Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Automobiles”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

[Analysis on potential years of life lost of automobile drivers in Jiangsu in 1990 - 1999].

OBJECTIVE: To describe the health status of automobile drivers and to define their potential years of life lost (PYLL) resulting from main death causes in Jiangsu in 1990 - 1999. METHODS: The Reed-Merrell method and Makham-Gompertz equation were used to compile the abridged truncate life tables. PYLL and rate of PYLL was used to analyse death causes in 1990 - 1999. RESULTS: (1) The life expectancy of drivers at age 20 was 55.36, which was 0.70 year less than that of non-drivers. (2) Rate of PYLL was 35.07 per thousand in drivers, and 42.65 per thousand in non-drivers, and the corresponding standard rates of PYLL were 42.45 per thousand and 41.14 per thousand, respectively. (3) Damage and toxicosis ranked number 4 in terms of proportionate mortality ratio, but ranked first with the rate of PYLL. CONCLUSION: Special attention should be paid to the health status of automobile drivers, especially to those who are middle aged. Diseases that made the greatest contributions to drivers' "earlier death" were damage and toxicosis.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Erosion of tooth enamel surfaces among battery chargers and automobile mechanics in Ibadan: a comparative study.

A cross sectional comparative survey was conducted among battery chargers and automobile mechanics in Ibadan to determine the effect of exposure of acid in form of solution or fumes on tooth enamel wear one hundred and five subjects were recruited and examined for erosion. This number comprised 67 automechanics and apprentices and 38 battery chargers and their apprentices. Other groups of automobile workers sharing the workshops were excluded from the study. All respondents aged between 11 and 68 years of age. Verbal informed consent was taken from all the subjects. One thousand and one hundred teeth were examined using the upper and lower central sextants. One hundred and sixty teeth were found to be missing. The teeth examined comprised 712 teeth of automechanics (88.55%) and 388 teeth of battery chargers (85.08%). Out of the 712 teeth of automechanics, only 23 teeth (3.2%) showed evidence of tooth wear whereas in the battery chargers group, 159 teeth out of 388 teeth (41%) had tooth wear. (P < 0.05). The battery charger group also showed a higher percentage of missing teeth, (14.9%) as against 11.44% of the automechanic group (P > 0.05). This study has shown that battery chargers are subjected to occupational hazard of exposure to highly erosive acids and fumes. Prevention through oral health education targeted at this group of subjects and early diagnosis are very important.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1972

Automobile collisions, kinematics and related injury patterns.

It has been determined clinically that fatalities and injury severity resulting from automobile collisions have decreased during the last five years for low impact speeds. This reduction is a direct result of the application of biomechanics and occupant kinematics, as well as changes in automobile design. The paper defines terminology used in the field of mechanics and develops examples and illustrations of the physical concepts of acceleration, force strength, magnitude duration, rate of onset and others, as they apply to collision phenomena and injury. The mechanism of injury pattern reduction through the use of restraint systems is illustrated.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1972

Mechanisms of injury in automobile crashes.

The only way to determine the causes of injury in automobile collisions is through examination of data collected in detailed investigation of crashes. Such data were gathered from a ten-year study of collisions that caused injury to the occupants of the cars. In a comparison of injuries in the newer model automobiles-vehicles equipped with the safety features-with those in older model cars not equipped with the present-day occupant protection devices, significant reduction in injury severity was noted.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMed1980

Nitrosamines in new automobiles.

The volatile nitrosamines, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), N-nitrosomorpholine (NMOR), N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) and possibly N-nitrosodibutylamine (NDBA) have been found to be present as airborne pollutants in the interiors of new (1979 model) automobiles. In the 38 automobiles tested, the levels ranged from 0.07 to 0.83 micrograms/m3 (average 0.3 micrograms/m3) for NDMA, from 0.07 to 2.5 micrograms/m3 (average 0.67 micrograms/m3) for NMOR, from 0.04 to 0.39 micrograms/m3 (average 0.11 micrograms/m3) for NDEA and trace levels (less than 0.01 micrograms/m3) for NDMA.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1996

Biopsy-confirmed hypersensitivity pneumonitis in automobile production workers exposed to metalworking fluids--Michigan, 1994-1995.

In 1994, union and management officials and local physicians in southeastern Michigan noted the occurrence among automobile production workers of respiratory illness consistent with hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP). Local and national health authorities reviewed medical records, and in June 1994, individual employees and the union requested that CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) evaluate potential occupational exposures associated with these illnesses. This report summarizes preliminary findings of the evaluation, including detailed information about one HP case and a summary description of the six biopsy-confirmed cases among automobile production workers from three different plants (plants A, B, and C) in southeastern Michigan; all six workers had jobs that entailed frequent exposure to metalworking fluids (MWFs). The findings suggest the need for further evaluation of a possible association of occupational exposure to MWFs with HP.

