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Clinics in Chest Medicine Dec 2020Occupational respiratory infections can be caused by bacterial, viral, and fungal pathogens. Transmission in occupational settings can occur from other humans, animals,... (Review)
Review
Occupational respiratory infections can be caused by bacterial, viral, and fungal pathogens. Transmission in occupational settings can occur from other humans, animals, or the environment, and occur in various occupations and industries. In this article, we describe 4 occupationally acquired respiratory infections at the focus of NIOSH investigations over the last decade: tuberculosis (TB), influenza, psittacosis, and coccidioidomycosis. We highlight the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, occupational risk factors, and prevention measures.
Topics: Humans; Occupational Diseases; Occupational Exposure; Respiratory Tract Infections
PubMed: 33153691
DOI: 10.1016/j.ccm.2020.08.003 -
Clinics in Chest Medicine Dec 2020Occupational bronchiolitis is characterized by inflammation of the small airways, and represents a heterogeneous set of lung conditions that can occur following a range... (Review)
Review
Occupational bronchiolitis is characterized by inflammation of the small airways, and represents a heterogeneous set of lung conditions that can occur following a range of inhalation exposures related to work. The most common clinical presentation includes insidious onset of exertional dyspnea and cough. Multiple reports in recent years have drawn attention to previously unrecognized risk factors for occupational bronchiolitis following exposures in several settings. Both current and past occupational exposures, including prior military deployment-related exposures, should be considered in patients undergoing evaluation for unexplained dyspnea. Diagnostic testing for potential bronchiolitis should include a thorough assessment of the small airways.
Topics: Bronchiolitis Obliterans; Humans; Occupational Exposure
PubMed: 33153686
DOI: 10.1016/j.ccm.2020.08.011 -
Toxins Mar 2020Mycotoxins are considered the most frequently occurring natural contaminants in the diet of humans and animals [...].
Mycotoxins are considered the most frequently occurring natural contaminants in the diet of humans and animals [...].
Topics: Animal Feed; Animals; Dietary Exposure; Food Contamination; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; Mycotoxins; Occupational Exposure; Risk Assessment
PubMed: 32168950
DOI: 10.3390/toxins12030172 -
Journal of Environmental and Public... 2021Noise is one of the most common worldwide environmental pollutants, especially in occupational fields. As a stressor, it affects not only the ear but also the entire...
INTRODUCTION
Noise is one of the most common worldwide environmental pollutants, especially in occupational fields. As a stressor, it affects not only the ear but also the entire body. Its physiological and psychological impacts have been well established in many conditions such as cardiovascular diseases. However, there is a dearth of evidence regarding diabetes risk related to noises.
AIM
To evaluate the relationship between occupational exposure to noise and the risk of developing diabetes.
METHODS
This is a cross-sectional analytical study enrolling two groups of 151 workers each. The first group (noise exposed group: EG) included the employees of a Tunisian power plant, who worked during the day shift and had a permanent position. The second group (unexposed to noise group: NEG) included workers assigned to two academic institutions, who were randomly selected in the Occupational Medicine Department of the Farhat Hached University Hospital in Sousse, during periodical fitness to work visits. Both populations (exposed and unexposed) were matched by age and gender. Data collection was based on a preestablished questionnaire, a physical examination, a biological assessment, and a sonometric study.
RESULTS
The mean equivalent continuous sound level was 89 dB for the EG and 44.6 dB for the NEG. Diabetes was diagnosed in 24 workers from EG (15.9%) and 14 workers from NEG (9.3%), with no statistically significant difference (=0.08). After multiple binary logistic regression, including variables of interest, noise did not appear to be associated with diabetes.
CONCLUSION
Our results did not reveal a higher risk of developing diabetes in workers exposed to noise. Further studies assessing both level and duration of noise exposure are needed before any definitive conclusion.
Topics: Adult; Diabetes Mellitus; Humans; Logistic Models; Male; Middle Aged; Noise, Occupational; Occupational Exposure
PubMed: 33828593
DOI: 10.1155/2021/1804616 -
International Journal of Molecular... Aug 2022The Special Issue "Toxicology, Nanotoxicology and Occupational Diseases" of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences includes six articles presenting the results...
The Special Issue "Toxicology, Nanotoxicology and Occupational Diseases" of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences includes six articles presenting the results of recent experimental studies in the fields of toxicology, nanotoxicology, and occupational health [...].
Topics: Humans; Nanostructures; Occupational Diseases; Occupational Exposure; Toxicology
PubMed: 36012476
DOI: 10.3390/ijms23169201 -
Indoor Air Jan 2022The objectives of the systematic review were to: identify the work sectors at risk for exposure to formaldehyde; investigate the procedures applied to assess... (Review)
Review
The objectives of the systematic review were to: identify the work sectors at risk for exposure to formaldehyde; investigate the procedures applied to assess occupational exposure; evaluate the reported exposure levels among the different settings. An electronic search of Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science and ToxNet was carried out for collecting all the articles on the investigated issue published from January 1, 2004 to September 30, 2019. Forty-three papers were included in the review, and evidenced a great number of occupational scenarios at risk for formaldehyde exposure. All the included studies collected data on formaldehyde exposure levels by a similar approach: environmental and personal sampling followed by chromatographic analyses. Results ranged from not detectable values until to some mg m of airborne formaldehyde. The riskiest occupational settings for formaldehyde exposure were the gross anatomy and pathology laboratories, the hairdressing salons and some specific productive settings, such as wooden furniture factories, dairy facilities and fish hatcheries. Notice that formaldehyde, a well-known carcinogen, was recovered in air at levels higher than outdoor in almost all the studied scenarios/activities; thus, when formaldehyde cannot be removed or substituted, targeted strategies for exposure elimination or mitigation must be adopted.
