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Biomedical subjects

H R Hosein

Publications and source records attributed to H R Hosein.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1989

The effect of domestic factors on respiratory symptoms and FEV1.

This study was conducted to determine whether indoor air pollution factors affected respiratory function and symptoms in 1357 non-smoking Caucasian children. Interviews were conducted to determine: exposure to pets and to gases, vapours and dusts from hobbies; the use of gas stoves; fireplaces, air conditioners and humidifiers; type of heating systems; and the number of residents, and the number of smokers in the home. The forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) was obtained from maximum expiratory flow volume curves, and symptoms from the application of a standardized questionnaire. Indoor pets and the use of fireplaces and humidifiers had no consistent relationships with FEV1 when considered individually or in combination with the other factors. Hobbies, the use of gas stoves, the absence of air conditioning, the use of hot water heating, crowded homes, and the presence of smokers in the home all had negative relationships with FEV1. The largest effect on lung function was observed in children from homes with hot water heating systems, whereas the smallest effect was observed in children with smokers in the home. Children who lived in homes with hot water heating systems with no air conditioning had mean FEV1 of up to 0.4 litres lower than did their counterparts who lived in homes with forced air heating and air conditioning. Pets, heating systems, cooking fuel, crowding and passive smoking showed no consistent effects on the reporting of any of the symptoms. Girls who were exposed to the emissions from indoor hobbies reported more phlegm, wheeze and dyspnoea.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Risk associated with the spray application of polyurethane foam.

The use of polyurethane foam in thermal insulation is increasing rapidly. In most cases, the raw products consist of toluene di-isocyanate or diphenyl methane di-isocyanate and a polyol curing agent. We studied the isocyanate exposure of workers applying the foam in confined spaces. Frequent excursions above safe limits were found with levels up to and exceeding 0.08 ppm for personal sampling and 0.148 for area sampling. Since improper devices were worn, this represented a significant risk to health.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1980

Some experiences with epoxy resin grouting compounds.

Epoxy resin systems are used in tiling and grouting in the construction industry. Because of the nature of the application, skin contact is the primary hazard. The most prevalent reaction was reddening of the forearms, followed by whole body reddening and loss of appetite, these latter two being associated with smoking while applying the resin.

Anorexia↗
PubMed1978

An assessment of operating room environment air contamination with nitrous oxide and halothane and some scavenging methods.

This study was designed to assess operating room contamination with nitrous oxide and halothane when nitrous oxide 3 1/min and oxygen 2 1/min containing halothane one per cent were passed into a semiclosed circle absorber system from which the patients' lungs were ventilated with an Ohio ventimeter through a cuffed tracheal tube, with the exhaled gas vented to the floor. The normal room ventilation did not consistently maintain levels below the suggested amounts, which are nitrous oxide 25 ppm and halothane 2 ppm. Careful daily check for and correction of high and low pressure leaks combined with the use of a Foregger scavenging device (7--351--005) and continuous wall vacuum accepting approximately 22 1/min enabled geometric mean values below the suggested levels to be achieved. The Protection Filter Foregger 7--365--001 was only effective in removing halothane and only if the plastic holder provided was radically modified. Attention is drawn to the numerous factors influencing the magnitude of contamination, aspects of controlling it, and the necessity to cope with the problem of dealing with scavenged gases and vapours.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Importance of the indoor environment in air pollution exposure.

A portable personal air pollution sampler was used to measure the exposure of twenty children to respirable particulates, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide over a 24-hour period. Particulate exposures were significantly higher among children who lived with one or more smokers, and exceeded the primary air quality standard in nineteen of the twenty subjects. To a large extent, an individual's respirable particulate load appears to be determined by exposure to indoor rather than outdoor pollutants.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of outdoor air quality in rural and urban communities.

A year-round air monitoring program for sulfur dioxide, sulfates, nitrogen dioxide, nitrates, ozone, and total suspended particulates was conducted in three towns with population densities ranging from 29/km2 to 1178/km2. The results showed significant differences in concentrations of several pollutants between the urban town and the two rural towns. However, site-to-site variation over distances of 1 mile or less within the urban area was considerable. To express pollutant loads in each town in a single number, we calculated a combined pollutant index on premises similar to those used for combined occupational exposures, but with U.S. primary air quality standards rather than threshold limit values as indices of minimal health effects. The combined index exceeded unity in all three towns, suggesting either that total pollutant loads may be excessive even in the sparsely populated town of Lebanon, Connecticut, or, more likely, that the U.S. primary air quality standards have been set at low levels without due regard for additive effects.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Daily variation in air quality.

We related year-round air pollutant concentration in three small U.S. towns, with considerable differences in population density and industrial activity, to air temperature, wind direction, wind speed, rainfall, sky conditions, and days of the week (workdays vs. pended particulates) concentrations can be explained by changes in weather conditions. During weekends, pollution did not decrease consistently and, in some instances, may have increased as a result of dense recreational traffic. We suggest that recognition of the multifactorial causation of high levels of air pollution may lead to more realistic, more effective, and less costly air pollution ocntrol programs.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of particulate matter exposure and medication use on asthmatics.

The health risk associated with low-level air pollution exposure is still uncertain. The association between exposure and pulmonary function was assessed with personal sampling. Small, portable multipollutant samplers were used to assess personal exposure to particulate matter. Thirty-six asthmatic subjects participated in the study for up to 20 d in both summer (n = 10 d) and winter (n = 10 d); pulmonary function was assessed at the beginning and end of each sampling day, and medication use was recorded. A within-individual longitudinal analysis of the relationship between pulmonary function and particulate matter revealed an effect of season. In winter, pulmonary function increased as particulate exposure increased, which was explained by a confounding effect of medication use. Therefore, in addition to exposure, season of the year and medication use are factors that must be considered.

Air Pollutants↗