Biomedical subjects

A Tossavainen

Publications and source records attributed to A Tossavainen.

57 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in foundries.

Air and dust samples from iron foundries were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) by glass capillary gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, and thin-layer chromatography. Fifty compounds were identified as PAH, among them known carcinogens and cocarcinogens. Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) was measured quantitatively. The results were grouped according to the types of organic additives in the molding sand. The B[a]P concentrations were highest in foundries using coal tar pitch and in the work phases of shake-out, casting, and molding. In the Ames assay the dust samples showed mutagenic activity, but in most cases lower than that calculated from the concentration of B[a]P. It is suggested that B[a]P can be used as a hygienic marker in branches of industry with PAH problems.

Air Pollutants↗

PubMedDate not supplied

National mesothelioma incidence and the past use of asbestos.

In Western Europe, Scandinavia, North America and Australia the manufacture and use of asbestos products peaked in the 1970's. The current incidence of mesothelioma ranges from 14 to 35 cases/million/year in eleven industrialized countries which had used asbestos 2.0 to 5.5 kg/capita/year about 25 years earlier. A significant linear correlation (r = 0.80, p = 0.01) exists between the two variables. Accordingly, about 170 tons of produced and consumed asbestos will cause at least one death from mesothelioma, most often as a consequence of occupational exposure.

Asbestos↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Asbestos and cancer in Finland.

Primary prevention carried out today can reduce the disease incidence in the future decades. The present disease panorama is the consequence of past asbestos exposure mainly before the 1970s. The peak incidence of asbestos-induced diseases will be reached around 2010 in Finland. The number of asbestos-related premature deaths is at present annually about 150 which exceeds the figure of fatal work accidents. Asbestos-related cancer will increase still for 15-20 years and reach its maximum, about 300 cases, in 2010, and will start to decrease after that. More than 20,000 asbestos-exposed workers have participated in the medical screening and follow-up. The termination of exposure, antismoking campaigns, improved diagnostics and careful attention to compensation issues, as well as other potentials for prevention, were the central issue of the Asbestos Program of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. An important objective of research work is to improve early diagnostics, and thereby treatment prospects, in case of asbestos-induced cancers.

Age Factors↗