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Occupational Studies (occupational + studies)
Selected AbstractsHydroquinone and its analogues in dermatology , a risk-benefit viewpointJOURNAL OF COSMETIC DERMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2006DABT, J L O'Donoghue VMD Summary Hydroquinone (HQ) has been used since the 1950s in commercially available over-the-counter skin lightener products and since the 1960s as a commercially available medical product. It is also used in cosmetic products such as hair dyes and products for coating finger nails. Beginning in 2001, HQ is no longer authorized for use in cosmetic skin lightening formulations in European Union countries, although products containing arbutin, an analogue of HQ, and botanicals, including plants that naturally contain HQ and arbutin, continue to remain available in European countries. The potential toxicity of HQ is dependent on the route of exposure, and toxicity in rodents is highly sex-, species-, and strain-specific. Subchronic and chronic toxicity in experimental animals is primarily limited to nephrotoxicity in male F-344 rats. Dermal toxicity studies, even those conducted in the sensitive male F-344 rat, are essentially devoid of systemic toxicity. Developmental and reproductive toxicity studies with HQ in rats and rabbits have not demonstrated significant effects. Cancer bioassay data for HQ demonstrate limited effects and are not sufficient to classify HQ for human carcinogenicity. Epidemiology and occupational studies of workers with extensive exposure to HQ have not reported any evidence of adverse systemic health effects or carcinogenicity. A risk-benefit approach is recommended for assessing the available data for HQ, arbutin, and other materials in use as, or proposed for use as, skin lighteners to provide optimal therapeutic benefits to patients with pigmentary changes of the skin. [source] Validation of self-reported occupational exposures in meatpacking workersAMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 9 2009Lina Lander ScD Abstract Objective The ability of workers to accurately recall exposures that occur on the day of their injury is considered a potential limitation of case-crossover studies. This study assessed validity of occupational exposures reported by uninjured workers at a Midwestern meatpacking plant. Methods One hundred thirty-six workers were observed for 60,min while working and then interviewed within 8 days (median 3 days) about exposures during the observation period. The level of agreement between self-reports and direct observations was assessed using kappas and intraclass correlation coefficients. Results Excellent agreement was found between observed and reported work location (,,=,0.97, 95% CI: 0.92,1.0), task (,,=,0.83, 95% CI: 0.76,0.91) and tools used (,,=,0.88, 95% CI: 0.81,0.95). Personal protective equipment varied by work type and location, and agreement between observed and reported usage varied from excellent to poor for various items. Excellent agreement was found for tool sharpening (,,=,0.89, 95% CI: 0.82,0.97); good agreement for occurrence of break during the observation period (,,=,0.60, 95% CI: 0.45,0.74); and poor agreement for equipment malfunction, line stoppages, being tired, unusual task, unusual work method, being distracted, rushing, slipping, or falling. Conclusions Agreement between observed and reported occupational exposures varied widely. Self-reported exposures are utilized in many occupational studies, and future exposure validity assessment studies should continue to improve retrospective study methods. Valid exposures will allow researchers to better understand injury etiology and ultimately prevent injuries from occurring. Am. J. Ind. Med. Am. J. Ind. Med. 52:707,715, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Occupational risk factors for prostate cancerAMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 8 2007Andrea M. Sass-Kortsak PhD Abstract Background Occupational risk factors for prostate cancer have been investigated with inconsistent findings. Methods This was a population-based case-control study of men in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. Cases (n,=,760) were from the Ontario Cancer Registry, 50 to 84 years old, and diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1995 and 1998. Age-frequency matched controls (n,=,1,632) were obtained from telephone listings. A questionnaire yielded information on occupational history and self-reported exposures to a list of occupational hazards. Exposures to these hazards were assessed by an occupational hygienist. Results An odds ratio estimate (OR) of 1.21 (95 percent confidence interval (% CI) 1.01, 1.46) was found for employment in trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations, possibly related to exposure to whole-body vibration (OR,=,1.38, 95% CI 1.07, 1.78). For the highest quartile