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Biomedical subjects

A M Ducatman

Publications and source records attributed to A M Ducatman.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Autoclave inactivation of infectious radioactive laboratory waste contained within a charcoal filtration system.

A model system was developed previously for disposal of solid laboratory waste that is both radioactive and heat sensitive, e.g., HIV. A double polypropylene bag with charcoal vent filter and absorbent was designed to meet requirements for both steam sterilization and disposal as solid radioactive waste. Earlier work demonstrated the effective containment of radioactive gases by the filter and inactivation of organisms as heat sensitive as HIV. We sought to broaden the application of this model to ensure inactivation of microorganisms that are more heat resistant than HIV. The efficacy of steam sterilization using water or solutions of iodophor, hypochlorite, or hydrogen peroxide was studied under constant temperature and time conditions. The systems were monitored with internal probes, physical, chemical, and biological indicators. Biological indicators documented inactivation when bags containing hydrogen peroxide (3%) were autoclaved for 60 min at 121 degrees C. Synergistic activity between hydrogen peroxide and autoclave conditions significantly reduced processing time.

Charcoal↗
PubMed1991

Occupational physician staffing in large US corporations.

Increased provision of occupational health services outside the workplace has been accompanied by signs of change in the quantity and structure of in-house corporate services. The occupational physician:employee ratios of the 25 largest US corporations were compared with each other, with the probable level of hazard as suggested by Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, and with both gross and per-capita measures of profitability. We infer that large corporations still employ a disproportionate share of available occupational health expertise. Oil and chemical companies employ the largest number of occupational physicians per capita; computer, electronics, and scientific equipment manufacturers employ the largest number of occupational physicians per capita relative to occupational illness/injury/lost workdays per capita. Tobacco companies employ the fewest occupational physicians by either measure. Corporate profitability explained more than half the variability for the one large within-sector comparison and appeared most related to employment practices for the most-successful and least-successful companies.

Industry↗
PubMed1991

Disease clusters: a central and ongoing role in occupational health.

To review and evaluate whether the investigation of disease clusters continues to play an important role in establishing disease-toxin connections in the workplace, 87 original disease cluster reports were identified that established disease-toxin connections in occupational medicine (from 1775 to 1990). Four advantages of the workplace with regard to cluster discovery and investigation were identified: natural denominator boundaries, shared exposures, the ability to form intermediate hypotheses, and the possibility of locating comparable populations in which to study these hypotheses. Because new products, intermediate products, and procedures are introduced into working environments faster than epidemiologic and toxicologic studies can be designed to evaluate their potential risks, disease cluster investigations will remain central to the understanding of disease, and to protecting workers.

Cluster Analysis↗
PubMed1990

Model for inactivation and disposal of infectious human immunodeficiency virus and radioactive waste in a BL3 facility.

A method is described for autoclaving low levels of solid infectious, radioactive waste. The method permits steam penetration to inactivate biologic waste, while any volatile radioactive compounds generated during the autoclave process are absorbed. Inactivation of radiolabeled infectious waste has been problematic because the usual sterilization techniques result in unacceptable radiation handling practices. If autoclaved under the usual conditions, there exists a high probability of volatilization or release of radioisotopes from the waste. This results in the radioactive contamination of the autoclave and the laboratory area where steam is released from the autoclave. Our results provide a practical method to inactivate and dispose of infectious radioactive waste. For our research, Bacillus pumilus spore strips and vaccinia virus were used as more heat-resistant surrogates of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). These surrogates were used because HIV is difficult to grow under most conditions and is less heat tolerant than the surrogates. In addition, B. pumilus has defined cell death values, whereas such values have not been established for HIV. Both B. pumilus and vaccinia virus are less hazardous to work with. The autoclave method is time efficient and can be performed by laboratory personnel with minimal handling of the waste. Furthermore, waste site handlers are able to visually inspect the solid waste containers and ascertain that inactivation procedures have been implemented.

Disinfection↗
PubMed1990

Smoking and roentgenographic opacities in US Navy asbestos workers.

The US Navy's Asbestos Medical Surveillance Program monitors civilian and military employees with current or historical exposure to asbestos. The prevalence of definite radiologic parenchymal abnormalities (ILO category greater than or equal to 1/0) was 3.10 percent for 32,233 smokers vs 1.09 percent for 13,414 nonsmokers. The age-adjusted prevalence ratio was 2.23. The difference in prevalence between smokers and nonsmokers persisted in all age groups studied and was greatest among the oldest employees. These findings in a large population suggest that parenchymal opacifications alone will not reliably differentiate between the impacts of asbestos exposure and smoking in patients who face both risks.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Roentgenographic evidence for predominant left-sided location of unilateral pleural plaques.

