Evaluation of the effects of exposure to organic solvents and hazardous noise among US Air Force Reserve personnel

Hearing loss affects many workers including those in the military and may be caused by noise, medications, and chemicals. Exposures to some chemicals may lead to an increase in the incidence of hearing loss when combined with hazardous noise. This retrospective study evaluated the risk for hearing loss among Air Force Reserve personnel exposed to occupational noise with and without exposures to toluene, styrene, xylene, benzene, and JP-8 (jet fuel). Risk factors associated with hearing loss were determined using logistic and linear regression. Stratified analysis was used to evaluate potential interaction between solvent and noise exposure. The majority of the subjects were male (94.6%) and 35 years or older on the date of their first study audiogram (66%). Followed for an average of 3.2 years, 9.2% of the study subjects had hearing loss in at least one ear. Increasing age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.03 per year of age) and each year of follow-up time (OR = 1.23) were significantly associated with hearing loss. Low and moderate solvent exposures were not associated with hearing loss. Linear regression demonstrated that hearing loss was significantly associated with age at first study audiogram, length of follow-up time, and exposure to noise. Hearing decreased by 0.04 decibels for every decibel increase in noise level or by almost half a decibel (0.4 dB) for every 10 decibel increase in noise level

Essential Case Studies In Public Health: Putting Public Health into Practice

Essential Case Studies in Public Health: Putting Public Health into Practice is a unique compilation of twenty-one cases based on real life events and problems. Written by over forty public health faculty members and practitioners, these cases vividly illustrate how professionals across various disciplines tackle public health challenges. Covering a wide range of topics and issues from HPV vaccines as school entry requirements to implementing community-based water systems in rural Honduran communities to a mumps epidemic in Iowa, this text helps students apply a wide range of knowledge and skills relevant to public health outbreak investigation, policy analysis, regulatory decision-making and more. Suitable as a stand-alone text or as an adjunct to any introductory public health text, this collection of engaging case studies provides students with the opportunity to synthesize and apply each of the five components of the “Public Health 101” curriculum framework: the public health approach; tools of population health; disease: determinants, impacts, and interventions; healthcare and public health systems; and special areas of public health focus. Selected cases can be readily applied to courses across the curriculum.https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/books/1028/thumbnail.jp

Characterizing occupational heat-related mortality in the United States, 2000-2010: An analysis using the census of fatal occupational injuries database.

BACKGROUND: Occupational heat-related mortality is not well studied and risk factors remain largely unknown. This paper describes the epidemiological characteristics of heat-related deaths among workers in the US 2000–2010. METHODS: Fatality data were obtained at the Bureau of Labor Statistics from the confidential on-site Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries database. Fatality rates and risk ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated by year, sex, age group, ethnicity, race, state, and industry. RESULTS: Between 2000 and 2010, 359 occupational heat-related deaths were identified in the U.S., for a yearly average fatality rate of 0.22 per 1 million workers. Highest rates were found among Hispanics, men, the agriculture and construction industries, the state of Mississippi, and very small establishments. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the first comprehensive national profile of heat-related deaths in the U.S. workplace. Prevention efforts should be directed at small businesses and at industries and individuals with the highest risk

Pesticide Exposures and Body Mass Index (BMI) of Pesticide Applicators From the Agricultural Health Study

<div><p>Endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including pesticides, may be associated with weight gain. This is the first longitudinal study to examine a potential association between weight gain and pesticides using data on 8,365 male pesticide applicators from the Agricultural Health Study (AHS) cohort established in 1993. The relationship between total cumulative days of exposure to pesticide functional/chemical classes and to the four most frequently used individual pesticides was studied in relation to body mass index (BMI) at the time of 5-yr follow-up (beginning in 1998) with the length of the exposure period dating back to age 20 yr. Multiple regression, Spearman correlation, ordinal logistic regression, and logistic regression models all utilized a Bonferroni-adjusted <i>p</i> value, were adjusted for relevant covariates, and were stratified by state of residence (Iowa/North Carolina) and presence/absence of weight-related health conditions. Adjusted multiple regression yielded statistically significant positive parameter estimates for the study sample and Iowa subgroups with consistent findings for triazine herbicides and atrazine: Change in BMI per 100 cumulative pesticide exposure days ranged from 0.07 to 0.11 for triazine herbicides and from 0.10 to 0.19 for atrazine. Ordinal logistic regression compared normal weight with overweight and with obese using the zero exposure category as referent. Statistically significant adjusted odds ratios identified for the study sample and both state subgroups for the highest level of atrazine exposure ranged from 1.4 to 1.7. Further investigation is warranted to evaluate the associations identified here.</p></div