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Biomedical subjects

K Teschke

Publications and source records attributed to K Teschke.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Occupational cancer in Canada: what do we know?

OBJECTIVE: To examine the reporting of cases of occupational cancer in Canada in order to determine reporting requirements, the availability of data, the characteristics of reported cancers and the completeness of reporting. DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiologic study based on data requested from workers' compensation boards (WCBs) and cancer registries in each province and territory from 1980 to 1989. OUTCOME MEASURES: The number of claims accepted and rejected by the WCBs; year of claim, cancer site, sex of claimant, age of claimant at diagnosis, occupation, industry, exposure agent and reasons for rejection of claims; and new primary cancers according to site, age and sex. RESULTS: Reporting of occupational cancer by physicians is required in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland. Only British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Ontario were able to provide all the requested information about the claims. Of the 1026 claims in these three provinces almost all were by men, and about two-thirds were for cancers of the respiratory tract. Asbestos was listed as the etiologic agent in more than one-third of the cases. A comparison of the proportion of incident cancers accepted as occupational by the WCBs with the estimated proportion of cancers in the general population attributable to occupation (based on population-attributable risk percentages from epidemiologic data) suggests that less than 10% of occupational cancers [corrected] are compensated. The main source of the deficit is underreporting to WCBs rather than rejection of claims. CONCLUSIONS: The availability of data about occupational cancers in Canada is inconsistent from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and reporting is incomplete. An active disease surveillance system and additional education of physicians and workers about work-related illnesses may be required to improve reporting.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1992

Recognizing acute health effects of substitute fungicides: are first-aid reports effective?

Recently, many British Columbia sawmills stopped using traditional chlorophenate anti-sapstain fungicides and substituted 2-(thiocyanomethylthio) benzothiazole (TCMTB) and copper-8-quinolinolate (Copper 8). We conducted a cross-sectional study with two aims: to ascertain which acute health effects, if any, were associated with the use of the substitute fungicides; and to determine the effectiveness of first-aid records as a means of detecting acute health outcomes. Workers in five coastal sawmills were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire about symptoms considered potentially related and unrelated to fungicide exposure, and about injuries commonly reported in sawmills. In addition, we collected first-aid records from the mills, and asked senior workers to estimate the duration of exposure to fungicides for each job. Symptoms found to be consistently elevated in TCMTB mills included dry skin around the eyes, blood-stained mucus from the nose, nose bleed, peeling skin, burning or itching skin, and skin redness or rash. No symptoms were consistently elevated in the Copper 8 mills. Symptoms related to TCMTB exposure were recorded only 12 times in first-aid logs during the study period (versus 335 questionnaire self-reports). This low symptom-recording frequency may be a function of established patterns of first-aid use in which illness symptoms are reported less frequently than injuries.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1991

Paternal occupation and congenital anomalies in offspring.

This paper presents the results of an exploratory case-control study of paternal occupation as a risk factor for birth defects in offspring. With the use of a population-based registry in British Columbia, 14,415 liveborn children with birth defects were identified for the period, 1952-1973. Two controls were matched to each case by using the birth files of British Columbia. Paternal occupation was obtained from the birth certificate. The analysis included 20 birth defect categories. Paternal occupations found to be associated with an increased odds ratio (OR) of birth defects include janitors [hydrocephalus (OR = 5.04), ventricular septal defects (OR = 2.45), other heart defects (OR = 2.35)], forestry and logging workers [congenital cataract (OR = 2.28), atrial septal defects (OR = 2.03), syndactyly (OR = 2.03)], painters [spina bifida (OR = 3.21), patent ductus arteriosus (OR = 2.34), cleft palate (OR = 3.36)], printers [atresia of the urethra (OR = 4.50), clubfoot (OR = 2.18)], and plywood mill workers [patent ductus arteriosus (OR = 2.52), pyloric stenosis (OR = 4.12), dislocated hip (OR = 2.71)]. This study has several limitations and the results must be viewed with caution. Nonetheless, the study provides new leads for further evaluation of the role of father's occupation in the etiology of birth defects.

