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PubMed1998

Does living near a constellation of petrochemical, steel, and other industries impair health?

OBJECTIVES: To investigate concern that local industrial air pollution in Teesside, England, was causing poor health, several areas there were compared with parts of the City of Sunderland. METHODS: Populations in similar social and economic circumstances but varying in their proximity to major industries were compared. Study populations lived in 27 housing estates in Teesside and Sunderland, north east England, with some data from subsets of estates. The estates were aggregated into zones (designated as A, B, and C in Teesside where A is closest to and C furthest from industry, and S in Sunderland). Zone S provided a reference area. The hypothesis was that a health gradient both within Teesside (A > B > C) and between Teesside and Sunderland (ABC > S) would indicate a possible health effect of local industrial air pollution. Data presented were: mortality (1981-91) from 27 housing estates; population self completion questionnaire survey data (1993, 9115 subjects) from 15 housing estates; and general practitioner (GP) consultation data (1989-94) from 2201 subjects in 12 Teesside estates. RESULTS: The populations in the four zones were comparable for indicators including smoking habits, residential histories, and unemployment. All cause and cause specific mortalities were high compared with England and Wales. Mortality in all Teesside zones (ABC) combined was mostly higher than in zone S. In people aged 0-64, lung cancer and respiratory disease showed gradients with highest mortality in areas closest to industry (A > B > C and ABC > S). The association was clearest for lung cancer in women (0-64 years old, trend across zones ABC, p = 0.07, directly standardised rate ratio relative to zone S was 169 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 116-122)). There were no important, consistent gradients in the hypothesised direction between zones in consultation rates in general practice, and self reported respiratory and nonrespiratory health including asthma. CONCLUSIONS: There was no clear evidence that living close to industry was associated with morbidity, including asthma, or for most measures of mortality. For lung cancer in women the gradients indicated a health effect of local industrial air pollution. In the age group 0-64 observed gradients in lung cancer in men and mortality from respiratory disease in men and women were consistent with the study hypothesis, although not significant. The reasons for the different patterns at different ages, and between men and women, remain a puzzle.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Occupational asbestos exposure and predictable asbestos-related diseases in India.

BACKGROUND: India imports nearly 100,000 metric tons of asbestos per year, and small-scale asbestos (chrysotile and tremolite) mining and milling contributes nearly 5%-10% of the total national usage. The industry is relatively young, having started in the 1950s and 1960s. METHODS: Surveys of asbestos-exposed workers have identified significant occupational exposures, early pleural and parenchymal changes on chest radiograph, and decrements in lung function. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Based on knowledge of past and current exposures to asbestos in industry, we can predict a future occurrence of clinical asbestos-related diseases-pleural changes, pulmonary fibrosis, bronchogenic carcinoma, and diffuse malignant mesothelioma. These cases of asbestos related disease are expected to occur in asbestos exposed workers from mining, milling, and manufacturing as well as in those with secondary exposures to asbestos-containing materials, including construction and maintenance workers, users of asbestos-containing consumer products, and the occupants of asbestos-containing buildings.

Asbestos, Serpentine↗
PubMed2004

[Gene polymorphism of xenobiotics in workers of petroleum and chemical industry].

Increasing use of aromatic hydrocarbons and their derivatives, known mutagens and carcinogens, in petrochemistry leads to higher number of workers having occupational contact with those chemicals. Most alien chemicals (xenobiotics) incorporated into human body do not demonstrate direct biological effects but undergo various biologic transformations. Humans proved to have genetic control over metabolism of xenobiotics entering the body, so various individuals depending on genetic features could be resistant or otherwise be extremely sensitive to chemical agents.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

[Pregnancy complications and pregnancy outcome in women under 18 and above 35 years old in highly industrialized urban complex of Upper Silesia].

OBJECTIVES: There is a considerable effort done by many researchers towards identification factors that are responsible for increase in risk of adverse perinatal outcome. Maternal age is one of the most obvious but also one of the most difficult to proper interpretation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The authors analyzed major complications in pregnancy and labour in women under 18 above 35 years old in highly industrialized urban complex of Upper Silesia. RESULTS: Extremes of reproductive age, adolescence and age above 35 years have an impact on biological, social, cultural and economic conditions that significantly affects obstetrical results. CONCLUSIONS: Teenage mothers and the mothers above 35 years old are regarded to be in increased risk of instrumental delivery and caesarean section. These factors are also associated with augmented incidence of complication such as preterm labour, intrauterine growth restriction etc.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

High concentrations of heavy metals in neighborhoods near ore smelters in northern Mexico.

