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At least 991 records · Page 55Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Concentration of magnesium in hair of inhabitants of down-town Kraków, the protective zone of Steel-Mill "Huta im. Sendzimira" and Tokarnia village.

Concentration of magnesium in hair was measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry in 3 groups of persons aged 48 to 79. All the participants of the study lived at least 10 years and none of them worked in industry or commerce. Their work place was in the distance less than 10 kilometers from their dwellings. The first group comprised inhabitants of the protective zone surrounding the Steel-Mill Huta im. Sendzimira, southern Poland, regarded as one of the biggest source of air, water and soil pollution. The second group constituted inhabitants of down-town Kraków (some 15 km from the steel-mill). The third group were the inhabitants of Tokarnia village with favourable microclimate. Though the concentration of magnesium in hair was similar to the one reported by other authors, it was shown that the concentration of this cation in hair was the smallest in the inhabitants of down-town Kraków and the highest in Tokarnia. The differences were statistically significant. It is postulated that magnesium hair concentration may be an easier, cheaper and less invasive indicator of body magnesium depletion.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

[Occupational medicine services in small enterprises].

The article deals with the materials of International Symposium on Industrial Medicine, which was held in November '93 in Seul (South Korea). Participated by scientists from Finland, China, Hong Kong, Russia, WHO, the Symposium was devoted to 30th Anniversary of Korean Industrial Hygienic Association. The main items discussed were importance of occupational medical control in small enterprises (including also farms, fishing firms and public service offices), as they appear to have unfavourable work conditions (noise, high concentrations of chemicals, heating microclimate). Improved regulation of industrial medicine and developed primary care service were also stressed expedient. Special emphasis involved basic science for industrial hygiene and better professional training.

Congresses as Topic↗
PubMed1994

[The effect of exposure to radiation and other industrial factors on the morbidity of the personnel in enterprises in the mining and processing of rare-earth metal ores].

Multivariate regression analysis proved that radiation of allowable level had no unfavorable influence on morbidity with transitory disablement. Increased from 0.15 to 2.0 microGy/hr dose rate of gamma radiation at the workplaces resulted in slightly lower morbidity. Unfavorable influence on morbidity was caused by physical factors (noise, vibration, microclimate, work hardness), irritating and neurotoxic chemicals in amounts which seldom exceeded the allowable norms, hostile climate and geographic conditions.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1994

Sick building syndrome--a case study in Zagreb.

Sick building syndrome was investigated in a newly built office building. Information about health complaints from the employees was obtained by means of a self-administered questionnaire. Measurements of microclimate conditions and air pollution levels confirmed that the employees' complaints were justified. Because of a high percentage of complaints, the questionnaire was evaluated by means of factor analysis. The results showed logical grouping of the complaints and/or symptoms, suggesting credibility of the answer. Factor analysis proved to be an appropriate tool for detecting and evaluating sick building syndrome.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[The occupational aspect of sudden cardiac death in coal miners].

By means of epidemiological, clinico-functional, experimental, pathomorphological, histological and mathematical-statistical methods the authors showed that hard physical work under conditions of heating microclimate promoted quick development and advance of coronary heart disease in deeply working coal miners. Negative dynamics of sudden coronary death (SCD) rate was established, its pathophysiological mechanisms were specified. SCD risk factors were singled out and arranged accordingly to their importance. SCD in miners was suggested to be considered as professionally conditioned state.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Effect of the vegetative cover on the biological activity of the soil of Chaco Arido].

Vegetation plays a primal role in arid ecosystems, since it creates microclimate conditions that moderate the characteristics of the region whereby the rational use of vegetal resources is fundamental. Felling, clearing and overgrazing lead to decrease in organic contribution and stimulate soil compaction, causing an alteration of microbial activity, with losses in nutrient turnover. The global biological activity is a soil parameter easy to obtain and indicates the presence and diversity of soil life as well as substrate availability and is useful in order to characterize soil potential fertility. This work was carried out in Natural Forest Reserve Chancaní, Province of Córdoba (Argentina), which is representative of Argentine Dry Chaco. Dominant tree species are: Prosopis flexuosa and Aspidosperma quebracho blanco. The global biological activity (GBA) was measured along one year, under trees, under shrubs and in interspaces. Soil samples were taken monthly from plots with four management systems: 1) forest, ii) selective clearing (only dominant species remain), iii) bush (clearing invaded by Larrea sp) and iv) grazing (cleared area, neither trees nor shrubs). GBA was evaluated using the CO2 release method, after ten days of incubation. It is concluded that in the plots with grasses and under the trees GBA was higher than with other treatments. The lesser GBA was detected in bushes and interspaces. All differences were more prominent during extreme temperature months. No significant difference between both species of dominant trees was observed.

