Hygiene, poor

The relationship between workplace exposure to airborne asbestos fibers and respiratory diseases is one of the most widely studied subjects of modern epidemiology (37—39). Asbestos-related health concerns were first raised at the beginning of the century in the UK and the latter appears to have been the first country to regulate the asbestos-user industry (40). However, at that time, infectious respiratory diseases were a much greater concern than those arising from poor industrial hygiene practices. 

The toxicity of a substance is its capacity to cause injury once inside the body. The main modes of entry into the body by chemicals in industry are inhalation, ingestion and absorption through the skin. Gases, vapours, mists, dusts, fumes and aerosols can be inhaled and they can also affect the skin, eyes and mucous membranes. Ingestion is rare although possible as a result of poor personal hygiene, subconscious hand-to-mouth contact, or accidents. The skin can be affected directly by contact with the chemicals, even when intact, but its permeability to certain substances also offers a route into the body. Chemicals accorded a skin notation in the list of Occupational Exposure Limits (see Table 5.12) are listed in Table 5.2. Exposure may also arise via skin lesions. 

The available water resources are linked to human health in several ways water for drinking, hygiene, recreational activities and food production. As water resources decrease as a consequence of droughts or increased demand, the need to use water sources of poor quality appears, and consequently the risk of an increase in the occurrence of outbreaks of infectious diseases related to water can be higher. 

Reoviruses Rotavirus An inner core is surrounded by tv/o concentric icosahedral shells producing particles 70nm in diameter A very common cause of gastroenteritis in infants. It is spread through poor water supplies and when standards of general hygiene are low. In developing countries it is responsible for about a million deaths each year... 

People with schizophrenia may appear uncooperative, suspicious, hostile, anxious, or aggressive due to their misinterpretation of reality. They may have poor hygiene and appear unkempt, as psychosis, as well as depressive symptoms, may lead... 

A parasite that lives outside the body of the host is called an ectoparasite. Approximately 6 to 12 million subjects become infested with pediculosis (lice infestation) yearly in the United States. Pediculosis is usually associated with poor hygiene, and infections are passed from person to person through social and sexual contact. 

It is said that cleanliness is next to godliness and manufacturing plants are no exception to this maxim. Many of the contamination problems that occur in manufactured products have their origins in poor plant hygiene, resulting in uncertain product, customer complaints and unnecessarily high biocide addition levels. 

Poor sanitation, poor personal hygiene, inadequate water supply, malnutrition, and increased population density are associated with increased risk of Shigella gastroenteritis epidemics, even in developed countries. The majority of cases are thought to result from fecal-oral transmission. 

Respiratory Effects. No studies were located regarding respiratory effects in humans following oral exposure to mirex. Pleuritic chest pain was reported by 32 of 133 workers employed at a facility that manufactured chlordecone (Cannon et al. 1978). Among 23 workers with blood chlordecone levels in excess of 2 pig/L, 18 reported pleuritic chest pains. Further examination of these 18 workers revealed no dyspnea and chest x-rays were normal (Taylor 1982, 1985 Taylor et al. 1978) thus, the cause of the chest pains is unknown. Slthough oral exposures are not normally encountered in occupational situations, hygiene was particularly poor at this plant and oral exposures were likely. Therefore, intermediate-and chronic-duration oral exposure to chlordecone cannot be ruled out as a possible cause for the chest pains. 

Taylor et al. 1978). Furthermore, results of electrocardiography of 23 workers with active symptoms of chlordecone intoxication were normal. Although oral exposures are not normally encountered in occupational situations, hygiene was particularly poor at this plant and oral exposures were likely. 

As noted in Section 2.3.1.1, chlordecone is absorbed after occupational exposure (Cannon et al. 1978 Cohn et al. 1978 Taylor 1982, 1985). Although the route of exposure was not specified, hygiene at the workplace was extremely poor and unintentional ingestion of chlordecone was possible. For a description of the absorption of chlordecone following occupational exposure see Section 2.3.1.1. 

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