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Biomedical subjects

U G Oleru

Publications and source records attributed to U G Oleru.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Exposures to polyvinyl chloride, methyl ketone and other chemicals. The pulmonary and non-pulmonary effect.

As part of the continuing assessment of the health impact of exposures in the emerging industries of Nigeria, a study was conducted to determine the relative impact of exposures encountered in four operations of a shoe factory. The health impact assessment consisted of spirometric lung function evaluations and environmental measurement for polyvinyl chloride (1.6 +/- 5 ppm). The study showed that there were differences among exposure subgroups with respect to pulmonary, neurological and dermal toxicities and that these differences were dictated by the types of exposure encountered. Pulmonary toxicity was most severe in the vinyl chloride-exposed subgroup. Neurological impact was most severe in the leather and methylethyl ketone-exposed subgroup and dermal toxicity most severe in the subgroup exposed to plasticizers and stabilizers. There existed substantial deficits in lung function (forced expiratory volume, forced vital capacity FEV1, FVC) among the subgroups relative to normal, non-industrially exposed Nigerians of similar age and height. The deficits in lung function, particularly in FVC, paralleled the variations in the prevalence of restrictive lung disease, which for the whole study group was 56.5 cases per 1000 person-years. The vinyl chloride-exposed subgroup had the highest prevalence of restrictive lung disease, 92.6 cases per 100 person-years. Step-wise multiple regression suggested that 27% of the deficit in FEV1 was explainable by the number of exposures. The use of person-years as a denominator gives a better estimate of risk than the total number of subjects as it incorporates both the number exposed and the total exposure experience.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMed1990

Hearing thresholds in an auto assembly plant: prospects for hearing conservation in an Nigerian factory.

The hearing of 165 auto assembly workers exposed to noise levels of between 94 and 108 dB was assessed by means of air and bone conductance audiograms obtained during peak and low production periods to determine acute shifts in hearing. Compared to non-industrially exposed and non-production subgroups, the exposed subjects had significantly (P less than 0.001) elevated thresholds at both peak and low production periods. There was an acute and significant (P less than 0.001) drop in the hearing thresholds of the exposed subjects during low production period. This was especially true of cross-sections of the exposed subjects and of a cohort specifically sampled at both high and low production periods. Hearing thresholds for the exposed subjects increased with both age and duration of employment and were significantly correlated with duration of employment (P less than 0.05). Of all the confounders (age, duration of employment, residential density) assessed by stepwise multiple regression analysis, duration of employment was the only significant contributor to the threshold shift. There was no conductive deafness among the study subjects. There was no consistent association between blood pressure and either hearing threshold or noise level. The results indicate good prospects for hearing conservation for Nigeria workers if hearing protection and noise abatement programs, currently not mandated by statutes, can be instituted.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Respiratory and nonrespiratory morbidity in a titanium oxide paint factory in Nigeria.

A study of 67 subjects in a small titanium oxide paint factory in Nigeria showed 50-54% frequency for airway symptoms, 20-40% for neurological symptoms, and 10-27% for other symptoms. The symptoms were well correlated with exposure (p less than .05) and pulmonary function tests (PFTs). The directly exposed subjects had likelihood odds ratios of 5 to 17 of presenting symptoms compared to controls. The PFT deficit, relative to the expected value, was significantly higher for those with airway symptoms than for those of other symptom categories (p less than .005). There were 28 (42%) cases of restrictive lung impairment. Exposure to cotton dust had confounding influence on the PFT of subjects previously exposed. Smoking rate was very low. These findings indicate the need for worker protection in a manufacturing plant in Nigeria.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Pulmonary function and symptoms of Nigerian workers exposed to cement dust.