Alveolitis, Extrinsic Allergic↗
PubMed2001

The impact of airbags and seat belts on the incidence and severity of maxillofacial injuries in automobile accidents in New York State.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect driver-side and passenger-side airbags have had on the incidence and severity of maxillofacial trauma in victims of automobile accidents. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of all automobile (passenger cars and light trucks) accidents reported in 1994. SETTING: New York State. PATIENTS: Of the 595910 individuals involved in motor vehicle accidents in New York in 1994, 377054 individuals were initially selected from accidents involving cars and light trucks. Of this subset, 164238 drivers and 62755 right front passengers were selected for analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Each case is described in a single record with approximately 100 variables describing the accident, eg, vehicle, safety equipment installed and utilized or deployed, occupant position, patient demographics, International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) diagnoses, and procedural treatments rendered. A maxillofacial trauma severity scale was devised, based on the ICD-9-CM diagnoses. RESULTS: Individuals using airbags and seat belts sustained facial injuries at a rate of 1 in 449, compared with a rate of 1 in 40 for individuals who did not use seat belts or airbags (P<.001). Those using airbags alone sustained facial injuries at the intermediate rate of 1 in 148, and victims using seat belts without airbags demonstrated an injury rate of 1 in 217 (P<.001). CONCLUSION: Use of driver-side airbags, when combined with use of seat belts, has resulted in a decrease in the incidence and severity of maxillofacial trauma.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1991

Effect of automobile exhaust on the distribution of trace elements and its modulation following Fe, Cu, and Zn supplementation.

The effect of automobile exhaust on the distribution of trace elements with special reference to Pb and its modulation following Cu, Zn, and Fe supplementation, in mouse organs, has been studied using Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence technique. Seven elements, namely K, Fe, Cu, Zn, Br, Rb, and Pb, were detected in all the organs. The maximum concentration of Pb was found in lungs followed by that in liver and kidney. The effect of automobile exhaust was found to be significant on the concentrations of Fe and Pb; their concentrations were found to increase in all the organs. However, the concentrations of Cu and Zn were found to be decreased significantly in the liver. In the animals given Fe, Cu, or Zn supplementation along with motor exhaust, the percentage change in the concentration of Pb in lungs was decreased, and that of Fe was increased significantly. In kidney, no significant change was observed for the animals given Cu and Zn, whereas for animals given Fe, the level of Pb decreased significantly. In liver, the reduction in the level of Zn in the exhaust-exposed animals was made up and the level of Pb was reduced following Zn supplementation. These results clearly indicate that Fe and Zn play an important role in Pb metabolism and tend to lower the absorption of Pb. The effect of Fe is more pronounced than that of Zn, whereas the effect of Cu seems to be insignificant.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1991

The effect of airline deregulation on automobile fatalities.

This paper attempts to quantify the effects of airline deregulation in the United States on intercity automobile travel and consequently on the number of highway fatalities. A demand model is constructed for auto travel, which includes variables representing the price and availability of air service. A reduced form model of the airline market is then estimated. Finding that deregulation has decreased airfares and increased flights, it is estimated that auto travel has been reduced by 2.2% per year on average. Given assumptions on the characteristics of drivers switching modes and the types of roads they drove on, the number of automobile fatalities averted since 1978 is estimated to be in the range 200-300 per year.

Accidents, Aviation↗
PubMed2005

Uptake and bioaccumulation of platinum group metals (Pd, Pt, Rh) from automobile catalytic converter materials by the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha).

The uptake and bioaccumulation of the platinum group metals (PGM) platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), and rhodium (Rh) by the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) were investigated in exposure studies using ground material from unused automobile catalytic converters as metal source. The mussels were exposed to the metals in tap water or humic water. In the soft tissue samples of exposed mussels mean Pt levels ranged in dependence on the type of tank water and the exposure period (6, 9, or 18 weeks) between 780 and 4300 ng/g, the Pd levels ranged between 720 and 6300 ng/g, and the Rh levels ranged between 270 and 1900 ng/g. In contrast, the control mussels had metal concentrations of <20 ng/g (Pt), <50 ng/g (Pd), and <40 ng/g (Rh). Considerably higher PGM levels were found in the exposed mussels of the humic water group than in those of the tap water group. Although there is a cumulative increase of the PGM concentrations in the environment since the introduction of the automobile catalyst more than 20 years ago, only little information about the PGM contamination in the biosphere, especially the fauna, is available. Due to the high capacity of D. polymorpha to accumulate PGM, this bivalve could be used as a potential sentinel for monitoring the noble metals in aquatic ecosystems.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Pedestrians injured by automobiles: relationship of age to injury type and severity.