Animal Husbandry↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The relationship between work and vision in a preventive medicine context: the initial guidelines for a correct ergonomic ophthalmological approach proposed by the Italian Group for the Study of the Relationships between Work and Vision (G.I.L.V.). I. The presentation].

Modern technology poses numerous and complex problems concerning the implications for health in the work/vision relationship. While many of the hypotheses made in the past about the possibility of serious eye alterations in non-industrial workers have not been confirmed by recent investigations, considerable attention is at present being addressed to the short- and long-term effects of office work, especially in the case of tasks requiring prolonged visual effort "at near point". The prevalence of asthenopia in such workers is rather high, between 40 and 80%. The considerable specificity of the symptoms and the shortcomings in assessment of exposure in most of the research done so far has meant that no clear and unequivocal causal relationship between work involving intense visual effort and onset of asthenopia has been established. Nevertheless, from an analysis of the literature three main guidelines for a correct ergophthalmologic assessment can be identified: a) ophthalmologic assessments that will detect any transitory inefficiencies of the accommodation and convergence system; b) specific analysis of the technical and illumination conditions with special attention to the distribution of the natural and artificial light sources; c) quantification of airborne pollutants that have a potential irritative effect on the "ocular surface". Other environmental parameters that could be considered are electric and magnetic fields in the vicinity of VDTs and PCs and the microclimate of the workplace.

Ergonomics↗
PubMed1995

[The assessment of the occupational risk to workers in electric steel production].

These studies, centering on occupational environmental factors, biologic monitoring, and toxicodynamic investigations, involved a total of 105 workers distributed into eight job groups, who were 45 years, of age on the average and had from 5 to 10 years of special occupational experience at "Electrosteel" Works. Evidence was obtained for presence of unfavorable microclimate conditions, elevated equivalent levels of noise, excess of general and local vibrations, exposure to manganese aerosols, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides; some of the subjects and deviations in hepatic status and connective tissue. Job groups found to be at risk were those of steel founders, crane workers, and pourers.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1996

[Automation in research of occupational morbidity among transport workers].

Universal PC software served as a based for automated system collecting information on morbidity among transport workers and proposing models and statistic analysis. The system was tested in following PC: ISKRA 1030, EC 1840, IBM PC/XT, IBM PC/AT. Automatic analysis of morbidity among sailors used a new medical and statistic parameter called "probability of accumulated morbidity". Increasing accent in chronic diseases formation was traced with occupational factors (noise, vibration, microclimate, pollution with chemicals, etc.), with behavioral and personal biologic and medical factors playing only modifying role.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

[Ischemic heart disease as a cause of death in occupational groups of workers].

The authors studied the ischemic heart disease spread as a lethality cause in 5673 workers, retired due to a disease (general, occupational disease and accident). The workers in 2.9 per cent were found to die of ischemic heart disease with a 15 years length of service and at the age of 60. The miners die in 0.2 per cent of ischemic heart disease, teachers--in 5.1 per cent, drivers--8.9 per cent, engineers (management personnel)--in 13.5 per cent etc. The deceased of ischemic heart disease in 2 per cent have worked in favourable working conditions, in 13 per cent--in contact with poisons, in 20 per cent--with unfavourable microclimate, in 41 per cent with mental work etc. The work in unfavourable working conditions and nervous-psychic strain was proved to appear as a risk factor for the origination of ischemic heart disease.

Bulgaria↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The morbidity characteristics of diseases of the bone and muscle systems in workers in iron-ore mines and quarries depending on the conditions and nature of the work].

In terms of applying for medical advice in osteomuscular disorders, taking second place in the structure, it has been established that in practically identical values for the general level of morbidity, the incidence rate of lumbosacral radiculites, myalgias and myosites in drifters and drillers is 5.8 and 2.5 times as high respectively, that of thoracic and lumbar, cervical osteochondrosis, epicondylitis in drivers--3.9, 2.4, and 3.3 times as high, which facts might suggest an important role in the etiology of the above conditions, in the first place, of great physical loads plus high levels of noise, vibration, cooling microclimate, in the former case, and such loads coupled with high nervous and emotional tension, general low frequency vibration, noise, in the latter case. The established level and structure of occupational disorders of the locomotor system in both groups workers suggest their inadequate identification in respect of both amount and nosology.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

[Evaluation of a protocol of health surveillance for the personnel exposed to inhalation anesthetics in a sample of 3 operating rooms].