The pulmonary and nonpulmonary effects of cement dust exposure in 52 randomly selected, directly exposed cement workers and 24 maintenance workers were investigated. Compared with the nonindustrially exposed population, both subgroups had significantly (P less than 0.001) lower lung function. The lung function of the exposed subjects was probably influenced by the level of physical activity and the level of dust exposure. The more directly exposed cement packers had significantly (P less than 0.05) lower lung function than the less exposed cement loaders. There was no significant difference in the lung function of the directly exposed groups and the maintenance group, but the physically more active cement loaders showed higher lung function values than the maintenance workers. The lung function of the cement workers also decreased with the duration of employment. Cement dust produced significant (P less than 0.001) workshift depression in the lung function of the subjects. The symptoms presented by the subjects were cough and phlegm production, skin irritation, chest tightness, conjunctivitis, catarrh, stomachache, and boils. The prevalence of stomachache among the subjects becomes significant in the light of a finding by other workers of hepatic granuloma in cement workers. The measured dust level in the cement depot was 30.81 mg/m3.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Pulmonary function and symptoms of Nigerian workers exposed to Carbon black in dry cell battery and tire factories.

The pulmonary function and symptoms of 125 workers exposed to carbon black in dry cell battery and tire manufacturing plants were investigated. There was no significant difference in the pulmonary function of the subjects in the two plants. There was good agreement in the symptoms reported in the two different factories: cough with phlegm production, tiredness, chest pain, catarrh, headache, and skin irritation. The symptoms also corroborate those reported in the few studies on the pulmonary effects of carbon black. The suspended particulate levels in the dry cell battery plant ranged from 25 to 34 mg/m3 and the subjects with the highest probable exposure level had the most impaired pulmonary function. The pulmonary function of the exposed subjects was significantly lower than that of a control, nonindustrially exposed population. The drop in the lung function from the expected value per year of age was relatively constant for all the study subgroups but the drop per year of duration of employment was more severe in the earlier years of employment. This study has underscored the need for occupational health regulations in the industries of developing countries.

Air↗
PubMed1980

Comparison of the hearing levels of Nigerian textile workers and a control group.

The comparative auditory performance of 61 industrially exposed male textile workers (noise level, 90 dBA - 115 DBA) and 90 age matched control subgroup was determined by means of a manual Diacoustic As-60 audiometer. The audiograms of both the exposed and control subgroups were convex upwards, indicating that the hearing sensitivity of the Nigerian, black subjects increased with frequency, a finding that is in contrast with that reported elsewhere for white subjects. The impact of ageing on the hearing of both the exposed and control groups was minimal and not statistically significant, supporting an earlier study that found no age related hearing loss among South Sudanese blacks. The impact of noise on the hearing of the subjects was, however, very marked. In each age group and at each frequency, the hearing thresholds of the exposed subjects were significantly higher (0.01 greater than p less than 0.005) than those of the control group. After seven years of continuous employment, the rate of hearing loss attributable to noise, among the exposed group, increased from 2.17 dB to 11.67 dB per year of employment compared to an increase of - 0.64 dB to 1.82 dB in age induced loss per year of age difference in the same group. It seemed the exposed subjects experienced a seven year hearing threshold of 30 dB irrespective of statistically significant differences in age (p less than 0.005) and duration of employment (p less than 0.01) of the groups covered by this period. After this "latency period" the hearing loss increased rapidly.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Prostitution in Lagos: a sociomedical study.

A study of 150 hotel prostitutes in Lagos was undertaken to determine their socioeconomic identity and, through an assessment of their health knowledge, attitude, and practice, their probable impact on public health. The subjects were selected from 15 hotels, representing 20% of the estimated hotel universe in Lagos and different socioeconomic strata. Information was obtained from the subjects with the help of the hotel staff, who arranged pre-interview conferences with them. Prostitution in Lagos is not organised and there are no figures on the prostitute population. Ninety-eight per cent of the women in the study population were aged between 15 and 44 and 70% of them had children. Forty per cent were married and 24% were either divorced or separated. The most important reason given for prostitution was unhappiness in the home (50%) but the undercurrent of poverty, especially in a low-income society, is undoubtedly a major motive. More than half (55.3%) of the subjects selected their clients and the most important criteria for selection were physical fitness and ability to pay. Physical fitness was defined as the absence of signs of gonorrhea. The women's level of education was a significant factor in selection of clients and in mode of health care. More than 60% of those who selected their clients had had some education or had completed secondary schooling. Thirty-three per cent of those who did not select their clients had had no education at all and 45% had received primary education only. The attitude of the subjects to health care suggests an opportunity for the control of disease among prostitutes if prostitution is organised.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Kidney, liver, hair and lungs as indicators of cadmium absorption.