In developing countries, rapid industrialization without environmental controls has resulted in heavy metal contamination of communities. We hypothesized that residential neighborhoods located near ore industries in three northern Mexican cities would be heavily polluted with multiple contaminants (arsenic, cadmium, and lead) and that these sites would be point sources for the heavy metals. To evaluate these hypotheses, we obtained samples of roadside surface dust from residential neighborhoods within 2 m of metal smelters [Torreón (n = 19)] and Chihuahua (n = 19)] and a metal refinery [Monterrey (n = 23)]. Heavy metal concentrations in dust were mapped with respect to distance from the industrial sites. Correlation between dust metal concentration and distance was estimated with least-squares regression using log-transformed data. Median dust arsenic, cadmium, and lead concentrations were 32, 10, and 277 microg/g, respectively, in Chihuahua; 42, 2, and 467 microg/g, respectively, in Monterrey, and 113, 112, and 2,448 microg/g, respectively, in Torreón. Dust concentrations of all heavy metals were significantly higher around the active smelter in Torreón, where more than 90% of samples exceeded Superfund cleanup goals. At all sites, dust concentrations were inversely related to distance from the industrial source, implicating these industries as the likely source of the contamination. We concluded that residential neighborhoods around metal smelting and refining sites in these three cities are contaminated by heavy metals at concentrations likely to pose a health threat to people living nearby. Evaluations of human exposure near these sites should be conducted. Because multiple heavy metal pollutants may exist near smelter sites, researchers should avoid attributing toxicity to one heavy metal unless others have been measured and shown not to coexist.

Arsenic↗
PubMed2003

[Analisys of work-related accidents and incidents in an oil refinery in Rio de Janeiro].

Accidents in the chemical industry can have serious consequences for workers, communities, and the environment and are thus highly relevant to public health. This article is the result of an occupational surveillance project involving several public institutions. We analyze 800 work-related accidents that resulted in injuries, environmental damage, or loss of production in 1997 in an oil refinery located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The methodology was based on managerial and organizational approaches to accident investigation, with the European Union reporting system as the reference. The results highlight various limitations in the process of reporting and investigating accidents, as well as a certain hierarchy of accidents, with more attention given to accidents involving loss of production and less to those resulting in injuries, particularly among outsourced workers.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed1999

[Health care safety should be focused on prevention. Lessons to be learned from aviation, nuclear power plants and offshore industries].

In many respects the approach to questions of safety adopted in the aviation, nuclear energy and offshore oil industries is highly relevant to safety in the health care sector, even where legislation is concerned. Characteristic features are the emphasis on risk-factor identification, and such demands as risk analysis, knowledge checks, and the limitation of working hours. In addition, there is a need of disaster inquiries in cases of serious incidents, and of an organisation specifically responsible for safety issues. Regarding the development of an incident report system for use in health care, the importance of which increases with the risks involved, a commendable model is the risk report system adopted by civil aviation authorities in the USA, where those submitting reports are guaranteed immunity.

Aerospace Medicine↗
PubMed2003

Factors associated with severity of injury resulting from acute releases of hazardous substances in the manufacturing industry.

Data from the Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance system was used to identify factors associated with the severity of injuries of victims (an ordinal outcome variable) harmed in acute chemical release events in the manufacturing industry. We used proportional odds models to account for the order of severity in the outcome, with the general estimation equation. There were 659 events involving 2826 victims. More severe injuries were associated with explosion (adjusted OR aOR = 6.45), multiple chemicals (aOR = 1.75), multiple chemical categories (aOR = 1.70), the chemical group acids (aOR = 1.6), multiple injuries to an individual (aOR = 1.38-1.56) (ranges represent several models), confinement within a structure in a fixed facility (aOR = 1.76-1.90), and being located in the midwest region (aOR = 1.76-1.90). The summer was less likely than all other seasons to be associated with more severe outcome. The results provide information beneficial for preventive activities.

Extraction and Processing Industry↗
PubMed2006

Factors inhibiting bioremediation of soil contaminated with weathered oils and drill cuttings.

Oily drill cuttings and a soil contaminated with weathered crude oils were treated by enhanced biodegradation under tropical conditions in industrial scaled experiments. Oil contaminants were characterized by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. This allowed for the identification of a mixture of two crude oils in the contaminated soil. After 12 months of bioremediation process, the removal of hydrocarbons reached by biodegradation an extent of 60% although nutrient amendment with elevated concentration of N-urea had highly detrimental effects on the hydrocarbon degrading fungal populations due to the production of toxic concentration of ammonia gas by nitrification. The saturated hydrocarbons were extensively assimilated, though n-alkanes were not completely removed. Aromatic hydrocarbons were less degraded than saturated whereas resin and asphaltene fractions were, surprisingly, partly assimilated. In laboratory conditions, the residual hydrocarbons in the field-treated materials were 15-20% further degraded when metabolic byproducts resulting from biodegradation were diluted or removed.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗
PubMed2001

Accidents among drillers in the Venezuelan oil industry in 1993.