OBJECTIVES: To verify the results of a health surveillance protocol for personnel exposed to inhalation anaesthetics. DESIGN: Yearly follow-up of operating room personnel. SETTING: Operating theatres of a university hospital; one "clean" room with waste anaesthetic scavengers, a second older room an thus "dirty", a third room with appropriate technical requirements, but with a considerable environmental emission of anaesthetics. PATIENTS OR PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-four technical surgical assistants and anaesthesiologists. INTERVENTION OR METHODS: Determination of the number of changes of air by means of concentration decay; determination of the baseline and final value of the environmental anaesthetics by infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy; analysis of the microclimate and inspection of the equipment. Determination of anaesthetics in the urine of personnel at the end of the work shift, using a gas-chromatograph with head space. Yearly medical check-up and blood tests. RESULTS: In the first year of observation we found values of nitrous oxide in one room and of isoflurane in all three rooms which exceeded the upper limit value. Acceptable values in all the rooms were detected during the second year. The values of anaesthetics found in urine samples reflected those measured in the rooms. Personnel reported subjective symptoms, but no blood alterations related to exposure were found. CONCLUSIONS: The application of the protocol has allow us to estimate the level of pollution and to suggest behavioral rules and technical precautions that have decreased the emission of anaesthetics in the environment. Blood tests are not a valid index of possible damage caused by exposure.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMed1997

[Evaluation of the effects of a complex of physical factors on the functional state of men doing mental work].

The article evaluates influence of environmental, physical factors (noise, vibration, ambient temperature, illumination) on human functional state. The study involved 3 males performing mental tasks (following the object movements on monitor and correcting the track after variable interferences appearing in uneven time intervals) in specific microclimate chamber. The study revealed physiologic parameters more substantial for human functional state if influenced by environmental physical factors. For each parameter of human functional state and environmental physical factor a significance share was determined. If significant (r = 0.82, p < 0.001), correlations between parameters of human functional state and environmental physical factors became a material for integral equations. Method of cluster analyses defined 3 classes of human functional state and environmental status. Evaluation and regulation of those integral parameters became possible through a probability nomogram obtained.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[Epidemiologic study of mortality of workers of metallurgy enterprise in Nizhni Tagil].

The article studies long-term effects of occupational factors on metallurgists' health. The epidemiologic research revealed that hard physical work in chronic and intensive heating microclimate with high levels of dust increases the mortality risk among workers engaged into open-hearth, necking, converter and blast furnace shops (the death causes--arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease, pneumonia, bronchitis, tracheal and bronchial cancer, lung and pancreatic carcinoma). The auxiliary workers of those shops, who face intermittent influence of the same factors demonstrated the mortality levels insignificantly different from those of a reference region. Influence of chemicals containing carcinogens increases the mortality among workers or non-coke and coke shops (the death causes--tracheal, bronchial and lung cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

The role of allergy in the etiopathogenesis of laryngeal mucosal lesions.

The results of this study showed that allergy is an important factor in the etiopathogenesis of laryngeal mucosal lesions. Despite adequate treatment, no other unfavourable factors appeared to have significant influence on the results of the treatment. It seems that hypersensitivity to different inhalatory and nutritional allergens make laryngeal mucosa more susceptible for adverse action of other factors: vocal misuse, gastroesophageal reflux (GER), smoking, irritants in the surrounding microclimate, endocrinologic disorders, etc. Acting together, all these factors cause the development of laryngeal mucosal lesions. In the treatment of noninfectious laryngitis, vocal cord nodules, polyps or Reinke's edema, all the stated adverse factors should be identified and suitably diminished or eliminated. Allergy (Ig-E-mediated and non-IgE-mediated) should be considered as only one of the etiopathogenetic factors.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

[The influence of chronic exposure to carbon disulfide on metabolism of catecholamines and serotonin in women].

