1,721,237 research outputs found
Human health risks of exposure to carbon nanotubes: Keeping pace with innnovation
No full textThe worldwide production of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has increased substantially in the last decade as the material offer society new opportunities for effectively stronger, lighter, better electrically conductive, and more flexible products. However, concerns have been raised about (occupational) health risks due to CNT exposure, but understanding of the specific hazard potential of CNTs is complicated by its variability in structure and size. In addition, an accurate risk assessment is further hindered by difficulties in measuring CNT exposure and limited exposure data for the different stages of the CNT product life cycle. This thesis contributes to the safe(r) use of CNTs and provides scientific knowledge concerning 1) a comprehensive exposure assessment method for multi-walled (MW)CNTs, 2) the identification of activities and exposure determinates which significantly contributes to MWCNTs exposure across the product life cycle and 3) the observation of an indication of endothelial activation and an increased inflammatory reaction associated with MWCNT exposure. Based on the conclusions of this research the following recommendations are made: 1) The use of less hazardous functionalized forms of CNTs, which are identified based on physical and chemical characteristics of products, should be stimulated, 2) Conservative soft laws (soft regulatory agreements) could help society adapt to the pace of innovation safely and should be considered, and 3) A mandatory European exposure registration for the increasing number of workers exposed to CNTs is suggested as health effects are still largely unknown
Variations in mesothelioma mortality rates among migrants to Australia and Australian-born
No full textBACKGROUND: Australia's use and consumption of asbestos occurred at the same time as its immigration boom. Our objective was to investigate mesothelioma death rates among migrants and Australian-born between 1981 and 2012. METHODS: Australian national mesothelioma deaths from 1981 to 2002 and 2006 to 2012 together with national censuses from 1981 to 2011 were extracted and combined. Directly standardised rates and negative binomial regression were applied examining differences in mesothelioma death rates with regard to country of birth. RESULTS: Migrants from the UK and Ireland, Italy and Germany had significantly higher mesothelioma death rates than Australian-born; lower rates were observed among migrants from other countries. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest there may have been differences in occupational health and safety between foreign and Australian-born. Because of changes in the demographics of migrants to Australia since the 1970s and changes in occupational circumstances over time, further comparisons of occupational-related health outcomes between foreign and Australian-born could identify potential occupational inequalities that may still exist today
Eindrapport WP4 blootstelling: Blootstelling aan chroom-6 op de NL-POMS-sites 1984-2006
No full textHet RIVM coördineert voor het Ministerie van Defensie het Gezondheidsonderzoek gebruik gevaarlijke stoffen bij Defensie; POMS, chroom-6 en CARC”. Dit onderzoek is opgedeeld in verschillende werkpakketten waarbij dit concept-rapport het werkpakket 4 (WP4) betreft. Het doel van WP4 is het karakteriseren en (zo mogelijk) kwantificeren van de historische blootstelling aan chroom-6 van werknemers die op POMS-sites (Prepositioned Organizational Materiel Storage) werkzaam zijn geweest. Hierbij is het van belang om te onderzoeken welke processen, functies, taken en handelingen op de verschillende POMS-sites plaatsvonden waarbij blootstelling aan chroom-6 mogelijk was. De aard van de werkzaamheden (frequentie en duur), of sprake was van directe en/of indirecte blootstelling en de aanwezigheid van beheersmaatregelen en persoonlijke beschermingsmiddelen (PBM) zijn meegewogen in de beoordeling van de blootstelling aan chroom-6
P I – 2–6 An integrated modelling framework to estimate residents exposure to pesticides from boom sprayer applications
No full textEvaluation of exposure assessment methods in epidemiological studies: The welding example
