PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Corn

Publications and source records attributed to M Corn.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Asbestos and disease: an industrial hygienist's perspective.

I have traced a personal thirty year journey of involvement with asbestos in the workplace and the nonoccupational environment, one still in progress, in an attempt to extract selected lessons for the industrial hygienist. Lessons for other professions, namely medicine, law and management have been studiously avoided in the interests of the scope of this presentation and permissible time. There are certainly numerous other lessons to contemplate. The movement of asbestos from the occupational to the nonoccupational environment is a case study that will undoubtedly be followed in the future by other potentially toxic materials. We must determine our position as a profession with regard to the tools we utilize, the procedures we follow, and our understanding of our moral and legal obligations to prepare for the often scientifically and technically unsupportable positions assumed by others, including governmental agencies, in their zeal to bring about change. We must discourage the opportunistic distortion of professional practices in these matters, and must issue well considered statements as a profession, statements relevant to the way these matters are addressed by society. We have a responsibility to lend perspective to these issues, to not permit understandably emotional responses to documented past severe health effects in other areas, such as the case of asbestos in the workplace, to carry over into conditions of very low exposures in the public domain. We must remind people of the relevance of dose-response and toxicological principles to assessment of risk.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMed1985

A critique of MSHA procedures for determination of permissible respirable coal mine dust containing free silica.

The literature in selected technical subject areas related to the Mine Safety and Health Administration's (MSHA) respirable mine dust control policy was critically reviewed. Specific topics included: (1) the technical aspects of respirable dust sampling, (2) the development of a sampling strategy and (3) currently used analytical techniques for free silica content of respirable coal mine dust. The 2.0 Lpm MSHA respirable dust sampling flow rate does not conform with published results which indicate that to simulate existing pulmonary particle deposition models, the sampling flow rate should range from 1.4 to 1.7 Lpm. MSHA's sampling strategy focuses on controlling respirable coal mine dust with both area and personal samples of workers in selected occupations or activities. Many uncertainties are encountered as area samples are used to estimate personal exposures. Although all of the analytical methods for crystalline free silica are sufficiently sensitive to be able to detect and quantitate free silica at environmentally significant concentrations, they are all plagued with similar difficulties. Analytical standards representing the various forms of silica are not available. Available analytical methods do not differentiate among polymorphs of silica. Recommendations are presented to resolve identified problem areas.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMed1985

Strategies of air sampling.

Considerations relevant to preparation for air sampling are reviewed, including purpose, recognition of need, and the logistics of obtaining the samples (where, when, how, and for how long). Three strategies of sampling focused on how many samples to obtain are discussed in detail, ie, the zoning strategy and strategies of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Mining Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). The purpose of the zoning method is to locate groups of employees with high exposures, while the NIOSH method aims at determining compliance of individual sample results with a regulatory standard. Similarities and differences between the methods are highlighted. The MSHA strategy is completely regulatory and represents a scientifically indefensible strategy. Finally, the advantages of incorporating the assumption of a distribution of workplace contaminant-in-air concentrations are noted.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMed1983

Assessment and control of environmental exposure.

A review is presented of selected topics related to sampling and evaluation of airborne agents and their control. The need for an air sampling strategy that addresses usage of the results for demonstration of regulatory compliance or for epidemiologic studies is stressed. For sampling particulate matter, the concepts of total and respirable dust are explained and instruments used to obtain these data are described. Postsampling recordkeeping is essential for both regulatory and investigatory survey purposes. Engineering, administrative, and personal protective equipment controls are all options to reduce exposure. Engineering controls are preferred because they do not place day-to-day responsibilities on those potentially exposed. Finally, the approaches described should be applicable to allergic agents in the air, although the bulk of published material is for nonallergic contaminants.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1983

The industrial hygiene audit: purposes and implementation.

