office workers and field workers.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Safer sex at holiday centres: providing contraceptive services to seasonal workers.

Many seasonal workers experience an increase in sexual activity whilst employed at a holiday centre. Evidence of sexual risk-taking while at a holiday centre has important social and health implications for purchasers and providers of sexual health services in areas which experience an annual influx of seasonal workers. This research investigates the contraceptive behaviour of seasonal workers and focuses on their access to contraception and sexual health services. In-depth interviews were conducted with seasonal workers at holiday centres along the south coast of England. Respondents were, interviewed at the beginning of the season and again, five months later at the end of the season. This longitudinal methodology enabled changes in contraceptive behaviour to be identified as well as the strategies for seeking contraception and sexual health services throughout the season. The results of this study show that there are a range of different motivations which influence seasonal worker' use of contraception and sexual risk-taking while at a holiday centre. Categories of contraceptive protection are developed to assist purchasers and providers to identify the variety of sexual health needs of workers at holiday centres and determine the most effective strategies for delivering contraceptive and sexual health services to these workers. The paper describes the motivations which influence contraceptive use and sexual risk-taking amongst seasonal workers, identifies the contraceptive and sexual health needs of these workers, and discusses the difficulties workers experienced in meeting these needs while at a holiday centre.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

A survey into process and worker's characteristics in the wood furniture industry in Songkhla Province, southern region of Thailand.

A cross-sectional survey of the wood furniture industry was conducted in southern Thailand in February 1993. The aim was to examine the manufacturing process, occupational hazards at the workplace, workers' demographic characteristics, period of employment, incidence rate of work related injury and some reproductive history of workers. Altogether 69 managers and 1,000 workers participated in the study. There are 2 main types of wood industry, rubberwood and hardwood. The rubberwood industry is semi-automated with advanced technology, has a female-dominated workforce of 200-300 workers per factory and overseas-market orientation. The hardwood industry is based in small-scale workplaces ranging from 20 to 60 workers, domestic-market orientation and has a male-dominated workforce. Most of the workers were young, single, of low education and were high turnover rate laborforce, with arduous work and long working hours per week. Solvent was the most frequent chemical exposure. The person-year incidence of chemical exposure in female workers was higher than in male workers for every group of chemicals. The incidence of accidents was twice as high as the official rate. The standardized fertility ratio of female wood workers was only 51.6% of that of the Thai female population. There was a high abortion rate among women who became pregnant inside the wood industry compared to that among pregnancies outside the wood factory. Wood industry workers were exposed to occupational hazards and accident-prone work conditions.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Within-day variability of magnetic fields among electric utility workers: consequences for measurement strategies.

Occupational exposure to 50-Hz magnetic fields was surveyed among electric utility workers to investigate (1) components of exposure variability, (2) patterns of autocorrelation between short-term measurements, and (3) imprecision and misclassification due to short-term measurements. Spot measurements every 10 seconds during 81 working days were analyzed for 42 electric utility workers from 10 occupational subgroups and during 8 working days for 4 office workers from the same company. For the 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA) magnetic fields, the variability was partitioned into its components: within workers, between workers, and between groups. For spot measurements of magnetic fields, the within-day variance component also was examined. Autocorrelation functions were determined and numbers of short-term measurements necessary for reliable estimates of 8-hour TWA magnetic fields were assessed. Spot measurements of magnetic fields, as well as 8-hour TWA magnetic fields, were approximately lognormally distributed among workers. The mean exposure to magnetic fields was 0.47 microT (n = 81 days) in electric utility workers and 0.12 microT (n = 8 days) in office workers. A large fraction, 76% of the spot measurements total variance, could be attributed to variability within days. For the 8-hour TWA magnetic fields, between-group variability was small and of the same magnitude as between-worker variability. Significant autocorrelations between short-term averages of 7.5, 15, and 30 minutes were present, when taken within periods of 30 minutes. One-hour averages showed no autocorrelation. Simulations showed that, due to high within-day variability and autocorrelation, a limited number of short-term measurements of magnetic fields in electric utility workers are likely to result in imprecise estimates of 8-hour TWA magnetic fields. Measurement strategies relying on short-term (spot) measurements are therefore likely to result in misclassification of exposure and consequently absent or spurious exposure-response relations.

