Unprotected Workers Research Articles

Lead toxicity among working children and adolescents in Alexandria, Egypt

A substantial number of children and adolescents work and are exposed to different occupational and environmental hazards. In order to identify the prevalence of lead toxicity and related risk factors, a study was conducted of 408 working children and adolescents in Alexandria. In 20.1% of those sampled, the blood lead level was >/= 25 mg/dl. For children working in battery workshops in El-Gomrouk and Mina El-Bassal districts, anaemia and smoking were found to be significantly associated with a higher risk of lead toxicity. Thus, more attention should be paid to the problem of lead toxicity in working children, particularly in industrialized urban cities with heavy traffic and an unprotected work environment

Tuberculosis in health care settings and the estimated benefits of engineering controls and respiratory protection.

Intra-institutional spread of tuberculosis (Tb) has re-emerged as a substantial public and occupational health threat. To characterize the person-hours and lifetime risks of Tb-related morbidity and mortality, we performed a risk assessment for health care workers (HCWs) developing Tb-related morbidity and mortality at varying levels of exposure, engineering controls, and respiratory protection. Under average conditions of exposure, one Tb skin-test conversion is estimated to occur for every 2650 person-hours of work by unprotected workers. With higher exposures, a skin-test conversion for an unprotected worker may occur in as few as 3 person-hours. Use of respiratory protection is estimated to reduce risks by the following proportions: surgical mask, 2.4-fold; disposable dust, fume, mist, or disposable high-efficiency particulate air filtering (HEPA) mask, 17.5-fold; elastomeric HEPA cartridge respirator, 45.5-fold; or powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR), 238-fold. Assuming a lifetime exposure of 250 hours, the risk of a skin-test conversion is estimated to be 9%. We conclude that HCWs are at substantial risk for Tb-related morbidity and mortality, and that administrative controls, engineering controls, and respirators offer substantial benefits in risk reduction.

Surface Sampling for Asbestos Risk Assessment

Surface sampling techniques, coupled with various analytical procedures, have been useful in the nuclear, food processing and pesticide industries to evaluate and control the potential influence of surface contamination on human health. In particular, surface sampling has been used in the nuclear industry for many years as a means of monitoring radioactive contamination which can occur during both laboratory and production operations (Eisenbud etal., 1954; Fish, 1964). Although for alpha particle emitting radioactive materials such as plutonium, inhalation of particles is the primary hazard, measurements of loose surface contamination have become a useful and simple means of monitoring the spread of contamination in facilities where these materials are manipulated. The maximum routine working level for loose surface contamination in areas occupied by unprotected workers is derived using the maximum permissible airborne concentration and an appropriate factor. A resuspension factor is the value or values such that, under specified conditions of disturbance of surface dust, the mass concentration of airborne dust can be related to the mass concentration of surface dust by the relationship: Airborne Concentration = K x Surface Concentration where AT is a resuspension factor with dimensions of length 1 . A number of studies (both published and unpublished) have established resuspension factors in the nuclear and other industries, and Sansone and colleagues (1978, 1987) and Caplan (1993) have independently reviewed these. The range of exponents for resuspension factors found was 10~ 2 to 10~ 8 . The mean exponent was ~ 10~ 4 6 , with a 95% confidence interval of 10~ 4 2 -10~ 4 9 for work directly disturbing the settled material. This is reasonably consistent with what has been thought of as the typical resuspension factor in the nuclear industry of 10~ 6 , and occasionally 10~ 5 (Brodsky, 1980). In the U.S.A., surface sampling has been used to determine the concentrations of asbestos on surfaces in buildings where asbestos-containing building materials (ACBM) are present, and some consultants have used simple resuspension factor calculations in attempts to predict airborne asbestos fibre concentrations in general occupancy buildings. Usually, such attempts assume no direct disturbance of the ACBM, but still use resuspension factors such as those noted above, found during such activities as sweeping of deposited dust or other disturbances. In this paper we consider the feasibility of predicting airborne asbestos concen

Fr�he irritative Hautsch�den bei Friseurlehrlingen

In the course of a cohort study addressing the importance of constitutional and occupational risk factors for the development of irritant hand eczema, 859 hairdressing apprentices were examined in 14 vocational training schools in autumn 1993, after an average of 8 weeks of professional exposure. In this cross-sectional survey at the start of training, 38.2% were suffering from skin damage, in most cases mild to moderate and only rarely severe; we observed almost exclusively irritant skin damage, mostly localized interdigitally. Logistic regression analysis revealed previous hand eczema, an elevated ¿atopy score¿ (Diepgen) and, particularly, unprotected work for several hours daily with wet hands as significant risk factors for this early onset irritant damage/eczema. The high wet workload is mainly caused by very frequent shampooing and by permanent waving without wearing gloves; however, other tasks are also often performed without appropriate protective gloves. The implications of the considerable inter-observer variability are described and discussed.

A survey of airborne HDI, HDI-based polyisocyanate and solvent concentrations in the manufacture and application of polyurethane coatings.