Cadmium absorption in four human tissues, kidney, liver, hair and lungs was assayed and the intertissue correlations were determined. All the correlations were positive. The correlations of the kidney cadmium level and the levels in the other tissues were the weakest. The intertissue correlations besides being indicative of the physiological similarities between the tissues also suggest the existence of 1) a preferential scheme for the deposition of cadium from the recipient sites and 2) cadmium flow steady state. The kidney-liver and kidney-hair cadmium ratios were found to have exponential age associations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

Epidemiological implications of environmental cadmium. I. The probable utility of human hair for occupational trace metal (cadmium) screening.

Some of the problems involved in the use of human hair sample as an indicator of trace metal exposure are discussed. The significant correlations of hair cadmium level with the respective kidney (r equals .52) and liver (r equals 0.36) levels in selected autopsies, and the fact that hair samples can distinguish between occupational and non-occupational exposure (t28 equals 4.88) in a New Jersey community are advanced as arguments in favor of hair sampling. The hair samples were washed with sodium lauryl sulphate, deionized water and acetone and then dried. All the samples were ashed at 450-500 degrees and analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pulmonary function of exposed and control workers in a Nigerian nonsoapy detergent factory.

Respiratory symptoms and spirometric pulmonary function data [i.e., first-second forced expiratory volume (FEV1.0) and forced vital capacity (FVC)] for 128 (30%) males who were exposed to alkyl benzene sulphonate in a detergent factory and for 56 (76%) unexposed workers in the same factory are reported herein. Exposed subjects had been employed for 1 month to 15 yr, and they generally complained of cough and mucus secretions, nasal catarrh, chest pain, and breathlessness. Unexposed workers had been employed for 1 month to 13 yr and had a significantly lower (P less than .001) frequency of symptoms, as well as significantly higher (.01 greater than P greater than .001) FEV1.0 and FVC than the exposed workers. The reduction in pulmonary function of exposed subjects from the predicted was significantly higher (.01 greater than P greater than .001) than that experienced by the unexposed subjects. There was a significant 8-hr workshift depression in lung function. There was radiological evidence of pulmonary fibrosis, but lack of pre-employment chest radiographs renders this inconclusive. Respiratory symptoms in exposed subjects decreased with duration of employment, which probably indicates the exodus from the work force of those who could not tolerate the nonsoapy detergent.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pulmonary impairment in a cotton textile factory in Nigeria: is lifetime alcohol intake with low cigarette smoking a confounding factor?

A study of 60 Nigerian workers who seldom smoked and who were exposed for 2-15 yr in the printing, dyeing, and maintenance sections of a cotton textile factory showed a 38% airway and 20% "probably airway" symptoms. The airway symptoms were significantly (p less than .005) associated with a decrement in spirometric lung function before and after adjustment for age, height, and duration of employment. The change in residual pulmonary function (PFT) per year of employment was three times higher for the subjects with airway symptoms than for subjects presenting no symptoms. Lifetime alcohol intake was significantly (.025 greater than p less than .01) negatively correlated with pulmonary function and obstructive and restrictive lung disease parameters. Together with body weight, alcohol bottle-years accounted for between 18 and 22% of the variation in lung function, in a forward and reverse stepwise regression analysis. When duration of employment was standardized, subjects with considerable alcohol intake had significantly (.025 greater than p less than .005) lower pulmonary function before and after adjustment for age and height. When the residual PFT was further adjusted for duration of employment, the subjects with higher alcohol intake had significantly (.01 greater than p less than .005) higher residual per year of employment. The subjects presenting airway symptoms had significantly (.05 greater than p less than .005) higher alcohol intake than those in other symptom categories. These data suggest that alcohol intake is a probable confounder in the observed airway and PFT changes.

Adult↗