BACKGROUND: There is little research on the effect of age on the nature and severity of injuries to pedestrians struck by automobiles. STUDY DESIGN: Trauma registry study included all auto versus pedestrian trauma admissions of pedestrians injured by automobiles at an academic Level I trauma center over 10 years and 4 months. Injury Severity Score, severe body area (head, chest, abdomen, extremities) trauma with Abbreviated Injury Score >3, specific organ injuries, and mortality were calculated according to age groups (< or =14 years, 15 to 55 years, 56 to 65 years, >65 years). RESULTS: During the study period 5,838 admissions were reviewed. There were 1,136 patients (19.4%) 14 years old or less, 3,741 (64.1%) who were 15 to 55 years, 420 (7.2%) 56 to 65 years, and 541 (9.3%) older than 65 years. Overall mortality was 7.7% and ranged from 3.2% in the age group 14 years or less to 25.1% in patients over 65 years. The incidences of severe trauma (Injury Severity Score >15) in the four age groups were 11.2%, 18.7%, 23.6%, and 36.8%, respectively. The incidences of critical trauma (Injury Severity Score >30) were 2.3%, 3.9%, 5.7%, and 13.9%, respectively. The incidence of severe head and chest trauma (Abbreviated Injury Score >3) increased with age. The incidence of solid organ and hollow viscus injuries was similar in all age groups. Spinal injuries increased significantly with age and ranged from 0.4% in the pediatric group to 8.5% in the elderly group. Pelvic and tibial fractures were significantly more common in adults; femur fractures were significantly more common in the pediatric group. CONCLUSIONS: Age plays an important role in the anatomic distribution and severity of injuries and survival outcomes after pedestrian injuries.

Abdominal Injuries↗
PubMed2005

Automobile air bags: friend or foe? A case of air bag-associated ocular trauma and a related literature review.

BACKGROUND: Although air bags are placed in automobiles to act as safety devices, they have been shown to carry a risk of injury themselves. Ocular injury, in particular, can often be a direct consequence of air bag deployment. A case of ocular air bag injury is presented. A discussion and review of the current literature on this issue follows. CASE REPORT: A 63-year-old man was transferred to our clinic after sustaining injuries related to a motor vehicle accident, during which the automobile's air bag was deployed. Initial examination revealed many signs of blunt ocular trauma of the O.D., including iridodialysis, dislocated lens with traumatic cataract, and traumatic/inflammatory glaucoma. Initial B-scan showed an attached retina O.D. One month later, the patient underwent an attempted pars plana vitrectomy with lensectomy, iris repair, and insertion of an anterior chamber intraocular lens. Complications arose during the procedure, and a total retinal detachment developed. Resultant acuity is no light perception O.D. CONCLUSIONS: Although ocular morbidity can be a direct consequence of air bag deployment, most eye injuries are minimal, and seem to be outweighed by the benefits of air bags. Drivers, as well as passengers, can minimize associated injuries by adhering to specific safety guidelines. This, as well as continual modification and improvement in air bag design, will maximize the safety of air bags and decrease the incidence of vision-threatening ocular injury caused by air bag deployment.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed2000

Seat back and head restraint response during low-speed rear-end automobile collisions.

Automobile seat backs and head restraints play a key safety role during low-speed rear-end collisions, yet few studies have explored the effect of collision variables on seat response. In this study, the effects of vehicle speed change and seat belt use on dynamic seat back and head restraint response during low-speed rear-end automobile collisions were examined. Four human subjects were repeatedly exposed to vehicle-to-vehicle rear-end collisions with speed changes of 2, 4, 6 and 8 km/h. Seat back force and deflection, and head restraint force were measured. The point of application of the resultant force applied to the seat back and head restraint were determined. The magnitude and time of peak kinematic and kinetic response parameters were used in a two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) for speed change and seat belt use. The results showed that 20 of the 24 seat back and head restraint response parameters varied with speed change and none of the parameters varied with seat belt use. Head restraint forces, seat back forces and seat back deflections increased approximately linearly with speed change, whereas time to peak response, direction and moment arm of the forces remained either constant or varied only slightly over the range of speed changes tested.

Acceleration↗
PubMed2001

First report on the uptake of automobile catalyst emitted palladium by European eels (Anguilla anguilla) following experimental exposure to road dust.