This study summarizes the results of industrial hygiene surveys performed between 1979 and 1987 in paint manufacturing and application operations using polyurethane coatings containing hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) and HDI-based polyisocyanates (trade name Desmodur N). A total of 466 Desmodur N and 457 HDI samples were collected from 47 operations most of which were in application. The application surveys covered manufacture and refinishing of transportation vehicles, painting of large military and civilian equipment, industrial finishing operations, and maintenance and construction operations. The primary objective of the surveys was to assess the potential exposure to HDI and HDI-based polyisocyanate. In more than 60% of the surveys, concentrations of airborne organic solvents also were monitored. Isocyanates were sampled using toluene/nitroreagent in midget impingers, and solvents were collected using charcoal tubes. They were analyzed using high pressure liquid chromatography and gas chromatography, respectively. The data from these workplace situations show there is some potential for isocyanate overexposure of unprotected workers and that it is greater in spray than in nonspray operations.

Asbestos Contamination of Abatement Equipment Surfaces

Abstract Uncontrolled, friable asbestos material on the surfaces of asbestos abatement equipment and bagged asbestos waste is commonplace in the industry and a source of unnecessary exposure to unprotected workers and other persons. Equipment, including respirators, ladders, and hoses, is often neither decontaminated properly nor sealed in airtight bags at the completion of work. Proper maintenance is often found lacking in the shower, in the clean room, and in the load-out decontamination units. This article describes a study of the levels of asbestos fiber contamination of asbestos abatement equipment found both at the work sites when the work crews initially arrive and throughout the course of the projects. Via surface (strip tape) sampling methods, 10 of 13 (10/13 or 77%) work crews arriving for work were found to have friable asbestos contamination on the surfaces of their equipment and/or did not maintain their equipment or load-out properly during the abatement project. A total of 244 samples were collected, with 35 percent of the total yielding positive results for the presence of asbestos. Importantly, some conscientious abatement crews were identified arriving at the job site with equipment exhibiting ‘no asbestos detected’ (NAD). Crews with equipment documented as originally being contaminated were retested after thorough cleaning and usually found to be ‘clean’ (results of NAD). Procedures are described to standardize data collected by the industrial hygienist, and it is recommended that these procedures be incorporated into job specifications. Asbestos abatement crews should expect equipment prework sampling and understand the repercussions of the results. This information is recommended for the continual evaluation of the work crew performance throughout an asbestos abatement project as well as part of the qualification evaluation of the asbestos abatement contractors.

Peritoneal Dialysis in the Workplace

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis developed in a 29-year-old white man within 2 years of working as a cement truck driver. Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP), an uncommon respiratory disorder characterized by the accumulation of phospholipid material within the alveoli, has been described in association with exposure to silica, aluminum oxide, and a variety of dusts and fumes. Although a link between exposure to Portland cement and PAP has not been previously noted, this type of cement contains nearly 20% silica. Lung biopsy material, originally used to diagnose PAP, was reviewed under electron dispersive spectroscopy. Analysis indicated the presence of silica particles within the alveolar fluid and macrophages. A number of items support a causal relationship between exposure to cement dust and PAP: (1) the temporal sequence between assuming job duties and the development of the illness, (2) improvement following removal from further exposure, (3) dusty, unprotected working conditions, (4) the presence of silica within the cement, and (5) the alveolar fluid from periodic acid-Schiff-positive lung tissue.

Power, Production, and the Unprotected Worker.

Power, Production, and the Unprotected Worker.

Book Review: International and Comparative: Power, Production, and the Unprotected Worker

Book Review: International and Comparative: Power, Production, and the Unprotected Worker

Power, Production, and the Unprotected Worker

Power, Production, and the Unprotected Worker

The clinical consequences of an industrial aerosol plant explosion.

The factors relating to the clinical outcome of an industrial aerosol plant explosion are reviewed. Eighteen of 24 workers inside the plant required hospitalization and five died. Proximity to the blast was associated with extensive injuries unless workers were shielded by physical barriers or partitions. Burn severity and mortality were increased in those wearing synthetic garments compared to their counterparts wearing fiber clothing. Facial burns occurred in all unprotected workers. Forearm and hand burns in 11 patients required decompressive escharotomies. Topical treatment with silver sulfadiazine was associated with more significant leukopenia and neutropenia than treatment with silver nitrate. We conclude that industrial design should include safeguards which isolate workers from flammable materials, including isolation of explosive materials from working areas, alarm systems to detect leakage of flammable agents, protective barriers and shields, and the regulation and institution of flame and flash-resistant clothing.

Unintended Consequences of the Nixon Welfare Plan

■ This paper examines the work and training provisions of the Nixon welfare plan (HR 14174), which will require able-bodied welfare recipients to enter job-training programs or to work if they are to receive welfare benefits. The author points out that, given the present state of the economy and the lack of jobs, these provisions may increase unemployment rates and adversely affect wage levels for unprotected workers, furthermore, forcing welfare clients into job-training programs with no payoff will produce frustration and anger that may lead to riots. ■