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At least 1,189 records · Page 66Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Past exposure to asbestos and combustion products and incidence of cancer among Finnish locomotive drivers.

Locomotive drivers in the steam engine era were exposed to asbestos during their vocational training for two years while training in workshops. Later in their career they had exposure to coal and diesel combustion products. To assess the level of earlier exposure historical working conditions were reconstructed and hygienic conditions were measured. The average exposure to asbestos (mainly anthophylline) fibres > 5 microns was 5.0 fibres/cm3. Incidence of cancer in a cohort of 8391 members of the Finnish Locomotive Drivers' Association, 1953-91, was analysed. The incidence of lung cancer and also total cancer was below the national average, probably due to the low prevalence of smoking among the drivers in the steam engine era. A four-fold risk of mesothelioma was found, most likely caused by exposure to asbestos. Also the observed 1.5-fold incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer and 1.7-fold risk of cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx may be related to occupation.

Asbestos↗
PubMed2003

The amount of sleep obtained by locomotive engineers: effects of break duration and time of break onset.

AIMS: To determine the effects of break duration and time of break onset on the amount of sleep that locomotive engineers obtain between consecutive work periods. METHODS: A total of 253 locomotive engineers (249 male, 4 female, mean age 39.7 years) participated. Data were collected at 14 rail depots, where participants drove electric or diesel locomotives; worked with another engineer or drove alone; carried passengers, freight, or coal; and operated in rural or urban areas. Participants completed sleep diaries and work diaries for a two week period while working their normal roster patterns. RESULTS: For breaks that began at similar times of day, total sleep time (TST) increased with break duration. For breaks of similar duration, TST was greater for those that occurred during the night-time than for those that occurred during the daytime. An average of 3.1-7.9 hours sleep was obtained in 12 hour breaks (minimum break requirement in the Australian rail industry), depending on when the break began. CONCLUSIONS: The duration and timing of breaks are both important factors in determining the amount of sleep that locomotive engineers obtain between consecutive work periods. Consequently, minimum length break requirements that do not include a time of day component may not provide locomotive engineers with the opportunity to obtain a sufficient amount of sleep prior to resuming work.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Individual characteristics in occupational accidents due to imbalance: a case-control study of the employees of a railway company.

BACKGROUND: Falls are frequent occupational accidents, and are responsible for a significant amount of lost working time and, more importantly, for a high mortality. The factors involved in falling mechanisms can be of external or individual origin, the latter being less well identified. AIMS: To assess the relations between certain individual characteristics and occupational accidents due to imbalance. METHODS: A total of 427 male employees, who had been victims of at least one occupational accident with sick leave due to imbalance (cases) and 427 controls were recruited among the employees of a large French railway company. A standardised questionnaire on life conditions and professional factors, and a description of the accidents was filled in by an occupational physician for each subject. RESULTS: Some job categories were more affected by a specific release mechanism of work related falls. Certain individual characteristics such as smoking, alcohol consumption, inactivity, sleep disorders, and request for a job change were correlated with the occurrence of occupational accidents. Sick leaves of eight days or over were more frequent in older and overweight injured workers. Some lesions were linked with the specific fall released mechanisms. CONCLUSIONS: Individual characteristics can increase the risk of occupational accidents, especially falling. This study identified subjects most at risk on whom prevention related to working conditions and falls could be focused.

Accident Proneness↗
PubMed1985

Effects of spirometry standards in two occupational cohorts.

Characteristics of subjects with nonreproducible lung function tests (test failures) are described in two studies of occupational respiratory disease. According to current guidelines for spirometry, subjects with test failure are excluded from analyses of epidemiologic pulmonary function data. Among 415 Chinese cotton textile workers, the prevalence of byssinosis was 5.8% for subjects with repeatable tests and 13.3% for subjects with test failure. In regression analysis, the estimate of the association between cotton dust exposure and FEV1 decreased when subjects with test failure were excluded. In a second cohort of 378 asbestos-exposed machinists, the prevalence of chronic bronchitis was significantly greater among those with test failure. Considering only subjects with repeatable measurements, FEV1 was lower among textile workers with byssinosis and machinists with chronic bronchitis than among their asymptomatic coworkers. This suggests that, on average, subjects with poor test performance had lower (unobserved) FEV1 values, and therefore that the exclusion of subjects with test failure may cause selection bias.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Lung function after acute chlorine exposure.

Chlorine gas, spreading from a train derailment, caused the deaths of 8 persons and the hospitalization of 23 with sublethal respiratory injuries. Twenty-five others had at least one sign of lower respiratory abnormality but were not hospitalized. One hundred thirteen who were examined for gas effects in the forty-eight hours after exposure, including 20 of 23 of those hospitalized and 21 of 25 of those not hospitalized but with respiratory abnormality, participated in follow-up studies. Probability of admission to hospital was related to distance from the spill, but by 3 wk after exposure there was no detectable difference in lung function relating to distance or apparent severity of injury. In 60 adults tested multiple times over the following 6 yr, longitudinal change in lung function showed expected differences related to smoking but none related to distance or severity of injury. The average annual change in FEV was -34 ml/yr in current smokers and -18 ml/yr in ex and never-smokers. The lack of a discernible chlorine effect in this cohort accords with the findings in most previous studies. Without pre-exposure measurements, a single, lasting reduction in lung function cannot be excluded, but there is no evidence for a persisting abnormal rate of decline.

Accidents↗
PubMed1987

Mental health responses in a decade of disasters: Australia, 1974-1983.

Between 1974 and 1983, Australia experienced the Darwin cyclone, the Granville rail disaster, and the Ash Wednesday bush-fires, each of which killed more than 60 people and caused significant emotional distress. Mental health response systems developed in the wake of the disasters varied in their level of sophistication and degree of acceptance, but they generally became better orchestrated and appreciated with each disaster. Lessons learned from research and review following one disaster were often applied in responding to the next. Research and review were particularly crucial in uncovering the presence of significant morbidity, including posttraumatic stress disorder, among relief workers and children and in highlighting the need for coordination of mental health services with other relief efforts. Many jurisdictions in Australia have since modified their disaster relief plans to include mental health services.

Australia↗
PubMed1992

Examination of Raynaud's phenomenon in traumatic vasospastic disorders.

Certain types of occupation-related vibrations can cause traumatic vasospastic disorders. Findings from clinical examination are often normal at the office consultation. Measurements of finger blood flow using plethysmography while the local ambient temperature is changed can give important information about the severity of traumatic vasospastic disorder and the concomitant disability. This technique can also be used for follow-up of the finger blood flow after withdrawal from vibrations.

Adult↗