Topics: Air Pollution, Indoor; Formaldehyde; Humans; Laboratories; Occupational Exposure; Respiratory Hypersensitivity
PubMed: 34708443
DOI: 10.1111/ina.12949 -
Current Allergy and Asthma Reports Dec 2022Adverse occupational and environmental exposures are common causes of respiratory disease and health consequences requiring medical care. Understanding how these various... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Adverse occupational and environmental exposures are common causes of respiratory disease and health consequences requiring medical care. Understanding how these various exposures affect patients and how to elicit an adequate history is critical for any clinician. Military personnel are often overlooked when discussing groups at risk for environmental exposure-associated airway disease. There are close to 20 million active duty and veterans in the USA, and nearly all clinicians will at some point care for a patient that has served in the military.
RECENT FINDINGS
Exposures related to military work include burn pits, chemicals/toxins, sandstorms, and living conditions. Burn pits and military waste are increasingly recognized as potential hazards attributed to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. The link between these various military exposures and acute or chronic airway diseases remains difficult. Epidemiological studies are emerging to demonstrate correlations with chronic lung disease and prolonged burn pit exposure. This review provides an overview of potential occupational and environmental exposures that may affect current and/or former military service men and women.
Topics: Humans; Military Personnel; Occupational Exposure; Veterans
PubMed: 36370335
DOI: 10.1007/s11882-022-01051-0 -
Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift Apr 2020A previously presented study investigated the impact of recent pesticide exposure on cytological signs of genotoxicity and on symptoms of intoxication in 71 male...
A previously presented study investigated the impact of recent pesticide exposure on cytological signs of genotoxicity and on symptoms of intoxication in 71 male coffee workers in the Dominican Republic. An unexpected finding of this study was that conventional farming workers, among other symptoms, reported fewer children than controls working in organic farms without pesticide use. This study set out to investigate possible reasons for the latter difference. One statistical problem of this analysis is that the age of the workers is a strong predictor for the number of children and available data on the exposure determinants "duration of pesticide exposure" as well as "age at first pesticide exposure" are correlated with age. To correctly control statistics for these confounding parameters, different approaches to best control for age were explored. After careful elimination of the age-related confounding factors, a reduced number of children was still observed in exposed workers. The clearest effect is seen in those workers that reported first exposure before the age of 20 years. Socioeconomic factors could still confound that finding, but a direct effect of early life pesticide exposure is the most likely explanation of the observation.
Topics: Agriculture; Child; Coffee; Farmers; Humans; Male; Occupational Exposure; Pesticides
PubMed: 31701219
DOI: 10.1007/s00508-019-01566-z -
Thorax Oct 2020
Topics: Humans; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis; Occupational Diseases; Occupational Exposure
PubMed: 32900837
DOI: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2020-215567 -
Occupational and Environmental Medicine Oct 2021To examine the association of occupational exposure to high-level disinfectants (HLDs) with risk of miscarriage among nurses.
OBJECTIVES
To examine the association of occupational exposure to high-level disinfectants (HLDs) with risk of miscarriage among nurses.
METHODS
Our study included women who enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study 3 (2010-2020) and had at least one pregnancy during follow-up. Occupational exposure to HLDs was self-reported at baseline. Every 6 months, a follow-up questionnaire was sent to participants asking for detailed information on pregnancies. We used a discrete-time Cox model to calculate the HRs and 95% CIs of miscarriage according to exposure to HLDs.
RESULTS
Our study included 2579 nurses with a median of 5.6 years of follow-up (range: 1-9 years), and we documented 768 (19%) cases of miscarriage among 3974 pregnancies. Compared with women with no HLD exposure, the HRs of miscarriage were 1.08 (95% CI: 0.87 to 1.34) for past users and 0.84 (95% CI: 0.68 to 1.04) for HLD users. Compared with women with no HLD exposure, duration, frequency, and type of HLD and use of exposure controls were not associated with risk of miscarriage. When restricting to pregnancies that occurred within 12 months of HLD use, occupational exposure to unspecified types of HLD was significantly associated with higher risk of miscarriage (HR=1.78; 95% CI: 1.08 to 2.93).
CONCLUSIONS
We observed no associations between occupational use of HLDs and miscarriage, except when we restricted to pregnancies occurring within 12 months of assessed baseline exposure. Given the observational design and limited sample size, results should be interpreted cautiously.
Topics: Abortion, Spontaneous; Adult; Disinfectants; Female; Humans; Nurses; Occupational Exposure; Pregnancy; Risk Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 34039757
DOI: 10.1136/oemed-2020-107297