The roentgenographic prevalence and anatomic distribution of pleural plaques were studied in the US Navy Asbestos Medical Surveillance Program population (105,064 individuals as of July 17, 1985). "Definite" or "probable" pleural plaques were noted in 4.4 percent of films. These were unilateral in 19.3 percent of roentgenograms with "definite" pleural plaque and 33.9 percent of films with "probable" pleural plaque. Unilateral findings were more often left-sided than right-sided; a ratio of 287:82 in the "definite" group and 625:287 in the "probable" group. Left-sided predominance of unilateral plaque is a consistent and unexplained epidemiologic finding that may provide clues to pleural pathogenesis following asbestos exposure.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Testicular cancer in US Navy personnel.

Age-adjusted and age-specific incidence rates of testicular cancer in US Navy personnel did not differ significantly from those of the US population, and age-adjusted incidence rates did not increase with length of service in the Navy. There was a group of three occupations, however, which involved duties similar to those of the civilian occupation of automobile mechanic, and which had a significantly elevated age-adjusted rate of testicular cancer compared with the US population and the total Navy population. These occupations were aviation support equipment technician, engineman, and construction mechanic. All involve maintenance of internal combustion engines and exposure to the attendant lubricants, solvents, paints, and exhausts.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

'B-readers' and asbestos medical surveillance.

"B-readers" certified in International Labor Office methodology interpret large numbers of randomly distributed asbestos medical surveillance roentgenograms of US Navy employees. Analysis of 23 participating observers, interpreting more than 105,000 radiographs, demonstrated a 300-fold prevalence range of perceived "definite" pulmonary parenchymal abnormalities. There was an evident geographic component to interpretation habits, with East and West Coast observers more likely to interpret films as abnormal than observers from the midcontinent. The most expert observers, a group who instruct the course leading to National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health certification in International Labor Office methodology, also perceived fewer abnormalities than other readers or coastal observers. Instructors still exhibited a sevenfold prevalence range of positive interpretation. Under usual surveillance conditions, the habits of B-readers appear to have a major impact upon the diagnosis of asbestosis from roentgenograms. Certification in B-reading should not be the only quality assurance for radiographic surveillance programs, medical decision-making, epidemiologic comparisons, nor related legal activities.

Asbestosis↗
PubMed1988

Career options of occupational physicians.

Tabulations of 20 years of advertisements from the Journal of Occupational Medicine reflect shifts in the career options of occupational physicians. Advertised opportunities have increased modestly from 1968 through 1987. The largest sector increases come from community hospital-based clinics, academic faculty positions, free-standing industrial practice, and especially from within multispecialty group practices. Opportunities in industry show the opposite trend; these comprised about 70% of advertised positions in the late 1960s through the mid-1970s, but have since decreased steadily as a percent of the total and in absolute terms. Advertised searches for occupational physicians are more diversified than in the past, reflecting growth in settings other than within industry.

Career Choice↗
PubMed1988

Lithium battery hazard: old-fashioned planning implications of new technology.

Lithium battery technology has important military applications and will increasingly enter the civilian marketplace. In order to prevent explosive fragmentation under some circumstances of malfunction or misuse, lithium batteries are designed to vent externally in the event of malfunction. Depending on the chemistry and size of a venting lithium battery, the release of toxic gases such as sulfur dioxide or thionyl chloride may pose risks to exposed individuals, particularly in enclosed spaces. Chemical and thermal burns, laryngeal edema, pulmonary edema, and bronchiolitis obliterans are potential outcomes. A case report is presented which illustrates the hazards. The hazards are not from unpredictable outcomes, but from failure to plan for predictable outcomes.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed1986

Germ cell tumors of the testicle among aircraft repairmen.

A cluster of testicular germ cell tumors occurred among 3 of 153 white men who worked in a shop engaged in repair of exterior surfaces and electrical components of the airframes of F4 Phantom Jet aircraft. Evaluation of an occupationally identical shop at a second F4 rework facility at which there had been no previous reports of excess neoplasms revealed 4 additional men with a history of testicular germ cell tumors (p less than 0.01, Poisson, compared to the expected number of cases based on national incidence rates). Our investigation raises but does not prove a hypothesis of association between subsequent development of testicular germ cell cancer and history of extensive exposure to a mixture containing dimethylformamide, which had been used in F4 repair work at these facilities in the 1960s and 1970s. This represents the first report of 2 corresponding mini-epidemics of testicular tumors among workers in occupationally identical industrial settings.

Aircraft↗
PubMed1986

Workers' compensation cost-shifting: a unique concern of providers and purchasers of prepaid health care.

Contract health care plans exclude workers' compensation from among the prepaid medical benefits. Under present contract relationships, compensable injury and illness can be billed to the employer as fee-for-service care. The provision of health care, normally an expense for the prepaid health care provider, generates income when it is given under a compensation rubric. Per capita workers' compensation costs at eight federal shipyards range from less than $500 in yards with no health maintenance organization (HMO) coverage to more than $1,000 in yards with more than two-thirds of employees enrolled in prepaid health care plans. A statistically significant relationship between prepaid health care plan enrollment and per capita workers' compensation costs at these yards suggests the likelihood of systematic cost-shifting by overdiagnosis of compensable injury and illness. Changes in prepaid contract incentives may improve the ethical and economic health care climate for workers' compensation.

Cost Allocation↗