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Biomedical subjects

A Tossavainen

Publications and source records attributed to A Tossavainen.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Urinary excretion of chromium as an indicator of exposure to trivalent chromium sulphate in leather tanning.

Two workers exposed to trivalent chromium sulphate in a leather tannery had high concentrations of chromium in the urine. The concentration of chromium showed a workshift-related diurnal fluctuation, but it was remarkably high even after a vacation, indicating accumulation of chromium in the body. The concentrations of chromium in the workplace air, as collected on filters using standard techniques, were below 30 micrograms/m3. The chromium in the air was present in the form of large droplets not collected by the standard techniques. In the blood stream, chromium was transported exclusively in the plasma. No absorption of chromium through the skin could be detected. Absorption from the gastrointestinal tract was calculated to explain the findings.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Wollastonite exposure and lung fibrosis.

Wollastonite is a naturally occurring acicular or fibrous metasilicate used in ceramics and as a substitute for asbestos in some applications. Wollastonite fibers are rather similar in form, length, and diameter to amphibole asbestos fibers but mineralogically they are different. Dust measurements in both the Finnish limestone--wollastonite quarry and in the flotation plant yielded high concentrations of both total dust and respirable fibers in some operational stages. The clinical study comprised a total of 46 men who had been exposed to wollastonite at the quarry for at least 10 years. Three of the fifteen nonsmokers showed chronic bronchitis. Radiographs revealed slight lung fibrosis among fourteen men, and slight bilateral pleural thickening among thirteen men. Their sputum specimens were normal. Spirometry and nitrogen single breath tests indicated the possibility of small airways disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Exceptional pharmacokinetics of trivalent chromium during occupational exposure to chromium lignosulfonate dust.

The excretion of chromium in the urine of workers exposed to chromium lignosulfonate was studied. The chromium in the dust was in the trivalent (III) oxidation state, and 30% of the particles were less than 5 micron in diameter. Chromium (III) lignosulfonate dust was rapidly absorbed, and a peak of urinary excretion was seen immediately after exposure. No appreciable accumulation of chromium occurred over 3 d, as evaluated by comparison with preshift urinary chromium concentrations. The addition of ethylenediaminetetra-acetate to the urine of exposed persons greatly enhanced the capacity of chromium to traverse a dialysis membrane; the same effect was seen with chromium (III) chloride. It is concluded that chromium (III) lignosulfonate yields chromium (III), which acts pharmacokinetically like water-soluble hexavalent chromium compounds.

Absorption↗
PubMed1982

Exposure limits and medical surveillance in occupational health.

The standards for pollutants in workplace air constitute a social consensus or agreement about acceptable levels of occupational hygiene. This agreement to exposures up to these limits inevitably includes a finite risk to the health of the workers. The numeric values of standards are needed to assess the requirements for ventilation and other occupational hygiene conditions. Planning and everyday practice in industry also need hygienic standards so that practical hygienic and safety measures can be maintained. These standards are not, however, levels below which there is no risk to health. While the hygienic standard itself carries acceptance of a certain risk, doctors cannot ethically accept any health risk to workers whatever the source of exposure. Thus personnel working in occupational health have to think about the risks of ill health even when the hygienic standards are met. The physician in occupational health has to be especially concerned to discover and estimate the risks to anyone particularly susceptible to exposures within the hygienically acceptable conditions. To do this, the occupational health physician uses medical examinations and specific investigations. In the follow-up of workers, health occupational health personnel use medical examinations in order to detect possible risks or to assess the general health status of individual workers. Health examinations are also used to detect specific injuries caused by the agents to which workers are known to be exposed in their work.

Carcinogens↗
PubMed1982

Exposure to neurotoxic agents in Finnish working environments. Trends and assessment of exposure.

The article reviews the current condition of exposure to neurotoxic agents in working environments in Finland. The role of measurements of ambient air concentrations and biological monitoring in the assessment of exposure levels is also briefly discussed. The results are needed in order to assess the exposure of workers who apparently have neurological disorders of occupational origin or of workers subject to health examinations because of exposure to neurotoxic agents. Such results are often lacking, and the assessment must be based on information received from the exposed workers themselves and from the employer. In deciding on the possible occupational origin of a neurological disease account must also be taken of the exposure-related symptoms of the worker, any other diseases and any physiological factors that may lead to increased susceptibility of the worker to toxic agents.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMed1980

Application of mathematical modelling for assessing the biological half-times of chromium and nickel in field studies.

The biological half-times of urinary chromium and nickel excretion and plasma nickel concentration were calculated for four welders and four electroplaters. A linear one-compartment kinetic model gave estimates of the half-times ranging from 15 to 41 hours for chromium in urine, from 17 to 39 hours for nickel in urine, and from 20 to 34 hours for nickel in plasma. The model allows a precise description to be made of a worker's state of exposure as affected by a varying concentration of the metals in the air.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Asbestos disease in Finland.

Finland was the world's main producer of anthophyllite asbestos between 1918 and 1975. The total amount of mined anthophyllite asbestos was 350,000 tons of which 230,000 tons were exported. Anthophyllite quarry workers who had worked at least five years between 1936 and 1972 showed the highest risk of asbestosis, in comparison with other groups of asbestos workers.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1979

Determination of quartz on membrane filters by X-ray diffraction.