Electromagnetic Fields↗
PubMed2001

Heterogeneity in sources of exposure variability among groups of workers exposed to inorganic mercury.

Many exposure assessment strategies rely on the occupational group as the unit of analysis in which workers are classified on the basis of job title, location, or on other characteristics related to the workplace or the job. Although statistical methods that combine exposure data collected on workers from different occupational groups are more efficient, the underlying assumption that the degree of variation over time and among workers is the same for all groups has yet to be fully investigated. Given the utility of different modeling approaches when assessing exposures, we investigated assumptions of homogeneity of variance within and between workers using both random- and mixed-effects models. In our study of four groups of workers exposed to inorganic mercury (Hg) at a chloralkali plant, there was no evidence of significant heterogeneity in the levels of variation over time or between workers for air Hg levels. For the biological monitoring data, however, our findings indicate that groups did not share common levels of variability and that it was not appropriate to pool the data and obtain single estimates of the within- and between-worker variance components. Classification of job group as a random or fixed effect had no effect on the results and yielded the same conclusions when the models were compared. To illustrate effects related to the proper specification of a model, the likelihood of exceeding certain levels (which is a function of the parameters of the underlying distribution of the natural log-transformed exposures) was evaluated using the results obtained from the different models. Although the probability that workers' mean exposures exceeded occupational exposure limits for air, urine and blood Hg was generally low (<10%) for all groups except maintenance workers, the estimated values sometimes varied depending upon the particular model that was applied. Given the growing use of random- and mixed-effects models that combine data across occupational groups, additional studies are warranted to evaluate whether it is reasonable to assume common variances and covariances among measurements collected on workers from different groups.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2000

A study of well-being among a population of Swedish workers using a job-related criterion-referenced multidimensional vocational assessment.

OBJECTIVES: This study involved Swedish workers (n = 106) who perform jobs categorized into four occupational groups from Jist's Enhanced Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) (Technical, Clerical, Service and Miscellaneous occupations) [1]. The workers capacity for work were investigated according to the Criterion Referenced Multidimensional Vocational Assessment (CMVA) comprising four aspects (described below), which were assessed in 14 different ways using 465 items. METHOD: The participants were interviewed [2], observed during performance of simulated work tasks [3], and answered mailed questionnaires [4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15]. The collected data were statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics and the tests of Cronbach's alpha coefficient, ANOVA, Chi-square, linear regression and Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The participants' work contained different level of occupationally substantive complexity showing that the work demands were different for the four work groups. For some of the participants ill-health were detected; The workers' work skills, e.g., the demands (VALPAR work samples) [3] the jobs required of the worker was higher than 14 of the workers' capacity for work. It was remarkable that many of the workers (34%) estimated themselves in need for rehabilitative measures (Functional Status Questionnaire) [12,13]. The results suggested that there was a negative discrepancy of what the workers' valued and strived for in connection to what they had attained in their work-lives [15,16]. The psychosocial work environment influenced the worker both positively and negatively. Participants (about 17%) who are performing their usual work for at least 20 hours a week had risks for ill-health [6]. In several components of CMVA there were significant differences between male and female workers, probably showing that the female workers had a greater burden to perform all the myriad of daily occupations (Self-Assessed Capabilities to Perform Daily Occupations) [7] including salaried work.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