In 1993 a total of 356 accidents with injuries occurred in workers of 26 companies of oil and gas extraction in the eastern coast of Maracaibo Lake in Venezuela. 288 of them worked in drilling tasks. With the purpose of analyzing the factors that are associated with the drilling activities, the data base of the Venezuela Institute of Social Security, was reviewed. Only the first two digits of the Standard Industrial Classification were used in this study. For preventive reasons this study focused on six variables: unsafe condition or mechanical cause, insecure action, external agent, type of the accident, part of the body injured and the nature of the injury. The following results were obtained: the frequency rate was 222.3 by 1,000, most of them were minor and were caused by not paying attention when walking on or around labor areas (37%), thus favoring being struck by lifting machines (14%); also 62% occurred in non-classified conditions that injured the upper and lower extremities (48% and 24%) producing contusions and crushing (39%). In conclusion, most injuries occurring in the activity of oil and gas extraction are due to factors controllable with preventive strategies.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2006

Assessment of the mineral industry NORM/TENORM disposal in hazardous landfills.

The main objective of this paper is to describe the assessment methodology utilised in Brazil, to foresee the performance of industrial landfills to disposal solid wastes containing natural radionuclides arising from milling and metallurgical installations that process ores containing NORM. An integrated methodology is utilized and issues as risk, exposure pathways and the plausible scenarios in which the contaminant can migrate and reach the environment and human beings are addressed. A specific example of the procedure is described and results are presented for actual situations. The model consists of an engineered depository constructed of earthen materials which minimise costs and maintain integrity over long-term. In order to define the landfill characteristics and the potential consequences to the environment, an impact analysis is carried out, considering the engineering aspects of the waste deposit and the exposure pathways by which the contaminant can migrate and reach the environment and human beings. Analytical solutions are used in the computer program in order to obtain fast results.

Environment↗
PubMed2005

Radioactivity concentration in liquid and solid phases of scale and sludge generated in the petroleum industry.

Scales and sludge generated during oil extraction and production can contain uranium, thorium, radium and other natural radionuclides, which can cause exposure of maintenance personnel. This work shows how the oil content can influence the results of measurements of radionuclide concentration in scale and sludge. Samples were taken from a PETROBRAS unit in Northeast Brazil. They were collected directly from the inner surface of water pipes or from barrels stored in the waste storage area of the E&P unit. The oil was separated from the solids with a Soxhlet extractor by using aguarras at 90+/-5 degrees C as solvent. Concentrations of 226Ra and 228Ra in the samples were determined before and after oil extraction by using an HPGe gamma spectrometric system. The results showed an increase in the radionuclide concentration in the solid (dry) phase, indicating that the above radionuclides concentrate mostly in the solid material.

Background Radiation↗
PubMed2005

Monitoring the turbidity and surface temperature changes and effects of the 17 August 1999 earthquake in the Izmit Gulf, Turkey by the Landsat TM/ETM data.

The temporal turbidity and surface temperature changes and effects of the 17 August 1999 earthquake in the Izmit Gulf, Turkey have been investigated using Landsat TM/ETM data. The gulf is in the Mediterranean-Black Sea transition climatic zone and is partially surrounded by green vegetation cover and degraded and densely urbanized-industrialized areas. Landsat TM/ETM data acquired in 1990-1999 confirms increase in turbidity. Turbidity is always low in the southern part and high in the northern part of the gulf, because the more urbanized and industrialized areas are located in the northern part. The Landsat-7 ETM data acquired in the same year (1999) shows seasonal changes in turbidity. Moreover, the two high turbidity and surface temperature anomalies, one of which is parallel to the 17 August 1999 earthquake surface rupture (east-west) and the other which is in the northwest-southeast direction were mapped from Landsat-5 TM data acquired the day (18.08.1999) following the earthquake in the east end of the gulf. On the basis of turbidity implying the sea bottom movement, it is possible to state that a second rupture in the northwest and southeast direction could have occurred at the sea bottom during the earthquake. The distribution of the seismicity centers and the orientation of the lineaments in the area support this finding.

Disasters↗
PubMed2004

[Shift work and accidents--relevance for the offshore industry].

BACKGROUND: Increased use of shift work depends on keeping productivity and safety at acceptable levels. Approximately 7000 workers in the Norwegian offshore industry are working night shifts. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We have reviewed relevant literature on injuries in relation to shift work. RESULTS: The literature is inconclusive. The reason for this is most likely that all the studies are either observational or retrospective; no controlled interventions were found. However, shift work generally and night shifts in particular seem to increase the risk of injury. When newer data are taken into account, these clearly indicate that shift work is associated with reduced safety and productivity. INTERPRETATION: We conclude that if and when shift work is needed, it should be organised with certain patterns and rest breaks in order to reduce the risk of accidents and injuries. Focused and well-planned research is strongly needed in this field. Very few studies have been conducted on shift work and health effects offshore.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed1998

Psychosocial aspects of stress, health and safety on North Sea installations.

