Occupational health exposure

Zimmerman, N. J., and Lafayette, W. 2005. Industrial hygiene (occupational health) exposure assessment issues of manganese due to welding. The 9th International Symposium on Neurohehavioral Methods and Effects in Occupational and Environmental Health. Gyeongju, Korea... 

Environmental airborne endotoxins are usually associated with dust particles or aqueous aerosol with a broad size distribution. Endotoxin exposure has been associated with a variety of pulmonary and systemic diseases in homes, office buildings and occupational environments. These diseases or conditions include chronic nose and throat irritation, humidifier fever, organic dust toxic syndrome, grain fever, byssinosis, asthma-like syndrome, exacerbation of asthma, and progressive irreversible airflow obstruction (Heederik et al., 1991 Michel et al., 1996 Muittari et al., 1980 Olenchock, 1990 Rylan-der, 1996 Rylander et al., 1978 Schenker et al., 1998 Schwartz et al., 1994 Schwartz et al., 1995). Recognition of the link between endotoxin exposures and these conditions has led to proposals to establish occupational health exposure limits. The Netherlands Health Council has recently published a criteria document for endotoxin that recommends a health-based occupational exposure limit of 50 EU/m for full shift, personal, inhalable dust sampling (Douwes and Heederik, 1998). 

Is the occupational health exposure really as significant as many profess For well over 40 years, we have been hearing about the latency period after which occupational illnesses would appear in great numbers in workers compensation experience. That has not happened. Yes, there are many real occupational health exposures. But, has the time come to wonder about their actual extent Some scientists now question previous decisions and the validity of models used in arriving at health risks. 

My first study of the magnitude of the occupational health exposure was made over 25 years ago. I found that occupational illness cases represented about 5% of the total injuries and illnesses in the summaries I reviewed. That percentage has not changed much over the years. Yet, proponents in the occupational health field continue to say, Each day an average of 137 individuals die from work-related diseases (National Occupational Research Agenda, 1996). That works out to 50,005 deaths per year. That s absurd. 

ZIO does not give separate treatment to occupational health exposures. Hazards and risks pertaining to injuries and illnesses are treated as parts of a whole. Also, although no provision requiring access to certified professional resources exists in ZIO, applying many of the provisions in ZIO wiU require the counsel of highly qualified professionals. 

Skin exposure, also known as dermal exposure, is the most common route of exposure to chemicals. Most adverse occupational health exposures to chemicals have occurred through this route, and this is also true of laboratory exposures. The skin normally provides us with good protection from many, but not all, outside agents that might injure us if they were to gain entry into our bodies. When some chemicals come in contact with your skin, there is a possibility that they may stay on or near the surface of the skin, or they... 

As the use of more and more chemicals are restricted by law (ozone depleting) and occupational health exposure standards are reduced (glycol ethers) both researchers and engineers need to consider the impact of process operations on the community, environment, employees, and consumer. 

Non-invasive PTR-MS sampling for medical applications has been used for headspace analysis above urine [1] and fluids obtained from the gut during colonoscopy [2], the in vitro discrimination of cancerous and non-cancerous cell lines [3] and for studies of emissions from the skin [4-6]. PTR-MS has also been used for investigations involving occupational health exposure in various medical environments [7-10]. Other medical-related work has... 

Workers in the metals treatment industry are exposed to fumes, dusts, and mists containing metals and metal compounds, as well as to various chemicals from sources such as grinding wheels and lubricants. Exposure can be by inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact. Historically, metal toxicology was concerned with overt effects such as abdominal coHc from lead toxicity. Because of the occupational health and safety standards of the 1990s such effects are rare. Subtie, chronic, or long-term effects of metals treatment exposure are under study. An index to safety precautions for various metal treatment processes is available (6). As additional information is gained, standards are adjusted. 

For radiation doses <0.5 Sv, there is no clinically observable iacrease ia the number of cancers above those that occur naturally (57). There are two risk hypotheses the linear and the nonlinear. The former implies that as the radiation dose decreases, the risk of cancer goes down at roughly the same rate. The latter suggests that risk of cancer actually falls much faster as radiation exposure declines. Because risk of cancer and other health effects is quite low at low radiation doses, the iacidence of cancer cannot clearly be ascribed to occupational radiation exposure. Thus, the regulations have adopted the more conservative or restrictive approach, ie, the linear hypothesis. Whereas nuclear iadustry workers are allowed to receive up to 0.05 Sv/yr, the ALARA practices result ia much lower actual radiatioa exposure. 

Talc is considered a nuisance dust and subject to regulation in the workplace by both the Occupational Health and Safety Administration and the Mine Safety and Health Administration. Eight-hour exposure limits for talc dust are two milligrams of talc per cubic meter. 

The exposure level estabUshed by NIOSH for the workplace is 0.1 mg/m (42). ACGIH has recommended a TLV of 0.05 mg/m for cobalt. At the ACGIH worker exposure levels it has been suggested that occupational health problems would not occur (41). 

Medical monitoring and surveillance programs enable occupational health professionals to identify adverse health effects caused by exposure to hazardous substances and conditions and to discuss plans with site workers, industrial hygienists, safety professionals, and line management to prevent exposures and protect workers. These goals can be accomplished through two objectives ... 

Ventilation noise and the annoyance effects which may result have been a recurring question in recent years for researchers, occupational health services, and various aurhorities. In spite of this, there are still major shortcomings in our knowledge about the links between human effects and exposure to ventilation noise. Current regulations and recommendations are thus based on uncertain principles in certain respects. 

It is an accepted practice when assessing the environmental effects of pollution on man and his place of abode to use a divisor of 40 (some agencies may divide by 30) against the long-term exposure level in the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OSHA). Much lower exposure limits are necessary due to the much longer term of exposure in the domestic situation. The section of the population most likely to spend long periods of time in the home are those most susceptible to the detrimental effects of pollutants, i.e. the young, the elderly or the infirm. For short-term exposure the known data can be used directly from the list or from animal-exposure data. 

Bello S, Halton DM. 1985. Occupational chemical exposures and the heart. Hamilton, Ontario Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. CCOHS Publication No. P85-5E. NIOSH-00175455. 

He F. 1993. Biological monitoring of occupational pesticides exposure. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 93 S69-S76. 

The different toxicity and bioavailability of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) are a public health concern and therefore require strict control. Cr(VI) is considered to be toxic and carcinogenic, especially for the respiratory tract. In occupational health, the OEL (Occupational Exposure Limits) for water soluble and certain water insoluble compounds in indoor air is set at 0.5 mg/m for Cr, 0.5 mg/m for Cr(III), and 0.05 mg/m for Cr(VI), reflecting the different toxicities of both species. 

Alexander DL. 1989. Chronic lead exposure A problem for minority workers. Am Assoc Occup Health Nursing J 37 105-108. 

Cunningham M. 1986. Chronic occupational lead exposure The potential effect on sexual function and reproductive ability in male workers. American Association of Occupational Health Nursing Journal 34 277-279. 

Glickman L, Valciukas JA, Lilis R, et al. 1984. Occupational lead exposure Effects on saccadic eye movements, lnt Arch Occup Environ Health 54 115-125. 

Overall, nickel is not an immediate threat to the health of plants, animals, and humans at environmentally encountered levels, except in the case of nickel carbonyl, and progress has been made toward minimizing or eliminating occupational nickel exposure. 

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