Are primary health workers skilled enough to assess the severity of illness among young infants?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the skills of health workers in assessing the severity of illness among young infants. DESIGN: Cross sectional. SETTING: Five different health institutions viz, subcenter, primary health center, community health center, sub-divisional hospital, district hospital. METHODS: 110 young infants aged <2 months who attended the selected health institutions on specific week days were assessed by a physician. Subsequently 10 female health workers assessed these babies. Physician and health workers used same symptom and sign based guidelines for classification of the illness. Level of agreement between the physician and the health workers were assessed using kappa statistics. RESULTS: Physician classified 37.3% infants as not sick or mildly sick, 42.7% as moderately sick and 20% as severely sick. In comparison to the physician, the sensitivity and specificity of the health workers' assessment of severe illness was 77% and 76% respectively. Of 22 babies classified as severely sick by the physician, female health workers classified 5 as not sick or mildly sick, 8 as moderately sick and 9 as severely sick. On the other hand health workers classified one not sick or mildly sick and 9 moderately sick infants as severely sick. Level of agreement between the physician and health workers was poor (Kappa value = 0.39, 95% CI = 0.26, 0.52). Health workers misclassified illness mainly due to 'not counting the respiratory rate and 'not looking for chest retractions, purulent discharge and jaundice'. CONCLUSION: Trained health workers' skills were not satisfactory for assessment of illness severity among young infants. During training, importance of these signs needs to be emphasized.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

[Increased risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among tunnel construction workers].

BACKGROUND: As tunnel workers are exposed to particles from drilling, blasting and diesel exhaust, we aimed to assess the occurrence of respiratory symptoms and lung function decline in underground construction workers and relate these findings to exposure. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 212 tunnel workers and a reference group of 205 outdoor construction workers participated in a cross-sectional study. Respiratory symptoms and lung function were studied in relation to exposure. A subgroup of 29 non-smoking concrete workers who had been exposed to tunnel environment for one year, were examined by acoustic rhinometry, exhaled NO, spirometry and a questionnaire. Finally 122 tunnel workers were included in a prospective study in 1991 and re-examined in 1999. RESULTS: Among the tunnel workers the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was 14% vs. 8% in the reference subjects. Compared to the reference subjects, the tunnel workers had a significant decrease in FEV1, related to years of exposure. Concrete workers from the tunnel site had significantly increased exhaled NO levels and nasal mucosal swelling compared to subjects who had performed similar tasks outdoors. The decrease in FEV1 was associated with cumulative exposure to respirable dust and quartz. INTERPRETATION: Inhalation of construction-generated dust and gases enhances the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in tunnel workers.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

[Study on occupational respiratory diseases in fur-processing workers].

OBJECTIVE: To study the respiratory system injury in fur processing environment. METHODS: Environmental fungal survey was conducted in the fur processing procedures. Investigation of respiratory symptoms and chest X-ray examination were also carried out in 138 fur processing workers and 40 control workers. At the same time, the serum antibodies to fungi were analyzed by ELISA. RESULTS: Fungal number(629-3,681 cfu/m3) in fur processing procedures was much higher than those in the control environment. Cladosporium and Alternaria were the leading strains of fungi in fur processing procedures. The rates of respiratory symptoms(cough, sputum, chest tightness, dyspnea, and fever) in fur processing workers were higher than those in the control workers. The rates of the symptoms in female workers were 37.9%, 28.4%, 10.5%, 22.1%, 4.2%, respectively. Abnormalities of chest X ray were found in 7 workers. The serum antibodies to Cladosporium and Alternaria(A450 nm 0.631, 0.724, respectively) in fur workers were significantly higher than those in the control workers(P < 0.05). The positive rates of the antibodies to Cladosporium and Alternaria(44.2%, 42.8%) were significantly higher than those in the control workers(P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Cladosporium and Alternaria may be the pathogens of occupational respiratory diseases in fur processing workers.

Alternaria↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Fundamental role of the workers' representative in preventive safety activity].