No full textExposure assessment quality is a fundamental consideration in the design and evaluation of observational studies. High quality exposure assessment is particularly relevant for outcomes with long latency, such as cancer, where detailed information on past exposures are often missing and must therefore be estimated. For the IARC Monograph on welding, the exposure group provided an overview of assessment methods used in the key epidemiological studies. Strengths and weaknesses of each study were assessed, along with their potential effects on interpretation of risk estimates. For the association between lung cancer and welding fume exposure, 9 cohort and 10 case-control studies were reviewed. For ocular melanoma and ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from welding, 7 case-control studies were reviewed. Quality criteria were: full occupational histories, and standardized, blinded and quantitative exposure assessment. Additional criteria for lung cancer: specifically assessing welding fumes and using information on welding tasks. For ocular melanoma: assessing artificial and solar radiation separately, taking into account eye burns, eye protection and welding type. Exposure assessment of welding fumes by applying a 'welding-exposure matrix' (n=2) or welding-specific questionnaires (n=3) were considered highest quality, followed by case-by-case expert assessment (n=5) or general job-exposure matrices (JEMs, n=4). Job title alone was considered less informative (n=5). For exposure to UVR, JEMs were most informative (n=2), followed by self-reported eye burns and self-reported exposure from specific welding types (n=2), although caution is advised regarding recall bias. Assessing welding fume exposure or ever exposure to welding arcs as proxy for UVR was considered less informative. For both exposures, ever versus never welder, or assessments based on data collected from proxies, were considered least informative. The overall evaluation was that there is sufficient evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of welding fumes and ultraviolet radiation from welding
Occupational exposure to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields and the risk of ALS: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Full text link© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. We performed a meta-analysis to examine associations of occupational exposure to extremely-low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Epidemiologic studies were identified in EMBASE and MEDLINE, in reference lists and a specialist database. We included studies that reported risk estimates of ALS in association with occupational ELF-MF exposure. Summary relative risks (RR) or odds ratios (OR) were obtained with random effect meta-analysis, and analyses were stratified by type of exposure assessment. This was done to evaluate whether observed heterogeneity between studies could be explained with differences in the way the exposure had been determined. We included 20 studies in our meta-analysis. Overall, studies reported a slightly increased risk of ALS in those exposed to higher levels of ELF-MF compared to lower levels with a summary RR (sRR) of 1.14 (95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.00–1.30) and for workers in electrical occupations (sRR 1.41, CI 1.05–1.92), but with large heterogeneity between studies (I 2 > 70%). Self-reported exposure or occupations determined from death certificates did not show increased risks. Highest-longest types of exposure translated into increased risks of ALS if the studies had evaluated the whole occupational history, in contrast to evaluating only few points in time (e.g., from census records); sRR were 1.89 (CI 1.31–2.73, I 2 0%) and 1.06 (CI 0.75–1.57, I 2 76%), respectively. In this meta-analysis, we observed an increased risk of ALS in workers occupationally exposed to ELF-MF. Results of studies depended on the quality of the exposure assessment. Bioelectromagnetics. 39:156–163, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc
Interventions to reduce future cancer incidence from diesel engine exhaust: What might work?
Full text linkExposure to diesel engine exhaust contributes appreciably to the burden of occupational cancer. This study aims to estimate the potential impact of a range of interventions on the future burden of cancer from occupational exposure to diesel engine exhaust in Australia. The future excess fraction method, a novel method based on the lifetime risk approach, was used to model changes in the future burden of cancer among the Australian working age population exposed to diesel engine exhaust at work in 2012 under various intervention strategies. The interventions modelled were based on the widely accepted hierarchy of control model. At baseline, 600 (0.4%) future bladder and 4,450 (0.6%) future lung cancer cases over the lifetime of the cohort were estimated to be attributable to occupational exposure to diesel engine exhaust in those exposed in 2012. Up to 2,000 of these cases were estimated to be avoidable through the use of various interventions. Exhaust hoses (engineering controls) were estimated to be particularly effective. This study provides an indication of which intervention strategies may be most useful in reducing the future burden of cancer associated with occupational diesel engine exhaust exposure. These results show the potential effect of changing current exposure, rather than focussing on past exposures, and thus provide relevant information for policy planning
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