The increased implementation of industrial hygiene programs in industry, with the associated increase in funds allocated to safety and health programs, has introduced the concept of evaluative measures for program performance. The audit is a frequently used and valuable tool for the safety specialist, but it has been infrequently used by the hygienist. We differentiate the audit from 1) program guidelines and 2) program evaluation. The latter implies relating program activities to articulated measures of effectiveness. The audit, in contrast, utilizes widely accepted industrial hygiene program structural elements. In an audit a qualitative or numerical rating scale is assigned each audit program element to indicate the extent to which the element is present. The audit is an essential tool for the manager of an industrial hygiene program. Audits are not a substitute for program evaluation, but program evaluation is a very uncertain matter because the industrial hygiene profession has yet to focus on measures of program progress in terms similar to those of the safety field, i.e. accident frequencies and severities. Program elements and qualitative and quantitative rating scales are described. Preparation, conduct and reporting of the audit are discussed.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMed1983

Health, safety and environmental criteria for siting of laboratory facilities.

The development of applicable criteria for assessing the suitability of a site for construction of full and partial containment laboratories for the analysis of unknown and highly toxic chemicals is described. The criteria, based on considerations of health, safety and environmental factors, are used to define critical considerations in site selection to minimize the risk to non-laboratory personnel and the surrounding environment. Criteria are synthesized from several sources using the assumption of a worst-case chemical release. Mechanical failures, human failures, critical events and social/legal limitations are investigated, as are the characteristics of a site which may limit construction of such a facility. A detailed description is made of the various types of laboratories and the types of samples analyzed in them. The final recommendations are summarized for five typical laboratory settings; they are based primarily on the potential impacts on people, property and natural resources. A single occupancy building in a rural setting is recommended as the most suitable site for a full containment laboratory. A single occupancy building in an industrial park setting is acceptable, while multiple occupancy buildings and sites which are more highly developed are unacceptable. Similar recommendations are made for partial containment and conventional laboratories.

Containment of Biohazards↗
PubMed1983

Critical review of international standards for respiratory protective equipment - I. Respiratory protective equipment for particulate-laden atmospheres.

The standards for respiratory protective equipment (R.P.E.) from eleven countries and standards organizations were grouped according to type as particulate removing, gas and vapor removing, airline (fresh air hose and compressed air types), and self-contained breathing apparatus (open circuit and closed circuit). Each group of standards was further divided into specification and performance requirements. This paper is one in a series of three that highlights and critically reviews international respirator standards; it deals specifically with R.P.E. for protection against particulate-laden atmospheres. Great Britain, Australia, European Committee for Standardization (CEN), France, South Africa, Italy, Spain, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Japan, and Germany have standards for R.P.E. against particulate-laden atmospheres. Tabular summaries and accompanying discussion of national requirements are presented in the following categories: solid and liquid aerosol removal efficiency, clogging, and rough usage. Large differences and some notable omissions exist among standards. For example, the protection capacity of the filter can be tested by using solid particulate or liquid challenge aerosols. The majority of the countries evaluate protection capacity using solid particulate aerosols, while the remainder use both solid and liquid or liquid aerosols only. Other differences in filter testing deal with the composition of the test aerosol and the characteristic of the filter measured. The initial penetration or the penetration of the filter as it is being loaded over a specified period of time can be measured. In the latter case penetration is averaged over the test period and the degree of protection is assessed only for that overall time period; information is not provided concerning the protection afforded by the filter in the earlier stages of use.

Aerosols↗
PubMed1983

Critical review of international standards for respiratory protective equipment - II. Gas and vapor removal efficiency and fit testing.

The purpose of a Respiratory Protective Equipment (R.P.E.) standard is to assure that a minimum level of performance is reached by the respirator. Standards from a number of countries and standards organizations require that certain specifications are met in construction and that respirators be evaluated by specific performance tests. This is the second of three critical review papers related to respirator standards. We here summarize in tabular form, compare and critically review how the different countries or standards organizations test respirators designed for protection against gases and vapors for leakage due to improper fitting of the respirator facepiece and gas and vapor removal efficiency of the cartridge/canister. Two general aspects as they relate to removal capacity testing are discussed. The first issue deals with the selection of test gases and vapors that best represent the sorptive behavior of a class or group of compounds. The second issue deals with the extrapolation of laboratory testing under rigidly specified conditions to conditions of actual use. Fit testing varies from country to country. The fit testing conditions specified in the various standards are summarized along with a discussion of test material selection, the test panel selection, and the range of controlled test activities.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMed1983

Critical review of international standards for respiratory protective equipment - III. Practical performance tests.

