Cadmium and hypertension in exposed workers: A meta-analysis

Abstrac

Metanalisis: Impacto sobre el aparato respiratorio de trabajadores expuestos a Contaminacion Urbana

La contaminación atmosférica puede definirse como cualquier cambio en el aire de la atmósfera, debido a la introducción de una o más sustancias en cantidades y con tales características como para dañar o constituir un peligro para la salud humana o la calidad del medio ambiente o pueda perjudicar la propiedad o poner en peligro los usos legítimos del medio ambiente. En los países industrializados, las principales fuentes antropogénicas de los contaminantes del aire son: El tráfico de vehículos , Sistemas de calefacción domésticos, Las actividades industriales. La incineración y combustión de residuos, Centrales termoeléctricas de carbon y Actividades Nucleares . Todas ellas tienen impacto sobre la salud humana El presente trabajo se propone realizar una revisión sistemática de la literatura científica sobre los efectos crónicos en el sistema respiratorio en los trabajadores laboralmente expuestos a la contaminación urbana, con el fin de verificar:la efectividad de las intervenciones preventivas para los grupos de trabajadores que ya están sujetos a la vigilancia de la salud y la necesidad de extender estos programas para proteger la salud también a otras categorías. Para ello se efectuó una revisión sistemática conforme el modelo de metanalisis de todos los artículos publicados desde enero 1988 hasta dicembre 2013 recogidos con los siguientes motores de búsqueda en línea: PubMed, Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina (NLM),MedlinePlus, NIOSHTIC-2,TOXLINE. BioMedCentral y Scopus.(1073 articulos). Se encontraron correlaciones significativas respecto de: prevalencia de síntomas respiratorios, disminución de la funcionalidad respiratoria, inflamación de la vía aérea y prevalencia de enfermedades respiratorias en trabajadores expuestos laboralmente. Los resultados muestran, la necesidad de proteger a todos los trabajadores expuestos con programas específicos de prevención y la necesidad de mejorar los programas para proteger la salud de los trabajadores a través de una cuidadosa evaluación del riesgo, la utilización de equipos de protección personal (en caso necesario) y la implementación de programas de vigilancia de la salud

Pulmonary nodules in workers exposed to urban stressor

By multilayer spiral low-dose computed tomography (LD-CT) of the chest this study assesses the early detection of lung lesions on a sample of 100 traffic policemen of a big Italian city professionally exposed to urban pollutants and 100 controls non-occupationally exposed to urban pollutants matched by sex, age, length of service and cigarette smoking habit Exposure to urban pollutants in traffic policemen was characterized using the annual average concentrations of PM(10), NO(2) and benzene Ill the period 1998-2008 measured by fixed monitoring stations located in different areas of the city A significant and increasing number of suspicious lung nodules with diameters between 5 and 10 mm was observed, in traffic policemen (including smokers and non-smokers) vs controls (including smokers and nonsmokers), in total smokers (including traffic policemen and controls) vs total non-smokers (traffic policemen and controls), in smoker traffic policemen vs smoker controls and vs non-smoker traffic policemen; in non-smoker traffic policemen vs non-smoker controls The RR of finding cases with at least one lung nodule with diameters between 5 and 10 mm in traffic policemen (including smokers and non-smokers) compared to controls (including smokers and non-smokers) is 1.94 (CI 1.13-3.31), in total smokers vs. non-smokers the RR is 1.96 (CI 1.20-3.19) The comparison between the interaction exposure and smoking shows an increase in smoker traffic policemen than in smoker controls (RR=2.14, CI 1.02-4.52) The RR for smoker traffic policemen was higher than in non-smoker traffic policemen (RR=2.09, CI 1.19-3.66). The results of our study show that. (1) while smoker workers have a higher risk for developing solid suspicious lung nodules, the simple routinely exposure to urban pollutants is unable to produce the same kind of increased risk; (2) the interaction of smoking and exposure to urban pollutants greatly increases the risk for the development of solid suspicious lung nodules. In conclusion, the use of chest LD-CT in workers at risk helps identify suspicious solid lung nodules at early stage (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc All rights reserved

Plasma cortisol concentrations and lifestyle in a population of outdoor workers

The aim of this study was to assess whether exposure to urban pollution in outdoor workers, may alter plasma cortisol concentrations also in relation to the effect of smoking and drinking habits. The research was carried out on 498 outdoor police workers, divided into three groups; Group A: traffic policemen (TP), Group B: drivers (D), Group C: Other duties (OD). To evaluate separately the effect of using alcohol and smoking, each group was divided into three subgroups: (1) non-smokers and non-drinkers, (2) smokers and non-drinkers, (3) non-smokers and drinkers. Our results show cortisol mean values were significantly higher in the TP group compared to the D and OD groups without significant differences between the last two groups. The results suggest that exposure to pollutants associated with urban psychosocial stress may play a more important role on plasma cortisol levels than smoking and alcohol

