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Biomedical subjects

W E Halperin

Publications and source records attributed to W E Halperin.

72 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Notification and risk assessment for bladder cancer of a cohort exposed to aromatic amines. III. Mortality among workers exposed to aromatic amines in the last beta-naphthylamine manufacturing facility in the United States.

A retrospective cohort mortality study was conducted among workers employed at the last facility in the United States that manufactured beta-naphthylamine (BNA), a recognized human bladder carcinogen. This study was conducted in conjunction with a pilot project in which workers were notified of the health risks associated with exposures to carcinogenic amines. Cause-specific mortality for 1,312 male workers employed between 1940 and 1972, and followed through 1979, was compared with the mortality of the general population in the United States. Two deaths from bladder cancer were observed while 0.7 such deaths were expected. Due to the use of these potent carcinogenic amines, it had been anticipated that more bladder cancer deaths would be found in this population. The reasons for the small number of bladder cancer deaths could have been the low percentage of the work force exposed, an inadequate latency period, and/or the high survival rate for bladder cancer. In fact, a notification and medical screening project recently conducted in this same population found an additional 11 bladder cancer cases. This suggests that mortality may not always be an adequate indicator of disease risk.

2-Naphthylamine↗
PubMed1984

An evaluation of reports of dioxin exposure and soft tissue sarcoma pathology among chemical workers in the United States.

A review of employment records and tissue specimens of seven workers, reported previously as having occupational dioxin exposure and soft tissue sarcomas, confirms that four workers had employment of 2 to 19 years in the production of 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T) or trichlorophenol, products contaminated with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzodioxin, the most toxic dioxin isomer. Of these individuals, two have confirmed soft tissue sarcomas. In addition three individuals who worked for companies which made 2,4,5-T also have confirmed soft tissue sarcomas. Their employment records do not show specific assignment to 2,4,5-T or trichlorophenol departments; however, one individual worked for 10 d in the production of pentachlorophenol, which is contaminated with different isomers of dioxin. Methodological problems are discussed which must be addressed in the epidemiologic evaluation of the outcome of soft tissue sarcoma.

Chemical Industry↗
PubMed1983

Nasal cancer in a worker exposed to formaldehyde.

Formaldehyde has not been established as a human carcinogen. Toxicological studies have, however, demonstrated that formaldehyde causes squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal cavity in rats. A case of squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal cavity occurred in a 57-year-old man who had 25 years of occupational exposure to low concentrations of formaldehyde in the textile-finishing industry.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗
PubMed1983

Sentinel Health Events (occupational): a basis for physician recognition and public health surveillance.

A Sentinel Health Event (SHE) is a preventable disease, disability, or untimely death whose occurrence serves as a warning signal that the quality of preventive and/or therapeutic medical care may need to be improved. A SHE (Occupational) is a disease, disability, or untimely death which is occupationally related and whose occurrence may: 1) provide the impetus for epidemiologic or industrial hygiene studies; or 2) serve as a warning signal that materials substitution, engineering control, personal protection, or medical care may be required. The present SHE(O) list encompasses 50 disease conditions that are linked to the workplace. Only those conditions are included for which objective documentation of an associated agent, industry, and occupation exists in the scientific literature. The list will serve as a framework for developing a national system for occupational health surveillance that may be applied at the state and local level, and as a guide for practicing physicians caring for patients with occupational illnesses. We expect to update the list periodically to accommodate new occupational disease events which meet the criteria for inclusion.

Epidemiologic Methods↗
PubMed1982

A progress report: the investigation of brain tumors at the Texas Division of Dow Chemical.

