Hybrid journal (It can contain Open Access articles) ISSN (Print) 2398-7308 - ISSN (Online) 2398-7316 Published by Oxford University Press[424 journals]
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Pages: 295 - 296 Abstract: In 2022, the Annals of Work Exposures and Health received a total of 243 submissions (Table 1), a decrease of 66 (21%) relative to 2021, but consistent with submission levels prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Final decisions were made on 237 articles, of which 38% were accepted. This rate is slightly higher than last year. Five articles related to COVID-19 were published in Volume 66 and a further 17 accepted for advance publication, most of which were published in Volume 67 issue 1. Volume 66 comprised nine issues as well as a supplement of exposure assessment studies undertaken as part of the GuLF Long-term Follow-up Study (GuLF STUDY) following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, edited by Dr Deborah Glass, Dr Noah Seixas, and Mr Peter Stacey. A total of 128 papers were published in an issue or supplement (Table 1), including 97 original articles. This is the highest number, both of original articles and in total, published in a single volume in the last 10 years. Note that not all papers published in 2022 were submitted during 2022, and not all papers submitted in 2022 have received final decisions, so the columns in Table 1 are not directly comparable. PubDate: Thu, 09 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/annweh/wxad005 Issue No:Vol. 67, No. 3 (2023)
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Pages: 379 - 391 Abstract: AbstractLow-cost particulate matter (PM) sensors provide new methods for monitoring occupational exposure to hazardous substances, such as flour dust. These devices have many possible benefits, but much remains unknown about their performance for different exposure monitoring strategies in the workplace. We explored the performance of PM sensors for four different monitoring strategies (time-weighted average and high time resolution, each quantitative and semi-quantitative) for assessing occupational exposure using low-cost PM sensors in a field study in the industrial bakery sector. Measurements were collected using four types of sensor (PATS+, Isensit, Airbeam2, and Munisense) and two reference devices (respirable gravimetric samplers and an established time-resolved device) at two large-scale bakeries, spread over 11 participants and 6 measurement days. Average PM2.5 concentrations of the low-cost sensors were compared with gravimetric respirable concentrations for 8-h shift periods and 1-min PM2.5 concentrations of the low-cost sensors were compared with time-resolved PM2.5 data from the reference device (quantitative monitoring strategy). Low-cost sensors were also ranked in terms of exposure for 8-h shifts and for 15-min periods with a shift (semi-quantitative monitoring strategy). Environmental factors and methodological variables, which can affect sensor performance, were investigated. Semi-quantitative monitoring strategies only showed more accurate results compared with quantitative strategies when these were based on shift-average exposures. The main factors that influenced sensor performance were the type of placement (positioning the devices stationary versus personal) and the company or workstation where measurements were collected. Together, these findings provide an overview of common strengths and drawbacks of low-cost sensors and different ways these can be applied in the workplace. This can be used as a starting point for further investigations and the development of guidance documents and data analysis methods. PubDate: Fri, 06 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/annweh/wxac088 Issue No:Vol. 67, No. 3 (2023)
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Pages: 392 - 401 Abstract: AbstractWhile between- and within-worker variability have been studied quite extensively, hardly any research is available that examines long-term trends in the variability of occupational exposure. In this first study on trends in occupational exposure variability temporal changes in the variability of respirable dust and respirable quartz concentrations within the European industrial minerals sector were demonstrated. Since 2000 the European Industrial Minerals Association’s Dust Monitoring Program (IMA-DMP) has systematically collected respirable dust and respirable quartz measurements. The resulting IMA-DMP occupational exposure database contains at present approximately 40 000 personal full-shift measurements, collected at 177 sites owned by 39 companies, located in 23 European countries. Repeated measurements of workers performing their duties within a specific site-job-campaign combination allowed estimation of within- and between-worker variability in exposure concentrations. Overall day-to-day variability predominated the between-worker variability for both respirable dust concentrations and quartz concentrations. The within-worker variability in concentrations by job was two to three times higher for respirable quartz than for respirable dust. The median between-worker variability in respirable dust concentrations was low and further reduced over time. For quartz concentrations the same phenomenon albeit somewhat less strong was observed. In contrast, for the within-worker variability in concentrations downward and upward temporal trends were apparent for both respirable dust and respirable quartz. The study shows that the (relative) size of temporal variability is large and unpredictable and therefore regular measurement campaigns are needed to ascertain compliance to occupational exposure limit values. PubDate: Tue, 03 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/annweh/wxac093 Issue No:Vol. 67, No. 3 (2023)