This paper, the third in a series of papers devoted to review of international standards for Respiratory Protective Equipment (R.P.E.), summarizes in tabular form, compares, and critically reviews standards of different countries or organizations pertaining to practical performance tests (Man Tests). There are similarities, differences and omissions in the national standards that deserve attention. Of the countries or organizations that require Man Tests on particulate and/or gas and vapor respirators, none described in detail the tests to be performed. For example, CEN requires that Man Tests be conducted on gas/vapor respirators under realistic conditions to determine imperfections that cannot otherwise be determined by other performance tests, but does not stipulate the testing procedure. With respect to fresh-air hose, compressed-air line and self-contained breathing apparatus R.P.E., only Great Britain and CEN present specific Man-testing requirements in detail. Man Tests for all types of R.P.E. have a specific purpose: to determine any imperfections in, or malfunction of the apparatus under simulated work conditions. One major difference, however, is in the kind of work simulation activities required. In the testing of fresh-air hose and compressed-air line respirators, for instance, CEN describes in great detail, a variety of activities to be conducted. Great Britain merely states that the subjects shall work in practical conditions. Another important disparity relates to the conditions under which the test is to be performed. For example, CEN requires a heavy-duty test and a cooled chamber test, as well as tests under normal and low temperature conditions. Great Britain, on the other hand, requires only the latter two tests. Still other differences lie in the kinds of medical surveillance required during testing and the evaluation criteria used for assessment.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMed1980

Thromboembolism in patients with hereditary deficiency of coagulation factors.

Despite significantly prolonged prothrombin time endogenously caused by factor VII deficiency, a 65-year-old woman suffered a fatal pulmonary embolism. This seemingly paradoxic phenomenon prompted our review of 14 other patients with various coagulation factor deficiencies who also had thromboembolic events. It is postulated that certain factor deficiencies may protect against venous and/or arterial thrombosis. A large-scale prospective study of this population may help define the relative importance of the various coagulation factors, platelets, and the vessel wall in thrombosis and atherogenesis and allow a rational evaluation of anticoagulant therapy.

Aged↗
PubMed1979

Workplace exposure zones for classification of employee exposures to physical and chemical agents.

A method involving classification of employee job tasks into exposure zones is proposed to guide the industrial hygienist in assigning personal samples to employees in a facility. Workers are assigned to an exposure zone on the basis of similar profiles of chemical exposures, ventilation characteristics, and job tasks. Two facilities are used to illustrate the power of the exposure zone method to reduce the number of required samples while increasing the confidence of identifying workers at high risk. Details of the zoning and calculation procedures are described in detail.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1979

Summary of measurements of employee exposure to airborne dust and fiber in sixteen facilities producing man-made mineral fibers.

The results of an industry-wide study to determine the exposure of workers to man-made mineral fibers are summarized. The purpose of the study was to determine current employee exposures to airborne fibers and to utilize results to estimate past exposures. Measured exposures of workers to airborne total particulate matter and fibers are presented; samples were evaluated by phase contrast and electron microscopy. Results of the three year study, which encompassed 16 facilities and over 1500 eight hour samples, show that although there is a wide variation in concentrations of airborne fibers and particulate matter between and within the facilities surveyed, the concentrations of airborne particulate matter and fibers are generally less than 2.5 mg/m3 and 0.5 fibers/cm3, respectively. The norminal fiber size of the fibers manufactured and average airborne fiber concentration were highly correlated.

Air Pollutants↗