With the arrival of Legislative Decree 626/94 which brought into Italian law the EU directives on workers' health and safety at the workplace, our country has also introduced rules that make a break with the past in this area, with the creation of new professional roles. The workers' safety representative takes on a fundamentally important role in the management of prevention, safety and health for workers in their place of employment in accordance with article 19. In fact, before the introduction of this Legislative Decree, the "protection" of workers' health was essentially based on rules and regulations the application of which was left to the exclusive and direct responsibility of the relationship between the employer and doctor, leaving out any participation by the worker. Whereas in the past workers could only be considered the final receivers of instructions about the security measures to apply, with Law 626 the workers themselves became active participants in the assessment of risks at work and consequently in the implementing of all the safety and hygiene measures contributing to the reduction of risk levels. The new regulations now in force assign important tasks to the workers' safety representative; all tasks and responsibilities associated with that role are examined and discussed, especially those relating to rights to information and training, consultation and participation in the process of designing and promoting safety measures. The job of workers' representative today takes on a fundamentally important meaning and role in a self-regulating system of work safety, where he or she has a proper area responsibility, so becoming a reference point for the workers generally.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Shift-work and cardiovascular diseases among chemical industry workers].

In order to assess the prevalence of cardiovascular abnormalities among shift workers, who were free from such abnormalities at the time of hiring, compared to day workers and ex-shift workers, we studied the QTc interval and several cardiovascular risk factors in 61 chemical workers, including 40 shift workers, 11 day workers, and 10 ex-shift workers. We found a high prevalence rate of ischemic heart disease and conduction abnormalities among ex-shift workers (5/10, 50%). We did not observe variations in the QTc interval among the three groups. The occurrence of cardiovascular disease is a reason for moving workers to day work. Therefore, the shift workers group in our study might have been selected among subjects with a healthier lifestyle preventing side effects on their cardiovascular system.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗
PubMed2004

Respiratory symptoms and bronchoalveolar lavage abnormalities in molybdenum exposed workers.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To detect an adverse effect of chronic inhalative molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) exposure in a group of symptomatic MoO3 exposed workers. PARTICIPANTS: 43 inhalatively MoO3 exposed workers of a metal plant and 23 non-exposed controls were included in this study. Among the workers, 33 suffered from respiratory symptoms while 10 individuals were asymptomatic. INTERVENTIONS: Chest x-ray, spirometry and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) were performed using standard equipment. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Neither symptomatic nor asymptomatic MoO3 exposed workers showed firm radiological signs of interstitial lung disease. In lung function testing, symptomatic MoO3 exposed workers did not differ from their asymptomatic colleagues. Employees of the metal plant had a higher percentage of predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1 %) and a higher percentage of predicted forced vital capacity (FVC %) than controls (p<0.05). In BAL cytology, symptomatic MoO3 exposed workers showed higher percentage counts of lymphocytes (p < 0.001) and neutrophils (p < 0.01), and higher T4/T8 ratios (p < 0.01) than asymptomatic MoO3 exposed workers. Furthermore symptomatic workers showed higher percentage counts of lymphocytes (p < 0.05) and neutrophils (p < 0.05) than individuals of the control group. CONCLUSION: The results of BAL cytology in symptomatic workers may be interpreted as a MoO3 induced subclinical alveolitis. This may indicate an adverse effect of chronic inhalative MoO3 exposure. It remains unclear whether symptomatic MoO3 exposed workers are at risk for the development of an interstitial lung disease in the future.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

[Study on mental capacity among workers in chemical industry system].

OBJECTIVE: To study the mental capacity and its influential factors among workers in chemical industry system (CIS). METHODS: One hundred and one workers were selected from CIS by systematic sampling. Then their mental capacity was measured using 4 indices: short-time memory, decode, AYP and mental functional index (MFI). RESULTS: Normality test revealed that the data of CIS workers' mental capacity displayed a profile approximate to normal distribution. All the levels of the four indices measured in the CIS workers aged more than 40 years were lower than those in workers aged less than 40 years (P < 0.01). All the levels of indices gradually increased with the increase of educational level (P < 0.01). Among the workers doing different types of work, the mental workers had the highest level in all indices while physical workers had the lowest level, but only the difference in respect to MFI was significant (P < 0.05). Female CIS workers had higher level in all indices than male; the differences were significant except that in short-time memory (P < 0.01). Mental capacity was noted to have significantly negative correlation with age and significantly positive correlation with educational level (P < 0. 01). CONCLUSION: Increasing CIS workers' educational level is a very important approach to the improvement of their mental capacity and hence the upgrading of their work ability.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

[Evaluation of occupational risk factors and laboratory workers' health in biochemical and clinical laboratories of hospitals of Kaunas city].