An X-ray diffraction method is described for the quantitative determination of quartz in dust samples. The analysis was done directly on a collecting cellulose ester membrane filter of the type used in an air sampler. Quantitation was achieved by the measurement of the quartz line intensities with a digital integrator and by the comparison of these values with those measured from calibration standards prepared on similar filters with water suspensions. The overall precision of the procedure was 8%. When the method was applied to foundry dusts, the accuracy of the quartz analysis was fou,d to be within 10% at the 1- to 10-mg level of total loading. The detection limit for quartz was below 0.1 mg.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1978

Styrene use and occupational exposure in the plastics industry.

The commercial production of styrene was started in the 1930s. Currently 7 million tons of styrene a year is made worldwide by the catalytic dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene or by a process in which styrene is produced as a coproduct with propylene oxide. An estimated 62% of the styrene monomer is consumed in the manufacture of polystyrene, 12% in acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resins, 17% in styrene-butadiene rubber and latex, 7% in unsaturated polyester resins, and 2% in other applications. Occupational exposure to styrene occurs in monomer production and polymerization plants, during the fabrication of plastic products from monomeric or partly prepolymerized styrene, and during the transportation and handling of liquid styrene. Due to unreacted residual monomer or thermal degradation of the polymer, low concentrations of styrene can be detected during the use of plastic products. The most extensive and intensive exposure occurs in the reinforced plastics industry, in which over 200,000 workers are exposed to a styrene concentration typically ranging from 20 to 300 ppm.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1976

Lens changes in car painters exposed to a mixture of organic solvents.

The relationship between exposure to organic solvents and the prevalence of lens changes was studied in a group of 92 car painters and a comparison group of 92 engineers from the Finnish State Railways. Both groups were examined ophthalmologically. Among the 92 car painters, with a mean age of 34.9 years (range of 21--64 years; S.D. 10.4 years), two had been operated on for a cataract and 46 had lens changes, mainly nuclear sclerosis, clefts, lamellar separation, or cortical and subcortical opacities not affecting visual acuity. In 69 age-matched pairs, for whom the factors inducing false-positive results had been excluded, 2 car painters had more lens changes than their age-matched pairs. Lens changes occurred with increased frequency after 10 years of exposure.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Magnetic measurements of pulmonary contamination.

The magnitic determination of pulmonary contamination is based on the remanent magnetization of ferromagnetic contaminating particles. The remanent field of the externally magnetized particles is proportional to their amount and shows their distribution. Although only magnetizable particles are detected with this method, the amount of the inhaled ferromagnetic substance can be used when the total dust exposure of the worker is estimated. In this work five shipyard welders were studied. First the particles disposed to the lungs were externally magnetized and then their distribution was mapped with a sensitive magnetometer. The magnitudes of the remanent fields measured from the welders differed from the fields measured from controls by several orders of magnitude. The radiographic findings showed a good correlation with the magnetic measurements, and further experiments will prove whether this method can partly replace presently used radiological investigations.

Foreign Bodies↗
PubMed1976

Gases formed from furan binding agents.

Furfuryl alcohol and formaldehyde concentrations in the air of coremaking areas of 10 iron and steel foundries were measured. The mean concentration of furfuryl alcohol and formaldehyde was 4.3 cm3/m3 and 2.7 cm3/m3, respectively. Furfuryl alcohol exceeded its threshold limit value (TLV) of 5 cm3/m3 in 22% of the determinations; and formaldehyde (TLV=2 cm3/m3) in 38%. In addition phenol concentration was determined in one foundry; and phosphoric acid concentration, in two foundries. The concentrations of phenol and phosphoric acid were far lower than their TLVs. The question is raised as to whether exposure to furfuryl alcohol and formaldehyde in foundries in combination with exposure to dust and smoking can increase the risk of chronic bronchitis.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1976

Metal fumes in foundries.

The metal content of melting and casting fumes was analyzed with X-ray fluorescence, atomic absorption, and mass spectrometric methods. The composition of fumes varied with the kind of alloy, the quality of scrap, and the type of melting process. In addition foundry workers' exposure to metal fumes was evaluated. The measurements of airborne metal concentrations in 10 steel foundries, 15 iron foundries, and 11 copper alloy foundries showed that exposure to lead, copper, and zinc may present a health hazard.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1976

Carbon monoxide in foundry air.

The concentration of carbon monoxide in the air of 67 iron, steel, or copper alloy foundries using sand molding was measured. About 1,100 carbon monoxide determinations were made. High concentrations of carbon monoxide were found in the area around the cupolas and the casting sites in iron foundries. The blood carboxyhemoglobin levels of 145 workers from iron foundries were measured. The carboxyhemoglobin level of 6% was exceeded in 26% of the nonsmokers and in 71% of the smokers.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1976

Precision and accuracy of foundry dust exposure estimates from air sampling data.

Errors in the sampling methods and in the determination of respirable size quartz in foundry dust have been evaluated and discussed. In general, the total precision of dust sampling and analysis was better than 20%. The term "exposure dose" is introduced and defined. The temporal variation associated with measuring exposure dose is assessed with reference to the use of a log-normal distribution of air sampling results. The logarithmic standard deviations of dust concentrations at fixed sites and jobs are calculated.

Air Pollutants↗