Following the introduction of automobile catalysts in the middle of the 1980s in Germany there is an increasing emission of the platinum-group-metals platinum, palladium (Pd) and rhodium. Still, it remains unclear if these metals are bioavailable for aquatic animals and to which extent they become accumulated by the aquatic biosphere. Because of analytical problems in detecting Pd in small biological samples the present investigation concentrates on the bioavailability of this metal. To answer the question of a Pd uptake by aquatic organisms experimental studies were conducted with European eels maintained in water containing road dust at a concentration of 10 kg/100 l. Following an exposure period of four weeks, samples of liver and kidney were analysed by total-reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis after co-precipitation of Pd with mercury. These experiments revealed an uptake of traffic related Pd by European eels which showed a mean liver Pd concentration of 0.18 +/- 0.05 ng/g (wet wt.), whereas the Pd concentration in the kidney ranged below the detection limit. Thus, in this study we can demonstrate for the first time that automobile catalyst emitted Pd is bioavailable for aquatic animals.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1978

Direct-acting mutagens in automobile exhaust.

Particulate matter in city air contains chemicals which are mutagenic in the Ames Salmonella typhimurium assay. In residential urban areas, the principal mutagens in air do not require liver enzymes to be activated. The source of these liver independent (direct-acting) mutagens may be automobile exhaust because (1) the mutagenic activities were correlated to the lead content or air, (2) the mutagens were found exhaust samples from automobiles and from an experimental CFR single-cylinder gasoline engine, and (3) these mutagens were not found in fuel or unused motor oil, but were found in used motor oil. The strain specificity and the fact that liver enzymes were not required for activation indicated that the exhaust and airborne mutagens were not unsubstituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), aromatic amines, alkylnitrosamines or aliphatic epoxides, peroxides and hydroepoxides. A number of nitro-substituted aromatic compounds are direct-acting mutagens in the Ames test, and it is possible that nitration of PAH in exhaust may form the compounds observed here. We synthesized 6-nitrobenzo [a] pyrene and found it to be a potent, direct-acting mutagen with activity comparable to that of benzo-[a] pyrene.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Life cycle optimization of automobile replacement: model and application.

Although recent progress in automotive technology has reduced exhaust emissions per mile for new cars, the continuing use of inefficient, higher-polluting old cars as well as increasing vehicle miles driven are undermining the benefits of this progress. As a way to address the "inefficient old vehicle" contribution to this problem, a novel life cycle optimization (LCO) model is introduced and applied to the automobile replacement policy question. The LCO model determines optimal vehicle lifetimes, accounting for technology improvements of new models while considering deteriorating efficiencies of existing models. Life cycle inventories for different vehicle models that represent materials production, manufacturing, use, maintenance, and end-of-life environmental burdens are required as inputs to the LCO model. As a demonstration, the LCO model was applied to mid-sized passenger car models between 1985 and 2020. An optimization was conducted to minimize cumulative carbon monoxide (CO), non-methane hydrocarbon (NMHC), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), carbon dioxide (CO2), and energy use over the time horizon (1985-2020). For CO, NMHC, and NOx pollutants with 12000 mi of annual mileage, automobile lifetimes ranging from 3 to 6 yr are optimal for the 1980s and early 1990s model years while the optimal lifetimes are expected to be 7-14 yr for model year 2000s and beyond. On the other hand, a lifetime of 18 yr minimizes cumulative energy and CO2 based on driving 12000 miles annually. Optimal lifetimes are inversely correlated to annual vehicle mileage, especially for CO, NMHC, and NOx emissions. On the basis of the optimization results, policies improving durability of emission controls, retiring high-emitting vehicles, and improving fuel economies are discussed.

Air Pollution↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Respiratory health associated with exposure to automobile exhaust. III. Results of a cross-sectional study in 1987, and repeated pulmonary function tests from 1987 to 1990.

We conducted an epidemiological study to investigate the association between exposure to automobile exhaust and respiratory health. We selected 3 zones from two geographically different areas in Tokyo on the basis of expected exposure levels: (1) within 20 m from the side of major roads with heavy traffic, (2) between 20 and 150 m from the side of the same road, and (3) a residential district of suburban Tokyo. The subjects of the study were female adults aged 30-59 y. A cross-sectional study of respiratory symptoms and repeated pulmonary function testing were also performed in each zone. The results suggested that exposure to automobile exhaust may be associated with respiratory symptoms. Nevertheless, repeated pulmonary function testing did not reveal any consistent differences. Investigators should conduct additional follow-up studies to investigate the decline of pulmonary functions with age.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Alcohol and drug use and involvement in automobile accidents.

This study examined a hypothesis first presented in the medical literature that persons who drink greater amounts of alcohol are more frequently involved in automobile accidents even though they were not under the influence of alcohol at the time of their accidents. Subjects were 130 undergraduates who contributed self-reports of automobile accidents in the preceding three years, near-miss accidents per week, and questionnaire measures of sociopathy, alcohol and drug use, and distortion (lie scale). No support was found for the alcohol hypothesis or a similar drug hypothesis. A very marginal link, however, was observed between accident involvement and sociopathic tendencies.

Accidents, Traffic↗