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Pages: 402 - 413 Abstract: AbstractIn practice, workers often handle the same chemical(s) of interest under different control measures (e.g. local ventilation, enclosed system) during a full shift. Stoffenmanager® allows users to predict either task-based or full-shift exposures. However, most previous studies evaluated the tool by comparing task-based exposures with measured exposures. Also, limited evaluation studies of the Advanced REACH Tool (ART) with the Bayesian approach (ART+B) are available, requiring additional evaluation studies. The performance of Stoffenmanager® and ART with and without the Bayesian approach was evaluated with measured full-shift exposures to volatile liquids in terms of accuracy, precision, and conservatism. Forty-two exposure situation scenarios (including 251 exposures), developed based on job tasks and chemicals handled during tasks from workplaces, were used to generate full-shift estimates. The estimates were then compared with measured exposures using various comparison methods. Overall, Stoffenmanager® appeared to be the most accurate among the testing tools, while ART+B was the most precise. The percentage of measured exposures exceeding the tools’ 90th percentile estimates (%M>T) demonstrated that Stoffenmanager® (16%M>T) and ART+B (13%M>T) were more conservative than ART (41%M>T). When the 90% upper confidence limit of the 90th percentile estimate was considered, the level of conservatism changed from low (41%M>T) to medium (17%M>T) for ART and from medium (13%M>T) to high (0.8%M>T) for ART+B. The findings of this study indicate that no single tool would work for all ESs. Thus, it is recommended that users select a tool based on the performance results of three components (i.e. accuracy, precision, and conservatism), not depending on one or two components. The strength of this study is that the required tools’ input parameters were obtained during the sample collection to minimize assumptions for many input parameters. In addition, unlike other previous studies, multiple subtasks, which happen often in workplaces, were incorporated in this study. Nevertheless, the present study did not cover all activities listed in the tools and was limited to volatile liquids, suggesting further studies cover other exposure categories (e.g. solid, metal) and diverse activities. PubDate: Tue, 03 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/annweh/wxac091 Issue No:Vol. 67, No. 3 (2023)
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Pages: 414 - 422 Abstract: AbstractThere are several international standards that address the resistance of chemical protective clothing materials to the penetration by liquids. The hydrostatic pressure has been documented to discriminate between protective clothing material performance and correlates with visual penetration results that are obtained with human factors validation. The same methodology, based on hydrostatic pressure equipment, is referenced also in other standards addressing penetration resistance of protective clothing and glove materials against synthetic blood or blood-borne pathogens. In this study, we present an automated hydrostatic penetration testing that integrates testing procedures from several standards to evaluate the resistance of materials to penetration by liquids under pressure. The automated control system allows the user to select a specific test method and automatically sets a stepped pressurization protocol to test the material. A pass or a fail result is produced at a certain time and pressure. As an example of application, the penetration of synthetic blood was assessed through gloves made from different materials with ISO 16603, method B, one of the five possible penetration methods and protocols available in the test equipment. The results indicate that the developed system facilitates the application of test methods used to evaluate the barrier effectiveness against liquids of materials used for protective clothing and gloves and show up that the characteristics of the retention grid used have a decisive influence on the test results. In some of the tested glove materials, holes were intentionally performed with needles with different gauges. The capacity of pinhole detection in gloves was evaluated according to the test method selected and compared with results obtained with the classic water leak test method for gloves described in EN ISO 374-2. PubDate: Wed, 04 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/annweh/wxac090 Issue No:Vol. 67, No. 3 (2023)