During the six-month period since this investigation was initiated, an increased risk of death due to brain tumor was linked with employment at the Texas Division of Dow Chemical by the results of a case-control study based on county death certificates. Specifically, the county-based case-control study yielded an odds ratio of 2.54 with a 90% confidence interval of the odds ratio extending from 1.23 to 6.80. Additional investigations were initiated which resulted in the ascertainment of 25 brain tumor deaths among former Dow employees. Of these cases, 84% were initially employed between 1940 and 1946 and 64% can be described as glioblastomas or astrocytomas grade III and IV. Detailed protocols have been developed for a sample-based cohort study and a series of in-plant case-control studies. The sample-based cohort study is nearing completion and the in-plant case-control studies are anticipated to begin in the near future. The study design serving as the framework of this investigation represents a modest departure from the traditional epidemiologic study designs. This sample-based approach was designed to circumvent or minimize the usual problems associated with the use of massive collections of data that have been partially automated, if at all. The anticipated benefits will be conservation of limited staff resources and a reduction of the time necessary to complete a large-scale epidemiologic investigation.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Influenza in New Jersey in 1976: isolations of influenza A/New Jersey/76 virus at Fort Dix.

An outbreak of febrile respiratory disease at Fort Dix, New Jersey, beginning in January 1976, yielded five isolates of influenza A/New Jersey/76 virus and 42 isolates of strains resembling influenza A/Victoria/75 virus. Despite extraordinary efforts and the study of 305 verified cases of infection with type A influenza virus throughout the region, no additional instances of infections with influenza A/New Jersey virus were detected in humans.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An investigation of mortality from cancer and other causes of death among workers employed at an east Texas chemical plant.

The cause-specific mortality of 2,510 males employed at an east Texas chemical plant was examined in a historical prospective study to evaluate a suspected increase in deaths from multiple myeloma and brain cancer. Potential exposures from chemicals, either used in manufacturing processes or produced during the study period 1952-1977, included the fuel additive tetraethyl lead, ethylene dibromide and dichloride, inorganic lead, and vinyl chloride monomer. Overall mortality for all workers (156 observed vs. 211.14 expected) and for workers first employed between 1952 and 1959 (131 observed vs. 167.33 expected) when tetraethyl lead was the single major product was lower than expected when compared to the United States general population. There were no significant increases in mortality from malignancies or other causes of death. The deficits may be due to the small number of total deaths, and the low power for detecting excess risk of mortality from multiple myeloma (Z1-beta = 27, alpha = .05), brain cancer (Z1-beta = 31, alpha = .05), or other rare causes of death; lack of complete workplace exposure data for production workers; and the absence of historical measurements on the extent of environmental exposure to tetraethyl lead and other chemicals.

Actuarial Analysis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Occupational asthma in a home pieceworker.

A 67-yr-old woman presented to a free-standing medical center with respiratory distress of 1 day's duration. She was found on evaluation to have asthma associated with "dipping" the ends of polyurethane-coated wire into molten solder in the production, in her home, of components for the electronics industry. This process has been known to result in the evolution of isocyanates. The patient's sister had also developed cough and wheeze after she performed similar home piecework. Neither the manufacturer nor the distributors of the wire had provided a warning of its potential respiratory hazards. This episode emphasizes the importance of the occupational history, and of following-back thoroughly on cases of occupational disease. In addition, this episode reminds us that home pieceworkers are unlikely to have benefit of advice from industrial hygienists or others skilled in recognizing potentially hazardous situations.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of serum lipid concentrations among U.S. workers exposed to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin.