British Columbia↗
PubMed1991

A hierarchical coding system for occupational exposure.

A 10-digit hierarchical method for coding occupationally encountered chemicals offering significant advantages over existing chemical coding systems has been developed and tested. With this unique system, substances are categorized and coded according to their composition and physical natures. Consequently, compounds of similar structure may be distinguished, and classes of similar compounds (for example, all halogenated organic compounds, all inorganic sulfates) can be readily retrieved. This novel coding system was developed to assist primarily in the identification of potential carcinogens in occupational studies using job exposure matrices. However, the system has wider applications as it can be employed by industry to facilitate data management and monitoring programs in the workplace.

Carcinogens↗
PubMed1990

Using noise exposure histories to quantify duration of vibration exposure in tree fallers.

A study of tree fallers in the British Columbia forest industry was done to determine if noise histories could be used to monitor the daily duration of exposure to hand-arm vibration from chain saws. Field observations and noise dosimetry showed that chain saw noise was distinguishable from other sound sources in fallers' work environments. Using data from noise dosimetry synchronized with observations of fallers' chain saw use, a model of sound pressure levels predictive of chain saw operating mode was developed. Subsequent workday noise histories of 13 fallers showed that the chain saw was off for an average of 331 +/- 27 min, idling for 91 +/- 11 min, and cutting wood for 96 +/- 7 min. This method could be used to collect data to refine dose-response estimates for vibration syndrome or to monitor administrative controls of vibration exposure time.

British Columbia↗
PubMed1990

Birth defects among offspring of firemen.

The authors conducted an exploratory case-control study of paternal employment as a fire fighter and the risk of birth defects among offspring. By means of a population-based registry in British Columbia, 22,192 liveborn children with birth defects were identified for the period, 1952-1973. Two comparisons were made to evaluate the risk among offspring of firemen: 1) comparison with the risk among offspring of fathers employed in other occupations using a matched (two per case) control group, and 2) comparison with the risk among offspring of policemen. Among the 20 birth defect groups studied, an association was found for paternal employment as a fire fighter (relative to all other occupations) and increased risks were observed for ventricular septal defects (odds ratio (OR) = 2.70, 95% confidence interval (Cl) 1.02-7.18) and atrial septal defects (OR = 5.91, 95% Cl 1.60-21.83) among offspring. When compared with policemen, firemen had increased risks of having a child with a ventricular septal defect (OR = 4.68, 95% Cl 1.66-13.17) and atrial septal defect (OR = 3.76, 95% Cl 1.40-10.07). Analyses using a pathogenetic classification for these heart defects yielded similar increased odds ratios for firemen.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed1989

Potential exposure of cooks to airborne mutagens and carcinogens.

Recent case-control and proportionate mortality studies in Canada, the United States, Britain, and Denmark have shown that cooks and other food-service workers may have elevated risks of cancers of the nasopharynx, buccal cavity, esophagus, lung, and bladder. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if there might be airborne products of cooking which may be risk factors for these cancers in cooks. Eight air samples were taken in four restaurants and subsequently analyzed for mutagenicity using the Ames assay, and for carcinogens using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. All four samples taken in the restaurant cooking areas were mutagenic to TA98 without metabolic activation, and two were mutagenic to TA100 also without metabolic activation. Of the four dining area samples, one was mutagenic to TA100 and one to TA98, both without metabolic activation. Compounds tentatively identified by mass spectrometry did not include known carcinogens. The ventilation systems in all four restaurants allow the exposure of cooks to both the air from dining room smoking areas and the volatile products of cooking.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMed1989

A comparison of exposure estimates by worker raters and industrial hygienists.