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Pages: 423 - 423 Abstract: This is a correction to: Erik Vangronsveld, Steven Berckmans, Mark Spence, Comparison of Solvent/Derivatization Agent Systems for Determination of Extractable Toluene Diisocyanate from Flexible Polyurethane Foam, The Annals of Occupational Hygiene, Volume 57, Issue 5, June 2013, Pages 640–649, https://doi.org/10.1093/annhyg/mes093 PubDate: Fri, 03 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/annweh/wxad008 Issue No:Vol. 67, No. 3 (2023)
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Pages: 297 - 302 Abstract: AbstractObjectivesThe definition of work-related Asthma (WRA) has changed in recent years and new etiologies and agents have been identified. The aim of this study is to describe the main causal agents of WRA in France in the period 2001–2018 in the main work sectors.MethodsData were collected from the French national network of occupational health surveillance and prevention [Réseau National de Vigilance et de Prévention des Pathologies Professionnelles (RNV3P)], Data between 2001 and 2018 with at least a probable or certain association with one occupational agent, were included.ResultsWork sectors with more cases OF WRA included personal service activities (10.6%), food industry (10.2%) and healthcare activities (7.6%). WRA cases were most frequently related to flour (10%), quaternary ammoniums compounds (5.3%), isocyanates (5.1%) and cleaning products (4.8%).ConclusionOccupational exposure to specific agents capable of causing WRA is still present, and four agents represent more than 25% of the cases. Actions to prevent respiratory exposure are still relevant. PubDate: Wed, 07 Dec 2022 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/annweh/wxac079 Issue No:Vol. 67, No. 3 (2022)
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Pages: 303 - 319 Abstract: AbstractObjectivesPhysical and cognitive tasks occur together in many occupations. Previous reviews of combined tasks have mainly focused on their effects in a sports context. This review investigated to which extent combinations (concurrent or alternating) of occupationally relevant physical and cognitive tasks influence responses reflecting biomechanical exposure, stress, fatigue, performance, and well-being.MethodsWe searched Scopus, Pubmed, Cinahl, and Psychinfo for controlled experiments investigating the effects of combinations of occupationally relevant physical and cognitive tasks in participants aged 18 to 70. In total, we identified 12 447 records. We added recent papers that had cited these studies (n = 573) to arrive at a total of 13 020 publications. After screening for relevance, 61 studies remained, of which 57 were classified to be of medium or high quality. Of the 57 studies, 51 addressed concurrent tasks, 5 alternating tasks, and 1 both concurrent and alternating tasks.ResultsMost studies of concurrent physical and cognitive tasks reported negative effects, if numerically small, on indicators of biomechanical exposure, fatigue, and performance, compared to a physical task alone. Results were mixed for stress indicators, and well-being was too little studied to justify any conclusions. Effects depended on the tasks, including their intensity and complexity. Alternating physical and cognitive tasks did not appear to influence outcomes much, compared to having passive breaks in-between physical tasks.ConclusionsThe reviewed evidence indicated that concurrent physical and cognitive work tasks have negative, yet small effects on biomechanical indicators, fatigue and performance, compared to performing the physical task alone, but only if the physical task is intense, and the cognitive task is complex. Alternating between physical and cognitive tasks may have similar effects as breaking up physical tasks by passive breaks, but studies were few. Future studies should address ecologically valid combinations of physical and cognitive tasks, in particular in controlled field studies devoted to the long-term effects of combined work. PubDate: Mon, 05 Dec 2022 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/annweh/wxac082 Issue No:Vol. 67, No. 3 (2022)
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Pages: 320 - 329 Abstract: AbstractObjectivesThe California Healthy Nail Salon Recognition Program is a statewide initiative to incentivize nail salons to adopt occupational health and safety best practices such as the use of safer nail products without certain harmful chemicals, ventilation systems upgrade, proper personal protective equipment use, and staff training. This public policy intervention is in response to the call to protect nail care workers, mostly women of color, who bear a disproportionate burden of chemical exposure at work. Because there is an interest to adopt a similar program in the Greater Philadelphia region, we conducted this formative research to document stakeholders’ perspectives on the feasibility of adopting a Healthy Nail Salon Recognition Program in Philadelphia.MethodsWe conducted semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 31 stakeholders in Philadelphia in 2021. Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Science as our theoretical framework, we developed the interview guide and analysed the data using qualitative research methods to identify key facilitators and barriers.ResultsKey facilitating themes were perceived need and benefits of program to improve workers’ health and working conditions, and willingness of stakeholders to leverage their organizational resources. Barriers included perceived high cost and time commitment from salon owners and employees, lack of funding and implementation leaders at the city government, community members’ willingness to be visible and advocate for the program affected by the stigmas of being immigrant workers, and fear of interacting with authorities, as well as the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.ConclusionsOur results suggest successful adoption of a Healthy Nail Salon Recognition Program in Philadelphia will require outreach within the community to raise awareness of the benefits of the program and close partnership with community-based organizations to facilitate mutual understanding between the authorities and the ethnically diverse nail salon communities. PubDate: Sat, 31 Dec 2022 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/annweh/wxac092 Issue No:Vol. 67, No. 3 (2022)
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Pages: 330 - 344 Abstract: AbstractObjectivesWe estimated influenza-like symptom (ILS) incidence among healthcare personnel (HCP) in four hospitals and the economic impact due to ILS in the Thai HCP population during July 2020–June 2021 (Thailand’s expected 2020 influenza season), which also coincided with the novel coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.MethodsWe followed HCP, in a prospective observational cohort, weekly for ≥1 of: muscle pain, cough, runny nose/nasal congestion, sore throat, or difficulty breathing. We fitted population-averaged Poisson regression models to identify factors associated with acquiring ILS and to calculate ILS incidence. We applied epidemiologic parameters to Thailand’s HCP population (227 349 persons) to estimate economic impact.ResultsOf 2184 participants, adjusted all-cause ILS incidence was 6.1 episodes per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 3.4–10.9). Among Thailand’s HCP population, 13 909 ILS episodes were estimated to occur annually and would result in US$235 135 economic loss. Controlling for study site and calendar month, factors associated with acquiring ≥1 ILS versus no ILS included being female, having asthma, and using personal protective equipment ‘frequently, but not always’.ConclusionsAll-cause ILS resulted in considerable economic loss among Thai HCP workforce. These findings underscore the importance of public health interventions to reduce the risk of acquiring ILS. PubDate: Sat, 24 Dec 2022 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/annweh/wxac089 Issue No:Vol. 67, No. 3 (2022)
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Pages: 345 - 353 Abstract: AbstractThe wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT)-based occupational exposure limits (OELs) were developed from steady exposures to heat stress at constant WBGT and metabolic rate (M). The exposure limits were based on compensable heat stress exposures at the upper limit of the prescriptive zone for most healthy people. Professional practice allows for using time-weighted averages (TWAs) of WBGT and M to account for heterogeneous heat stress exposures. The purpose of the current paper was to report on the effectiveness of time-weighted averaging to assess occupational heat stress using published studies. Our hypothesis was using TWA-WBGT and TWA-M was as protective as the recommended OELs for steady exposures. The current paper reports on 62 observations of work that alternate between at least two heat stress conditions (usually work and recovery) reported in 16 papers. The TWA-WBGT and TWA-M were determined for all observations. ΔLimit was the observed TWA-WBGT minus the exposure limit at the TWA-M based on acclimatization state. The observations were then classified as above or below ΔLimit = 0. Each observation was also classified as uncompensable if the mean core temperature for the group was greater than 38°C or a less tolerant individual was above 38.5°C. When comparing exposure classifications to outcome classifications using 2 × 2 tables, the sensitivity and specificity for all observations were 0.72 and 0.73, respectively. The sensitivity was much less than the expected value near 1.0, and the large difference called into question the ability of TWAs to represent actual heat stress. There was some suspicion that there were differences between acclimatized and unacclimatized observations. Before any of these findings are embedded in policy or practice, a more careful evaluation of TWAs is required. In conclusion, we believe that the use of TWAs for heat stress analysis was not fully evaluated, and we proposed a framework for evaluation. PubDate: Thu, 01 Dec 2022 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/annweh/wxac083 Issue No:Vol. 67, No. 3 (2022)