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin alters lipid metabolism in animals; however, evidence for such an effect in humans is conflicting. This conflict was addressed using data from a cross-sectional medical study conducted between 1987 and 1988. The exposed participants had been employed at least 15 y earlier in the manufacture of 2,4,5-trichlorophenol or one of its derivatives at two chemical plants in the United States. A total of 281 workers and 260 unexposed referents participated. Workers had substantial exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, evidenced by a median serum 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin concentration of 406.6 femtograms/gram of serum (fg/g serum), compared with 36.9 fg/g serum among the referents. A slight association between triglyceride concentration and serum 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin concentration was found (p = .05). Over the range of observed 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin values (i.e., 37-19000 fg/g serum), triglyceride concentration increased only about 0.4 mmol/I. No association was found between an abnormally elevated triglyceride (i.e., > 2.82 mmol/I) concentration and serum 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin concentration. An association was also found between serum 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin concentration and an abnormal high-density lipoprotein concentration (p = .09). in summary, there was evidence of an effect on lipid metabolism in a group of workers with high serum 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin concentrations. The influence of serum 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin on lipid concentrations, however, was small, compared with the influence of other factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Hepatic and gastrointestinal effects in an occupational cohort exposed to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of occupational exposure to substances contaminated with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin (TCDD) on the liver and gastrointestinal system. DESIGN: A medical survey. PARTICIPANTS: The exposed participants were employed at two chemical plants more than 15 years earlier in the manufacture of sodium trichlorophenol and its derivatives. The reference group consisted of individuals with no occupational exposure to phenoxy herbicides and who lived within the communities of the workers. A total of 281 workers and 260 unexposed referents participated in the medical study. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The workers had substantial exposure to substances contaminated with TCDD, as evidenced by a mean serum TCDD level, lipid adjusted, of 220 pg per gram of lipid compared with a mean of 7 pg per gram of lipid in the referents. Compared with the unexposed reference group, workers had a statistically significantly elevated risk for an out-of-range gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) level (odds ratio, 2.27; 95% confidence interval, 1.17 to 4.39 [unadjusted for confounders]). In multivariate analyses run with logistic regression, a statistically significant interaction was found between TCDD exposure and lifetime alcohol consumption, indicating that the elevated risk for an out-of-range GGT was confined to those workers with a history of alcohol consumption and that the risk among the alcohol-consuming workers for an out-of-range GGT increased with increasing TCDD level. No difference was found between workers and referents for any of the other liver and gastrointestinal outcomes of interest. CONCLUSIONS: This study found no evidence of an elevated risk for clinical hepatic or gastrointestinal disease in a group of workers with high exposure to TCDD. However, TCDD-exposed workers with a history of sufficient alcohol consumption were found to have a statistically significantly elevated risk for an out-of-range GGT compared with referents.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Mortality patterns among construction workers in the United States.

Thirteen authors from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health contribute to this summary of recent and ongoing national occupational mortality surveillance studies of construction workers, including studies conducted under NIOSH's Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation project, Sentinel Health Events project, National Occupational Mortality Surveillance System, and other projects.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Review and update of the results of the NIOSH medical study of workers exposed to chemicals contaminated with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzodioxin.

In 1987, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health conducted a cross-sectional medical study to examine the long-term health effects of occupational exposure to chemicals and materials contaminated with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). This study compared living workers employed more than 15 years earlier in the production of sodium trichlorophenol (NaTCP), and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic ester (2,4,5-T ester) with an unexposed comparison group. Health status of the worker and comparison populations was collected through a comprehensive set of standardized interviews and medical examinations. Lipid adjusted serum TCDD levels were also measured. Workers had a statistically significantly elevated mean serum lipid-adjusted TCDD level (workers = 220 pg per g of lipid [range = not detected-3,400 pg per g of lipid], and referents 7 pg per g of lipid [range not detected-20 pg per g of lipid], P < 0.001). Compared to a community-based referent population, the prevalence of chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, peripheral neuropathy, depression, cardiovascular outcomes (myocardial infarction, angina, cardiac arrhythmias, hypertension, and abnormal peripheral arterial flow), abnormal porphyrin levels, and abnormal ventilatory function parameters FEV1.0, FVC, or FEV1.0/FVC% in workers, was not statistically significantly different. In contrast, relationships were observed between serum 2,3,7,8-TCDD levels and the enzyme gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), the reproductive hormones serum testosterone, luteinizing, and follicle-stimulating hormones, and abnormal high-density lipoprotein concentration, counts of CD3/Ta1 cells (helper lymphocytes), and fasting serum glucose levels. Current diagnosis of chloracne was associated with the highest levels of serum 2,3,7,8-TCDD. Analysis of other endpoints continues.

Blood Glucose↗