Semi-Quantitative Dermal Exposure Assessment of Lead with DREAM Model in a Lead Mine in Iran

Occupational exposure to toxic substances occurs in a variety of ways. The DREAM model is suggested for assessing skin exposure using preset values. The purpose of this study is to investigate the exposure of lead in workers at a mine lead using the DREAM model. This research was done in several steps. First, collect information about people and the work environment. Then design the model in Excel2016 by the authors. This research was descriptive-analytic research and included 46 miners. The DREAM model has a total of 33 variables included. In the DREAM model, exposure assessment was performed for 9 body parts at task level 2. The DREAM model was completed for 5 jobs. Jobs were in the lab, tunnel-74, tunnel-34, entrance to the tunnel and flotation workshop. The results were calculated for each of the 9 parts of the site for propagation, transfer, deposition, and potential and actual exposures, and eventually total exposures. The DREAM model, in comparison with similar methods, estimates the skin exposure level in a semi-quantitative fashion. This method has been used to estimate skin exposure in a variety of industries. This method was used to assess the skin exposure of workers in a mine, which resulted in training workers and providing personal protective equipment appropriate to the environment

Introduction and Review of Liquid-Liquid Microextraction Method, Development and Applications in Sample Preparation and Extraction

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) is a novel sample-preparation technique that provides high enrichment factors from the low volume of aqueous samples. This method has gained wide acceptance due to several advantages, including being inexpensive, fast, easy to develop, easy to operate with a high enrichment factor, and consuming low volume of organic solvent, which has made it available to almost all analytical laboratories. This review focuses on the improvements that have been made in the DLLME since its introduction in 2006. In this study, the use of DLLME with simultaneous derivatization of analytes, the combination of DLLME with other sample preparation techniques, and the replacement of toxic chlorinated solvents with low toxicity hydrocarbons, alcohols, and ionic liquids were described. Moreover, this paper seeks to describe the use of DLLME to pre-concentrate metal ions and further modifications of this newly developed technique. It briefly describes the various applications of DLLME for several groups of analytes, including pesticides, drugs, phenols, and other compounds, and finally, some limitations and future trends are anticipated

Introduction and Review of Techniques, Applications, and Limitations of Solid Phase Microextraction Method

Solid phase microextraction (SPME) is a sub-sample extraction method that has been developed to solve some of the challenges associated with sample preparation as well as to integrate different stages of analysis into one system. SPME is a solvent-free, cost-effective, efficient, and high-performance sample preparation technique. This technique combines all the extraction steps into one step. In the recent years, combining SPME with analysis tools has been very efficient for sampling and analyzing multiple compounds and a lot of research has been done on the benefits, applications, and advancements of this technique. This study also introduces SPME along with its various aspects and fields of application

Evaluation of organic solvents effects on physiological parameters of exposed people in industry

Introduction: One of the most common chemical exposures is organic solvents in the workplace and some of them are toxic to human health. The purpose of this study was to determine the organic solvents effect on physiological parameters of exposed people in industry. Methods: This study was descriptive - analytical and in terms of time cross-sectional that the 50 workers were employed in the home appliance industry. The data were collected in three stages: 1) through observation and interview 2) reviewing periodic examinations of workers 3) measure the concentration of BTEX. Descriptive and analytical statistics analysis was performed with SPSS software version 20. Results: According to the results obtained spirometry parameters in the exposed group (FEV1=89.62±10.53) is lower than the non-exposed (FEV1=97.32±8.92) while the average liver enzymes in exposed workers (SGOT= 29.56±9.49 and SGPT=38.67±17.5) was higher than non-exposed (SGOT= 17.5±6.38 and SGPT=21.11±8). Conclusion: Long-term exposure to BTEX leads to a reduction in respiratory capacity, and increase liver enzymes. So, with proper engineering and management controls and periodic examination of such problems can be prevented in workers

Comparison of the chemical health risk assessment of exposure to metal fumes for the furnace operator of a foundry industry using quantitative and semi-quantitative methods

Heavy metals have several adverse effects on the workers' bodies due to their accumulation in the vital organs. Besides that, the current study aimed to assess the health risk of exposure to metal fumes for furnace operators working in a foundry industry based on the three different methods. The current sectional descriptive-analytical research conducted on a foundry industry in Isfahan (Iran) in 2022. Three common methods currently available, including the Semi-Quantitative Risk Assessment Method (SQRCA) and two methods provided based on the US-EPA provided technique, were used in this study. At first, the extent of people's exposure to metal fumes of Fe, Ni, Cr, and Mn was measured. Then, the chemical risk assessment of exposure to these metals' fumes was done using the three methods, and their results were compared. The SPSS Ver.25 has been used for data analysis and comparison in the current study. Results indicated that the furnace operator's exposure to all four metals was above the allowed limit of occupational exposure. The chemical risk assessment results also showed that in the first method (US-EPA-based), the risk of exposure for all workers was acceptable, while in the second method (SQCRA), the risk level of a majority of workers was medium, and in the third method (US-EPA-based), the risk level of a majority of workers was not acceptable. Comparing the methods showed that average risk scores in the first and second methods were significant compared to the exposure to fumes with equivalent concentration (Pvalue<0.05). The average score of carcinogenicity risk in method 3 was significant compared to the concentration of chromium and nickel (P-value < 0.05), but it was not significant for iron and manganese and the non-carcinogenic risk of chromium and nickel. Chemical exposure risk level for the furnace operator was approximately moderate in all three methods. In terms of complexity and information required to implement the method, all three methods were almost the same, with the difference that the results of the first method cannot be generalized to other people who have the same job conditions because individual information such as a person's weight is used to calculate its score