The validity and reliability of nine senior sawmill workers' estimates of frequency, duration, and routes of exposure were compared with individual workers' ratings of their own job titles and industrial hygienists' ratings of all job titles in the plant. The reliability of the senior workers' mean exposure estimates [group intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.71] compared favorably with those of three pairs of hygienists (group ICC = 0.57, 0.67, and 0.81). The validity of their ratings was assessed in a comparison with urinary chlorophenate measurements representing 92% of the job titles in the sawmill. The senior workers' ratings [coefficient of determination (R2) = 0.22] resembled those of two pairs of industrial hygienists (R2 = 0.24, 0.22) and was significantly greater than that of the third pair (R2 = 0.08). The validity of the self-reports was also low (R2 = 0.15), but the difference was not statistically significant. Senior workers' exposure ratings appear to be as effective as the other methods tested.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMed1989

Paternal occupational exposures and the risk of Down syndrome.

An exploratory case-control study of paternal occupation as a risk factor for Down syndrome was conducted. With the use of the British Columbia Health Surveillance Registry, 1,008 cases of live-born Down syndrome were identified for the period 1952-73. Two controls were matched to each case by using the birth files of British Columbia. Paternal occupation was obtained from the birth notice. Elevated maternal age-adjusted relative risks of Down syndrome were found for fathers employed as janitors (odds ratio [OR] = 3.26; 95% confidence interval [C.I.] = 1.02-10.44); mechanics (OR = 3.27; C.I. = 1.57-6.80); farm managers/workers (OR = 2.03; C.I. = 1.25-3.03); material-moving equipment operators (OR = 1.88; C.I. = 0.93-3.82); food processors (OR = 1.79; C.I. = 0.96-3.31); sheet-metal workers, iron workers, and other metalworkers (OR = 1.57; C.I. = 0.92-2.69); and sawmill workers (OR = 1.43; C.I. = 0.90-2.66). This large study provides new leads for further evaluation of the role of paternal exposures in the etiology of Down syndrome.

British Columbia↗
PubMed1988

Validity and reliability of a method for retrospective evaluation of chlorophenate exposure in the lumber industry.

This paper describes the validity and reliability of a method to retrospectively assess exposure to antisapstain agents used in sawmills (chlorophenates). The method is based on experienced workers' estimates of exposure for each job title at the sawmill where they work. At a pilot mill, 10 randomly selected workers estimated the frequency and duration of exposures to chlorophenates for all 59 job titles. The reliability of their mean exposure estimates was very high, with an intraclass correlation coefficient for all raters of 0.91 (based on a calculated index of exposure). To assess validity, urinary chlorophenate levels were measured for 86% of the workers at the mill during the summer and/or fall, and compared to experienced workers' estimates of exposure. The correlation between workers' exposure estimates and the urinary chlorophenate levels for each job title were consistently above 0.65 for all analyses and greater than 0.72 when summer and fall urine sample results were averaged. The evidence indicates that the validity and reliability of worker exposure estimates are high enough to justify investigation of the method's generalizability to other sawmills.

Chlorophenols↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Sources of dioxins and furans in British Columbia.

A recent Canadian study of the levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in adipose tissue suggested higher levels in British Columbians than in other Canadians. This led to concerns about the sources of these compounds in B.C. In this paper, we review scientific publications to generate a list of possible sources of PCDDs and PCDFs. We outline which of these are likely to be found in British Columbia, and develop hypotheses concerning their potential contribution to an individual's "PCDD/PCDF load". Further sampling and analysis of British Columbians' adipose tissue could test hypotheses about occupational and environmental exposures to dioxins and furans.

British Columbia↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Environmental risk analysis: a case study.

Traditional risk analysis which has evolved to fit the requirements of regulatory agencies, is often too time-consuming and cumbersome for specific environmental decision making activities in public health. For instance, the discovery of an old chemical landfill operation may require highly focussed risk information to help make a decision to abandon, decontaminate, or develop the site. This paper presents an alternate approach to risk analysis which is more efficient than traditional methods in assessing the human health risks associated with specific development plans. The method is illustrated with an example of a building site in British Columbia.

Child↗