of lifetime cumulative workplace physical activity an OR of 1.33 (95% CI 1.02, 1.74) was found. No statistically significant associations were found for any other occupational category or exposure. Conclusions This study does not provide strong evidence for significant occupational risk factors for prostate cancer. However, whole-body vibration exposures, as well as physical activity, may be worth pursuing in future occupational studies. Am. J. Ind. Med. 50:568,576, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Smoking behavior in trucking industry workersAMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 12 2006MSPH, Nitin B. Jain MD Abstract Background In retrospective occupational studies, the degree of confounding by smoking depends on variation in smoking among job-related exposure groups. We assessed the relationship between job title and smoking behavior as part of a study on occupational exposures and lung cancer. Methods A questionnaire on smoking was mailed to a sample of 11,986 trucking industry workers. Company records were used to gather other relevant information. Results The response rate was 40.5%. Among white males, the age-adjusted prevalence of ever smoking was highest among longhaul truck drivers (67%) and lowest among clerks (44%). Smoking rates among workers with other job titles were similar. Conclusions Our results will be used to adjust for the differences in smoking among job-related exposure groups when assessing the association between particulate matter exposure and lung cancer mortality. Our study also suggests that an assessment of methods to control for smoking should be considered in the design of retrospective occupational health studies. Am. J. Ind. Med. 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Cutaneous melanoma in Swedish women: Occupational risks by anatomic site,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 4 2005Beatriz Pérez-Gómez MD Abstract Background Few occupational studies have addressed melanoma in women. Accordingly, our aim was to identify occupations with higher risk of cutaneous melanoma, overall and by site, in Swedish female workers. Methods All gainfully employed Swedish women were followed-up from 1971 to 1989, using Death/Cancer Registers. Occupational risk ratios adjusted for age, period, town size, and geographic zone were computed for each site. Risk patterns for different sites were then compared. Results High risks were observed among educators, bank tellers, dental nurses, librarians/archivists/curators, horticultural workers, and hatmakers/milliners. Telephone operators and textile workers had increased risk, mainly in the leg. Other occupation-specific site excesses were also found. Upper-limb risks were correlated with head/neck and thorax, though these two sites were not associated. Legs registered a special pattern, with a moderate correlation with upper limbs or thorax, and no correlation with head/neck. Conclusions Some occupations with possible exposure to arsenic/mercury displayed increased risk. The generalized excess risk among hatmakers/milliners warrants further attention. The weak correlation between legs and other sites suggests site specificity in melanoma risk factors. Am. J. Ind. Med. 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Extremely low frequency electric fields and cancer: Assessing the evidenceBIOELECTROMAGNETICS, Issue 2 2010Leeka Kheifets Abstract Much of the research and reviews on extremely low frequency (ELF) electric and magnetic fields (EMFs) have focused on magnetic rather than electric fields. Some have considered such focus to be inappropriate and have argued that electric fields should be part of both epidemiologic and laboratory work. This paper fills the gap by systematically and critically reviewing electric-fields literature and by comparing overall strength of evidence for electric versus magnetic fields. The review of possible mechanisms does not provide any specific basis for focusing on electric fields. While laboratory studies of electric fields are few, they do not indicate that electric fields should be the exposure of interest. The existing epidemiology on residential electric-field exposures and appliance use does not support the conclusion of adverse health effects from electric-field exposure. Workers in close proximity to high-voltage transmission lines or substation equipment can be exposed to high electric fields. While there are sporadic reports of increase in cancer in some occupational studies, these are inconsistent and fraught with methodologic problems. Overall, there seems little basis to suppose there might be a risk for electric fields, and, in contrast to magnetic fields, and with a possible exception of occupational epidemiology, there seems little basis for continued research into electric fields. Bioelectromagnetics 31:89,101, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | ||||||||||