Determining the Causes and Extent of Negligence of Occupational Accidents Assessed by Labor Office Inspectors and Official Experts of Judiciary

Background: The purpose of this study was to model the causes and extent of negligence of occupational accidents assessed by labor office inspectors and official experts of the Judiciary of Isfahan Province, Iran, from the perspective of health, safety, and environment (HSE) management. Methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the causes and extent of negligence of agent or agents of occupational accidents in some industries and workshops in Isfahan Province. In this study, the data were collected by census, which after reviewing all the cases, finally 367 cases were completed and examined. Findings: The lowest agreement on the percentage of negligence of the victims was related to the opinion of the inspector and the opinion of the seven-member board [intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 31.5%]. Most agreement between the five-member and seven-member boards was in determining the percentage of the employer's failure. Moreover, disagreement was observed more in determining the percentage of negligence of the victim. Statistically, there was no significant difference between the three-member and five-member staff in any of the potential causes of the accidents (P > 0.05). For the cause of carelessness and negligence, there was a weak agreement between the inspector's opinion and the opinions of three-member and seven-member boards. Conclusion: Based on the results, people who have more work experience receive less failure percentage. However, if the injured person has a higher work experience in the current job, he has a higher percentage of negligence in the accident which has occurred

The Relationship between Ergonomic Posture and the Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders among Workshop Employees in the West of Isfahan Province

Introduction and purpose: Following respiratory problems, musculoskeletal disorders are the second leading health concern in the world. The present study aimed to explore ergonomic posture and the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in workshop employees in the west of Isfahan province. Methods: This descriptive analytical study was conducted on 74025 people working in 9 different industrial group in the workshops of the West of Isfahan province in 2019. The samples were selected by census sampling method. In order to investigate the ergonomic condition and muscular-skeletal disorders of the workers, after taking photos of different tasks, RULA, REBA and QEC, WISHA, and OWAS methods were used to evaluate the posture of the workers. Finally, the collected data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 26) using descriptive statistics and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. Results: This study indicated the high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in back pain (2,806 people). Moreover, there was a statically significant relationship between people with back pain and those who push and lower the load (P<0.05). Furthermore,  improper posture and repetitive work were the most frequent risk factors. Conclusion: Determining the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders and evaluating the ergonomic status of employees using posture assessment tools in western industries of Isfahan province revealed that ergonomic problems are high in employees' working environment. To reduce the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and minimize their effects in the studied community, it is necessary to reduce the risk level of ergonomic factors from risk level 4 to risk level 1. Therefore, ergonomic training and intervention programs should be considered for the employees of these industries to prevent possible and serious injuries in the future

Developed a needle trap device with PDMS sorbent for microextraction of toluene and methyl ethyl ketone from aquatic samples using dynamic headspace

Introduction: Due to the widespread use of toxic chemicals in most workplaces that can lead to toxic effects on human, various chemical extraction technique have been defined for analysis these toxic substances in air, water and biological samples. The purpose of this research is extraction of&nbsp; toluene and methyl ethyl ketone from aquatic samples with needle trap device and &nbsp;one commercial sorbent. Methods: In this research, needle trap device was used to extraction of&nbsp; toluene and methyl ethyl ketone in aquatic samples, so needles(size 20) were packed with PDMS and extraction was done with dynamic headspace needle trap device. Gas chromatography with -&nbsp;flame ionization detector was used to analysis and optimized extraction of two substances were obtained. Results: Results show that the optimum temperature and time extraction was similar for toluene and methyl ethyl ketone (30 &deg; C, 30 min), but the reproducibility of results and calibration curve that obtained for toluene was better than methyl ethyl ketone. Conclusion: Needle trap technique is inexpensive, sensitive and portable also this method has good recovery to extract small amounts of&nbsp; toluene and methyl ethyketon from aquatic samples with polydimethylsiloxane

The Effect of Training Corrective Movements on Reducing Musculoskeletal Disorders in the Lumbar Region of the Health Workers When Working with Computers

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders related to work are among the most common occupational injuries. Back pain is the most common musculoskeletal disorder among office workers and computer users. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of 12 weeks of Williams corrective exercises on the reduction of back pain in the health workers of two cities of Selseleh (Aleshtar) and Noorabad, Iran. Methods: The present study was an interventional and cross-sectional study conducted on all the health workers of Selseleh and Noorabad cities, using census and cluster sampling methods during the year 2021. Among the 196 health workers in these two cities, 36 people from Selseleh City and 60 people from Noorabad City who had back pain were identified using the Nordic questionnaire. After homogenization in terms of age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and height, people were divided into two control and intervention groups, and their working posture was evaluated using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) method. After the training class, the health workers in the intervention group were asked to perform Williams partial sit up corrective movements, including stretching the back muscles of the thigh, tilting the pelvis, two knees to the chest, partitioning, circular rings, and quadriceps stretching, for 12 weeks. Finally, the data obtained from the questionnaires were collected and statistically analyzed using SPSS software. Findings: In total, 25 men (37.4%) and 47 women (65.3%) participated in the study, and the most significant number of surveyed people (62.5%) had a diploma. Investigations showed that the RULA score after the intervention was significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group. Before performing the corrective movements, the score obtained by the RULA method for both the intervention and control groups showed level 2, but after performing the exercises, 13 people (36.1%) out of 36 people in the intervention group improved and were placed at level 1, and the musculoskeletal complaints of 11 people (30.6%) also improved. Conclusion: Considering the development of the mechanization of physical jobs, the advancement of technology, and the increase in the use of computers, as well as considering the importance of the health of employees, including health workers, it is necessary to take a step by adopting a suitable and effective strategy in the offices in order to improve and prevent the occurrence of such disorders