In recent years, the North Sea oil and gas industry has been exposed to widespread change, including organizational restructuring, "down-sizing", and increased safety regulation. This article reviews the literature on psychosocial stress, health, and safety among offshore personnel in the light of these developments. Few studies directly compare onshore and offshore populations; the available data suggest that, relative to their onshore counterparts, offshore personnel experience greater anxiety, more sleep problems, and higher work load. Within the offshore population, objective factors (eg, size, age, type of installation, work patterns, and occupational differences), subjective work perceptions, individual differences (age and personality), and health behavior, all play significant roles in relation to health and safety outcomes. However, much of the research in stress and health offshore has methodological limitations and does not allow causal interpretation. The need for prospective studies of the long-term mental and physical health of offshore personnel, and for research in several specific areas, is noted.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Vermont granite mortality study: an update with an emphasis on lung cancer.

This mortality study extends the period of observation of an article published in 1988 of 5414 workers in Vermont granite sheds and quarries to assess whether previously reported reductions in silicosis and tuberculosis mortality were maintained. The relationship between lung cancer and quartz exposure is also examined by comparing mortality in workers hired before and after 1940, when dust controls were introduced and exposures were reduced by 80% to 90%. Before 1940, general stone shed air contained 20 million particles/cubic foot (mppcf) (approximately equivalent to 0.2 mg/m of quartz), and pneumatic chisel workers were exposed on average to 60 mppcf (approximately equivalent to 0.6 mg/m of quartz). Other workers had variable exposures. After 1940, a period of decline occurred in dust levels and then stabilized in approximately 1955, when average dust levels were 5 to 6 mppcf (equivalent to 0.05-.06 mg/m of quartz). Dust exposures in the Vermont industry is considered to be free of confounding occupational substances such as arsenic, although cigarette smoking was common. By the end of 1996, 2539 workers, or 46.9% of the cohort, had died. There were no silicosis deaths in workers hired after 1940 who were exposed only in the Vermont granite industry, illustrating the effect of lowering quartz exposures. Tuberculosis caused 2 deaths in those hired after 1940 (standardized mortality ratio [SMR] = 0.52; not significant). Overall lung cancer mortality was elevated in shed workers who had been exposed both to high levels of quartz before 1940 and to the lower levels prevailing after 1940 (SMR = 1.32; P < 0.01). Quarry workers did not show an excess of lung cancer (SMR = 0.73; not significant). When shed workers with high and low exposure histories (before and after 1940) but with comparable latency and tenure were contrasted, lung cancer mortality was similar. Differing levels of quartz exposure, which resulted in large differences in the mortality experience from silicosis, did not result in differences in lung cancer mortality. The results do not support the hypothesis that granite dust exposure has a causal association with lung cancer.

Cause of Death↗
PubMed2002

[Occupational accidents in an oil refinery in Brazil].

OBJECTIVE: Work in oil refineries involves the risk of minor to major accidents. National data show the impact of accidents on this industry. A study was carried out to describe accident profile and evaluate the adequacy of accident reporting system. METHODS: Data on all accidents reported in an oil refinery in the state of Rio de Janeiro for the year 1997 were organized and analyzed. The study population consisted of 153 injury cases, 83 hired and 69 contracted workers. The variables were: type of accident, operation mode and position of the worker injured. RESULTS: Among hired workers, minor accidents predominated (54.2%) and they occurred during regular operation activities (62.9%). Among contracted workers, there also predominated minor accidents (75.5%) in a higher percentage, but they occurred mainly during maintenance activities (96.8%). CONCLUSIONS: The study results showed that there is a predominance of accidents in lower hierarchy workers, and these accidents occur mainly during maintenance activities. There is a need to improve the company's accident reporting system and accident investigation procedures.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMed2004

[Characterization of chemically exposed groups by immunotoxicological methods].

At the National Institute of Chemical Safety we have surveyed the immunological status of donors from the oil industry, health services, and metallurgy exposed to different immunotoxic compounds. Their data were compared to those of healthy, non-exposed controls. Our aim was to study the relationship between immunotoxic exposure and immune function, and to establish a system of immunological parameters by which chemical exposure can be specifically monitored. Subpopulations and activation of lymphocytes was measured by flow cytometry, using immunophenotyping of peripheral blood lymphocytes. In the groups exposed to immunotoxic compounds we found an increase in helper, and a decrease in cytotoxic T lymphocytes, leading to a shift in Th/Tc ratios. These phenomena are not substance specific, but relate to chemical exposure. The lymphocytes of exposed groups showed a higher proportion of activated cells, but there was a difference in the expressed activation markers. Our results suggest that characterizing lymphocyte subpopulations and activation markers on PBL of donors is a useful tool in tracking environmental immunotoxic effects.

Case-Control Studies↗