UNLABELLED: Impact of occupational risk factors on the health of hospital laboratories workers is not entirely assessed in Lithuania. Objectives of the study were to evaluate the main health disorders of laboratory workers and to define the relationship between the health complaints and working conditions in biochemical and clinical laboratories. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted in 2002. The questionnaire with questions on the most frequent health disorders and main occupational hazards, lifestyle factors, etc., was distributed among workers of biochemical and clinical laboratories in 6 hospitals of Kaunas city. Odds ratios with significance level p< or =0.05 were calculated. RESULTS: 112 laboratory workers completed the questionnaire. Laboratory assistants were exposed to higher number of workplace hazards rather than other workers. All health complaints were also more prevalent among laboratory assistants. Weakness, sleepiness at work, headache and sleep disturbances were the most prominent complaints among them to compare with other occupations. Skin irritation due to chemicals (chlorine compounds and hydrogen peroxide mainly) was more frequent among laboratory assistants as well. The most frequent localization of irritation was in hands. Complaints due to eyestrain were found in almost one third of responders. Neck pain, back pain, waist pain and joint pain due to long lasting fixed position was rather frequent among laboratory workers. Inconvenient work posture increased risk for waist pain (OR=1.65; p>0.05), neck pain (OR=2.32; p>0.05) and sleep disorders (OR=4.32; p<0.05). There was no significant relationship between health disorders and work experience. Mental stress is common in job of laboratory workers. CONCLUSIONS: More than one third of workers work in inconvenient posture, most of them spent in this position more than a half of work time. Inconvenient work position significantly increases risk for hand numbness sleep disorders and joint pain. Skin irritation and rash, especially in hands, caused by chlorine compounds, soap and water is quite common among laboratory workers, mainly assistants. Mental stress is common in job of laboratory workers. No statistically significant relationship between health complains and work duration was found.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

[Analysis of serum glutathione S-transferase and urinary 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine in coke oven workers].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the application of serum glutathione S-transferase (GST) and urinary 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) as the monitoring biomarkers for coke oven workers exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). METHODS: 47 male coke oven workers and 31 male control workers were investigated. Urinary 8-OHdG and serum GST were analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical detection and test kit. Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) as internal exposure of PAHs was also determined simultaneously by alkaline hydrolysis and HPLC. RESULTS: The values of urinary 1-OHP, serum GST and urinary 8-OHdG were reported as median with interquartile range (P(25)-P(75)). Urinary 1-OHP [5.7 (1.4-12.0) micromol/mol Cr], serum GST [22.1 (14.9-31.2) U/ml], and urinary 8-OHdG [1.9 (1.4-15.4) micromol/mol Cr] in coke oven workers were significantly higher than in control workers [3.0 (0.5-6.4) micromol/mol Cr (P < 0.05), 13.1 (9.5-16.7) U/ml (P < 0.01), and 1.3 (1.0-4.0) micromol/mol Cr (P < 0.05) respectively]. Categorizing by smoking status, significant differences in urinary 1-OHP and serum GST were found only in smokers among coke oven workers compared to control workers (P < 0.01), and 8-OHdG levels only in non-smokers (P < 0.01). Additionally, there was significant correlation between urinary 1-OHP and serum GST activity (r(s) = 0.31, P < 0.01, n = 78). The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that coke oven workers were at the higher risk of having GST activities above 16.7 U/ml (OR = 13.2) and 8-OHdG levels above 1.8 micromol/mol creatinine (OR = 4.4). High body mass index was an independent factor to affect urinary 8-OHdG levels. CONCLUSIONS: The elevated serum GST activities and increased oxidative DNA damage were found in the coke oven workers. Occupational exposure and smoking interact on each other. Serum GST may be used as a biomarker for assessing the exposure of PAHs. Assay of urinary 8-OHdG may be useful for evaluating the risk of lung cancer in coke oven workers.

8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine↗