Due to more frequent occurrence of the idiopathic arterial hypertension of borderline type (18.97% of screened women), with values varying from 18.7/12.0 to 21.3/12.7 kPa (140/90-160/95 mm Hg), in women chronically exposed to carbon disulfide as compared to the control group (8.5% women), we decided to investigate the activity of sympathetic-adrenal nad serotoninergic systems that play an important role in the haemostasis of cardiovascular system. The aim of the presented study is to evaluate the linear correlation between: 1) serum dopamine-beta hydroxylase activity and the dopamine concentration in plasma as well as 24-hours adrenaline and noradrenaline excretion in the urine; and 2) between catechol-0-methyltransferase and monoaminoxidase activity and the 24-hours excretion of catecholamine in the urine; next the serum and platelet concentration of serotonin and the arterial blood pressure in women chronically exposed to carbon disulfide. The investigations were performed on 140 women, aged 22 to 55, who were divided into two groups: group-I the control group, covered 50 women employed in the Industrial Clothing Factory "Dana" in Szczecin. Group II-the study group, consisted of women employed in the Synthetic Fibres Factory "Wiskord" in Szczecin-Zydowce, in the carbon disulfide (CS2) atmosphere in concentration from 9.36 to 23.4 mg/m3. The microclimate conditions of the production halls in both groups were similar (Tab. 1). It has been observed that in women chronically exposed to CS2 plasma dopamine concentration (p < 0.001) and DBH serum activity (p < 0.001) are significantly lower as compared to the control group parameters (Tab. 2). Also dopamine concentration and DBH activity are lower in all subgroups of women exposed to CS2 (Tab. 3). In women working in the CS2 atmosphere, 24-hours excretion of adrenaline is significantly lower (p < 0.001) as compared to the control group. Parameters for 24-hours noradrenaline and VMA excretion in the urine do not show any statistical significance (Tab. 4). Plasma (p < 0.001) and platelet (p < 0.001) concentration of serotonin is significantly higher in women exposed to CS2. However, 24-hours 5-HIAA excretion in the urine in women of group II is higher than in group I, but does not give evidence of any statistical significance (Tab. 6). Both serum (p < 0.001) and platelet (p < 0.001) MAO activity is significantly lower in women chronically exposed to CS2. Also COMT erythrocyte activity is significantly lower (p < 0.001) in the studied group women (Tab. 8). The women working in the CS2 evaporation display significantly higher serum concentration of total (p < 0.001), bound (p < 0.001) and free (p < 0.001) tryptophane (Tab. 9). In women exposed to CS2, serum concentration of zinc (p < 0.001) and copper ions (p < 0.001) is significantly lower (Tab. 10). In comparison to the control group parameters, the women exposed to CS2 claim values of systolic and diastolic arterial blood pressure being insignificantly higher. However, in women working in CS2 atmosphere the coefficients of linear correlation between plasma (r = 0.59; p < 0.001) and platelet (r = 0.73; p < 0.001) serotonin concentration and the systolic arterial blood pressure, as well as plasma (r = 0.065; p < 0.001) and platelet (r = 0.72; p < 0.001) serotonin concentration and the diastolic arterial blood pressure are significantly higher (Tab. 11). Significantly positive linear correlation between serotonin concentration and arterial blood pressure in women chronically exposed to CS2 may suggest the important role of this amine in the pathogenesis of arterial hypertension.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[Physical cost of working under conditions of thermal load].

The objective of this study was to assess the effect of physical load and thermal load on changes in physiological cost of work. A group of 25 students aged 23 +/- 2 years; height 178 +/- 6 cm and weight 72 +/- 11.2 kg, were tested on a bicycle ergometer with physical load of 25, 50, 75, 100 and 150 watts in a climatic chamber at air temperature ta (the mean temperature = 20.5 degrees C) and relative humidity (the mean relative humidity = 68%) and at thermal load WBGT = 27 degrees C. The following parameters were measured: general physical fitness, minute lung ventilation, energy expenditure, relative workload, mechanical efficiency rate, pulse rate and coefficients of correlation between these values. In comparison to values noted under conditions of moderate microclimate, minute lung ventilation, energy expenditure, relative workload and pulse rate were significantly enhanced and coefficient of mechanical lowered at all physical loads under conditions of thermal load WBGT = 27 degrees C. The study revealed significant collaboration between pulse rate at work and increase of minute lung ventilation as well as between energy expenditure at work. There was positive correlation between minute lung ventilation and absolute energy expenditure and %VO2max, and negative correlation between mechanical efficient rate and minute lung ventilation, absolute energy expenditure and %VO2max. The study showed an increased physiological cost of work under conditions of thermal load resulting in declined work efficiency and increased effort necessary to perform individual tasks.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Health and life style of families among various social groups of the population with young children].

Presents the results of a sociohygienic study of the health status, life style and conditions of 900 families belonging to different social groups (workers, employees, and mixed) with young children. The principal risk factors for children's health are chronic diseases and adverse occupational factors of their parents, poor microclimate in the family, and poor education of their mothers. Medicosocial requirements of workers' families are a priority problem.

Child Welfare↗