Sweden, occupational exposure

More than 20 outbreaks of dioxin chloracne, as well as its other health effects, have been reviewed (Taylor et al. 1977 Tindall 1985 Mukerjee 1998). Follow-up studies have shown persistence of chloracne in some cases. They also concluded that there is an increased risk of soft-tissue sarcoma in end-product use in Sweden, occupational exposure in the US and environmental exposure in Seveso, Italy. Although these conclusions are controversial, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has concluded that TCDD is a human carcinogen (Mukerjee 1998). Occupational exposures to TCDD in the herbicide and chemical plants was much greater than most other non-occu-pational exposures. Exposure would sometimes begin as a caustic chemical burn when the trichlorophenol reactors would over heat. These workers showed the earliest and most severe chloracne (Taylor 1979 Tindall 1985). 

Feychting M, Floderus B, Ahlbom A (2000) Parental occupational exposure to magnetic fields and childhood cancer (Sweden). Cancer Causes Control 11 151-156. 

The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) (1997) has not proposed any occupational exposure limit for benzal chloride in workplace air. Russia has a short-term exposure limit of 0.5 mg/m for exposure in workplace air. Sweden lists benzal chloride as a probable human carcinogen and Finland and Germany list benzal chloride as suspected of having carcinogenic potential (International Labour Office, 1991). 

Swedish Study. Occupational exposure to 2,U-D and 2,U,5-T was also studied in a forest situation in Sweden (23) The materials used were butoxy ethyl ester formulations of 2,U-D or of a 2 1 2,U-D/2,U,5-T mixture applied as a 2 emulsion in water using tractor drawn equipment. The spray was applied at a rate of 2 to 3 kilograms total active ingredient per hectare (1.8 to 2.7 lb/A) to a distance of about 20 meters from both sides of the tractor. Two areas of about 70 to 80 hectares were sprayed during the test week. The temperature was about 20°C from Monday through Thursday with little wind, and was 10-15°C on Friday with sporadic wind. 

Gustavsson P, Jakobsson R, Johansson H, et al. 1998. Occupational exposures and squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, and oesophagus A case-control study in Sweden. Occup Environ Med 55 393-400. 

Feron VJ. (2003) Setting occupational exposure limits in the European Union. In Occupational Exposure Limits —Approaches and Criteria Proceedings from a niva course held in Uppsala, Sweden, 24—28 September 2001. Ed. Johanson G. Aibete och halsa, 2003 17, Stockholm, Sweden. 

Sweden - Arbetarskyddsstyrelsens Forfattningssamling (2005) Occupational exposure limit values and measures against air contaminants, AFS 2005 17. 

Occupational Exposure Limit Values and Measures Against Air Contaminants, Statute Book of the Swedish National Board of Occupational Safety and Health, AFS, Arbetsmiljoverket, Solna, Sweden, 2000, p.3. 

Floderus, B., T. Persson, C. Stenlund, A. Wennberg, A. Ost and B. Knave (1993). Occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields in relation to leukemia and brain tumors a case-control study in Sweden, Cancer Causes Control, 4, 465-476. 

RodvaU, Y., A. Ahlbom, B. Spannare and G. Nise (1996). Glioma and occupational exposure in Sweden, a case-control study, Occup. Environ. Med., 53, 526-532. 

Because of the possibility of confounding occupational exposure in the studies of chemical workers exposed to ethylene oxide (20,25,26,28,30-38), less weight can be given to the positive findings. Nevertheless, they are compatible with a small but consistent excess of lymphatic and hemopoietic cancers found in studies of sterilization personnel. Some of the epidemiological studies have shown an additional risk of cancer of the stomach, which was significant only in one study from Sweden (25,26,30). 

Dryver E, Brandt L, Kauppinen T, Olsson H. Occupational exposures and non-Hodgkin s lymphoma in Southern Sweden. IntJ Occup Environ Health 2004 10(1) 13-21. 

Hemberg S, Westerholm P, Schultz-Larsen K, et al. 1983b. Nasal and sinonasal cancer Connection with occupational exposures in Denmark, Finland and Sweden. Scand J Work Environ Health 9 315-326. 

Concentrations of mercury in blood, urine, and especially hair are generally recognized as the best indicators of methylmercury exposure. Concentrations of total mercury in the hair of persons with known occupational exposure to mercury and with a low consumption of fish are usually less than 5.0mg/kg FW. However, persons in Sweden and Finland with high consumption of mercury-contaminated fish and without symptoms of mercury intoxication often contain hair mercury levels > 30.0 mg/kg, and in one case 180.0 mg/kg. 

Brisman J (1994) The Nordic Expert Group for Criteria Documentation of Health Risks from Chemicals. 111. Industrial enzymes. Arbete och H sa, Arbetsmiljoinstitutet, National Institute of Occupational Health, Solna, Sweden 28 1-26 Brisman J, Belin L (1991) Clinical and immunological responses to occupational exposure to alfa-amylase in the baking industry. Br J Ind Med 48 604-608... 

The UNEPAVHO survey results showed mean PbB levels for adults more closely linked to level of overall development than to just industriahzation per se. For example, more industrialized Belgium had lower mean and 90th percentile blood lead results than did Malta or Mexico. Mean PbB levels for the adult segment of these countries who also had no apparent occupational exposures show PbB values that are either well above the U.S. NHANES II data (Malta, Mexico) or below (Sweden). It is clear from the UNEPAVHO data that the PbB levels were declining significantly in the early 1980s, even... 

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