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Pages: 354 - 365 Abstract: AbstractObjectivesWe aimed to characterize polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the breathing zone and on the skin of wildland firefighters and to assess their contribution to urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-HP) over repeated firefighting rotations. We asked if improved skin hygiene or discretionary use of an N95 mask would reduce absorption.MethodsIn collaboration with wildfire services of two Canadian provinces, Alberta and British Columbia (BC), we recruited wildland firefighters from crews willing to be followed up over successive rotations and to be randomly assigned to normal practice, enhanced skin hygiene (ESH), or ESH plus discretionary use of an N95 mask. We collected spot urine samples at the beginning and end of up to four rotations/firefighter. On designated fire days, as close as possible to the end of rotation, we collected skin wipes from the hands, throat, and chest at the beginning and end of the fire day and, in BC, start of fire-day urine samples. Volunteers carried air monitoring pumps. Participants completed questionnaires at the beginning and end of rotations. Exposure since the start of the fire season was estimated from fire service records. Urinary 1-HP was analyzed by LC-MS-MS. Analysis of 21 PAHs on skin wipes and 27 PAHs from air sampling was done by GC-MS-MS. Statistical analysis used a linear mixed effects model.ResultsFirefighters in Alberta were recruited from five helitack crews and two unit crews, and in BC from two unit crews with 80 firefighters providing data overall. The fire season in BC was very active with five monitored fire days. In Alberta, with more crews, there were only seven fire days. Overall, log 1-HP/creatinine (ng/g) increased significantly from the start (N = 145) to end of rotation (N = 136). Only three PAHs (naphthalene, phenanthrene, and pyrene) were found on >20% of skin wipes. PAHs from 40 air monitoring pumps included 10 PAHs detected on cassette filters (particles) and 5 on sorbent tubes (vapor phase). A principal component extracted from air monitoring data represented respiratory exposure and total PAH from skin wipes summarized skin exposure. Both routes contributed to the end of rotation urinary 1-HP. The ESH intervention was not demonstrated to effect absorption. Allocation of an N95 mask was associated with lower 1-HP when modeling respiratory exposure (β = −0.62, 95% CI −1.15 to −0.10: P = 0.021). End of rotation 1-HP was related to 1-HP at the start of the next rotation (β = 0.25, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.39: P < 0.001).ConclusionsExposures to PAHs during firefighting were significant, with samples exceeding the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists Biological Exposure Index for 1-HP suggesting a need for control of exposure. PAH exposure accumulated during the rotation and was not fully eliminated during the break between rotations. Both respiratory and skin exposures contributed to 1-HP. While improved skin hygiene may potentially reduce dermal absorption, that was not demonstrated here. In contrast, those allocated to discretionary use of an N95 mask had reduced 1-HP excretion. Wildland firefighters in North America do not use respiratory protection, but the results of this study support more effective interventions to reduce respiratory exposure. PubDate: Sat, 24 Dec 2022 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/annweh/wxac085 Issue No:Vol. 67, No. 3 (2022)
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Pages: 366 - 378 Abstract: AbstractWorking as a professional hairdresser involves the daily usage of many different hair treatment products containing chemicals in complex mixtures. Exposure may induce symptoms in the airways and on the skin. In this study, exposure of hairdressers to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including aldehydes, was measured in the personal breathing zone in the spring of 2017. The study included 30 hairdressers evenly distributed over ten hair salons in the town of Örebro, Sweden. Work tasks and indoor climate were also surveilled. A hazard index (HI) based on chronic reference values for health was calculated to indicate combined exposure risk. In total, 90 VOCs, including nine aldehydes, were identified. Individual exposure expressed as a total concentration of VOCs (TVOCs) were in the range of 50–3600 µg/m3 toluene equivalent (median 460 µg/m3) and the HI was in the range 0.0046–13 (median 0.9). Exposure was more strongly influenced by variability among hairdressers than among salons. The HI indicated an increased risk of non-carcinogenic effects (HI ≥ 1) at four of the 10 hair salons. Individual working procedures, ventilation, volumetric usage of hair treatment products, certain chemicals in products (formaldehyde, isopropanol, and 2,4- and 2,6-toluene diisocyanate), and availability of reference values may have affected estimates of exposure risks. Nevertheless, the HI may be suitable as a screening tool to assess potential exposure risk posed to hairdressers since it considers the complexity of chemical mixtures and the chronic component of VOC exposure occurring in all indoor environments. PubDate: Thu, 24 Nov 2022 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/annweh/wxac078 Issue No:Vol. 67, No. 3 (2022)
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