1,720,998 research outputs found
Occupational sensitizers: Labelling and regulation
No full textThis summary describes the labelling of airway- and skin-sensitizing working substances in Germany and the European Union. In addition to the legal classification (Ordinance on Hazardous Substances (GefStofTV), Technical Rules for Hazardous Substances and Biological Agents, respectively, (TRGS and TRBA), Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS)) also the classification of sensitizing substances by the DFG-MAK Commission is presented. It will also be referred to the risk assessment according to the Safety and Health at Work Act. This requires that the employer assess the risks at workplace and establish necessary protective measures. The effectiveness of the protective measures must be checked regularly and the employees must be informed about the result of the risk assessment and the protective measures. Finally, attention is drawn to the occupational health care with mandatory and voluntary examinations
EAACI position paper: skin prick testing in the diagnosis of occupational type I allergies.
No full textAbstract
Skin prick testing (SPT) in combination with the clinical history of the patient is one important step in the diagnosis of IgE-mediated occupational allergies. However, skin test performance is related to the quality of allergen extracts. The present consensus document was prepared by an EAACI Task Force consisting of an expert panel of allergologists and occupational physicians from Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Austria, and Poland. All members of the panel were also involved in the data collection within the European multicentre study STADOCA (Standard diagnosis for occupational allergy). The aim of this Task Force was the assessment of the quality of commercially available SPT solutions for selected occupational allergens under standardized procedure conditions in different European centres and institutes of Occupational Medicine. The data evaluation shows a wide variability among SPT solutions and also indicates that the sensitivity of several SPT solutions is low. Therefore, improvement and standardization of SPT solutions for occupational allergens is highly recommended. Clinical practitioners should also not presume that their SPT solutions are fully reliable. The main objective of the document is to issue consensus suggestions for the use of SPT with occupational allergens based on the European multicentre study STADOCA, on existing scientific evidence and the expertise of a panel of allergologists
Asthma and exposure to cleaning products - a European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology task force consensus statement.
No full textAsthma and exposure to cleaning products - a European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology task force consensus statement.
No full textProfessional and domestic cleaning is associated with work-related asthma (WRA). This position paper reviews the literature linking exposure to cleaning products and the risk of asthma and focuses on prevention. Increased risk of asthma has been shown in many epidemiological and surveillance studies, and several case reports describe the relationship between exposure to one or more cleaning agents and WRA. Cleaning sprays, bleach, ammonia, disinfectants, mixing products, and specific job tasks have been identified as specific causes and/or triggers of asthma. Because research conclusions and policy suggestions have remained unheeded by manufactures, vendors, and commercial cleaning companies, it is time for a multifaceted intervention. Possible preventive measures encompass the following: substitution of cleaning sprays, bleach, and ammonia; minimizing the use of disinfectants; avoidance of mixing products; use of respiratory protective devices; and worker education. Moreover, we suggest the education of unions, consumer, and public interest groups to encourage safer products. In addition, information activities for the general population with the purpose of improving the knowledge of professional and domestic cleaners regarding risks and available preventive measures and to promote strict collaboration between scientific communities and safety and health agencies are urgently needed
Endotoxin emissions from commercial composting activities
Full text linkThis paper describes an exploratory study of endotoxin emissions and dispersal
from a commercial composting facility. Replicated samples of air were taken by
filtration at different locations around the facility on 10 occasions.
Measurements were made of endotoxin and associated culturable microorganisms.
The inflammatory response of cell cultures exposed to extracts from the filters
was measured. Endotoxin was detected in elevated concentrations close to
composting activities. A secondary peak, of lesser magnitude than the peak at
source was detected at 100-150 m downwind of the site boundary. Unexpectedly
high concentrations of endotoxin were measured at the most distant downwind
sampling point. Extracted endotoxin was found to stimulate human monocytes and a
human lung epithelial cell line to produce significant amounts of pro-
inflammatory cytokines. On a weight basis, endotoxin extracted from the
composting source has a greater inflammatory cytokine inducing effect than
commercial E. coli endotoxin
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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