Rischio visivo e stress lavoro correlato: studio di una popolazione di videoterminalisti

Introduzione. La sorveglianza sanitaria degli addetti al videoterminale prevede l’utilizzo di diverse metodiche strumentali volte a diagnosticare e misurare nel tempo non solo difetti del visus ma anche la presenza di eteroforie ed di discromatopsie. Scopo della ricerca. Lo scopo di questo studio è quello di valutare se chi ha difetti visivi ha un rischio aumentato di stress lavoro correlato. Materiali e metodi. Il campione di 128 addetti al videoterminale durante la sorveglianza sanitaria ha effettuato esame della vista e alla somministrazione del questionario HSE-IT. Sono stati considerati i seguenti parametri legati a difetti visivi non reversibili quali: alterazione del visus, presenza di eteroforie e discromatopsie ed è stata effettuata una analisi non parametrica della significatività statistica delle differenze dei risultati al questionario HSE-IT tra la popolazione con difetti visivi ed i controlli sani. Risultati. Dalla sorveglianza sanitaria sono stati diagnosticati 39 lavoratori con difetto del visus, 22 con presenza di eteroforie e 14 con presenza di discromatopsie. Il loro profilo di rischio prodotto da HSE Analysis Tool risulta essere più critico rispetto al gruppo dei sani. Conclusioni. Lo studio trasversale dimostra che gli addetti al videoterminale con difetti visivi hanno un maggior rischio di stress lavoro-correlato. Nella valutazione del rischio da stress lavoro-correlato degli addetti al videoterminale deve essere tenuta in considerazione la presenza di difetti visivi.(VDT) operators involves the use of various instrumental methods to diagnose and measure over time not only visus defects, but also the presence of heterophoria and discromatopsies. Aim. The purpose of the research is to assess whether those with visual defects have an increased risk of related stress work. Methods. Materials and Methods: The sample of 128 video-terminal personnel during health surveillance has undergone the visual examination and the administration of the HSE-IT questionnaire. The following parameters were related to non-reversible visual defects such as: alteration of visus, presence of heterophore and discromatopsies, and a nonparametric analysis of the statistical significance of the difference of results to the HSE-IT questionnaire between the population with visual defects and healthy controls. Results. 39 workers with defective visus, 22 with heterophoria and 14 with discromatopsies were diagnosed by health surveillance. Their risk profile produced by the HSE Analysis Tool turns out to be more critical than the healthy group. Conclusions. The cross-study shows that video visual impairment staff have a greater risk of work-related stress. In the work-related work-related stress risk assessment, the presence of visual defects must be considered

STRESS CHARACTERISTICS IN DIFFERENT WORK CONDITIONS: IS IT POSSIBLE TO IDENTIFY SPECIFICITY OF RISK FACTORS BY THE QUESTIONNAIRE METHOD?

The aim of this study is to identify, by a brief ad hoc questionnaire, specific dimensions of perceived occupational stress that could be relevant in two different work conditions of female workers: visual display unit (VDU) operators, for whom the risk of work-related stress is already known in literature, and kindergarten teachers, for whom very few studies have examined this risk. A questionnaire, prepared specifically for workers, was filled in by 70 all-female kindergarten teachers and 70 all-female VDU operators. The two groups were matched for age and length of service. The questionnaire was examined by factor analysis and questionnaire single item scores. Total score and factor scores were examined between group comparison of means analysis. The level of significance was established at p<0.05. Kindergarten teachers show significantly higher values of the questionnaire total score than VDU operators, indicating a higher level of perceived stress related to their occupation. In particular, the factor scores concerning perceived load of work responsibilities, the first of the three factors accounting for the structure of the questionnaire (1. perceived load of work-responsibility; 2. independence and autonomy in performing work-duties; 3. negative features of work interfering with psycho-physical wellbeing) are significant between groups. Compared to VDU operators, kindergarten teachers perceive a more stressful condition of responsibility in taking independent decisions and autonomously managing their work. When appropriate comparisons are performed between groups of workers operating under different occupational conditions, it is possible to identify, using an ad hoc questionnaire, different sources of occupational stress which are effective in the work environment of different categories of female workers