SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “LEATHER”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed2005

Cancer incidence in the Swedish leather tanning industry: updated findings 1958-99.

AIMS: To assess how a 10 year extension of the follow up period affected cancer incidence in the Swedish leather tanning cohort. METHODS: A cohort of 2027 tannery workers (of which 482 were women) who had been employed for at least one year between 1900 and 1989 at one of three Swedish leather tanneries, was established. The start of observation varied between 1958 and 1966 for the three plants. Through linkage with the Swedish Cancer Registry, incident cancer cases were recorded up to 1999. Cause specific expected cancer incidence was calculated for 1958-99 based on calendar year, sex, and five year age group specific incidence rates for the counties where the plants had been located. Altogether 56,022 person-years at risk were generated. RESULTS: A total of 351 incident cancer cases were observed compared to 302 expected, which resulted in an increased standardised incidence ratio (SIR) of 1.16 (95% CI 1.04 to 1.29). An enhanced risk for prostate cancer was observed (SIR 1.44, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.86), mainly attributable to the later part of the observation period (1990-99). In this updated analysis the previously observed risk excess for soft tissue sarcomas was no longer significant (SIR 2.62, 95% CI 0.96 to 5.70). For multiple myelomas and sinonasal cancer the slight non-significant excesses remained, still based on very few cases. CONCLUSIONS: The increased risk for prostate cancer in the present study might be a chance finding, but is noteworthy, since it is in acccordance with the finding of increased SIR for prostate cancer among leather workers in another recent Swedish study. Moreover, excess risks for prostate cancer among farmers have been reported, indicating pesticides as possible causative agents. Leather tanners have also been exposed to pesticides.

Adult↗

PubMed1986

On the causal association between exposure to leather dust and nasal cancer: further evidence from a case-control study.

A case-control study was performed on the incident cases of nasal cavity tumours which occurred between 1968 and 1982 among the residents of Vigevano (Lombardy region, northern Italy). This area is characterised by a high prevalence of shoemakers (especially in leather); the activity has predominated in Vigevano since the beginning of this century. Twenty one cases were identified (16 men and five women); 20 were histologically confirmed as nasal epithelial tumours; 17 had already died at the time of interview and the occupational history was obtained from the next of kin. Two controls per case were selected from the general population and matched by vital status, age, sex, and residence. The overall odds ratio for the subjects exposed to leather dust was 47.1 for men and 3.5 for women. The odds ratio was higher for adenocarcinoma and among the workers exposed to the worst working conditions. A significant trend for the level of exposure to leather dust was found. Nevertheless, even the jobs characterised by a relatively low exposure were found to have a significantly higher risk (OR = 7.5). Smoking habits and exposure to solvents are unlikely to confound the relation between exposure to leather and nasal tumours.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed1998

Maternal occupation in the leather industry and selected congenital malformations.

OBJECTIVES: Data from a hospital based case-control study were analysed to assess the relation between maternal occupation in the leather industry and several groups of congenital defects (nervous system, cardiac defects of closure, oral cleft, epispadia or hypospadia, and multiple anomalies). METHODS: Cases and controls were selected from eight public hospitals in Comunidad Valenciana, Spain, in 1993 and 1994. Cases were located from the hospital discharge records, including children born and diagnosed in some of the selected hospitals during their first year of life. Controls were selected from births without congenital defects in the same hospitals and dates of the cases (ratio 1:1). Both parents of selected children were interviewed (mainly by phone) and information about potential confounding variables and occupational history during the three years before the birth was collected in structured questionnaires. RESULTS: A total of 261 cases and the same number of controls were included in the study. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were estimated for maternal occupation in the leather industry in the period between three months before the conception and the birth of the child (n = 22), and each selected group of congenital malformations: nervous system defects (OR 1.02, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.12 to 8.51), cardiac defects of closure (OR 1.78, 95% CI 0.44 to 7.17), oral clefts (OR 6.18, 95% CI 1.48 to 25.69), for epispadia or hypospadia (OR 4.05, 95% CI 0.77 to 21.44), and multiple anomalies (OR 3.14, 95% CI 0.82 to 12.00). CONCLUSION: These data are compatible with an increased risk for oral clefts in the offspring of women working in the leather industry. Some other categories of defect could have an increased risk as well, although for these our data cannot exclude random error as an explanation. Given these results and previous findings in similar studies, some precautionary recommendations regarding maternal exposure in leather industries, probably in relation to solvents, would be justified.

Case-Control Studies↗

PubMed2006

Prevalence and determinants of asthma in adult male leather tannery workers in Karachi, Pakistan: a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and to identify some risk factors of adult asthma in male leather tannery workers in Karachi, Pakistan. METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted from August 2003 to March 2004 on leather tannery workers of Karachi, Pakistan. Data were collected from 641 workers engaged in 95 different tanneries in Korangi industrial area selected as sample of convenience. Face to face interviews were performed using a structured pre-tested questionnaire by trained data collectors. RESULTS: Prevalence of adult asthma was 10.8% (69/641) in this study population. The prevalence of perceived work-related asthma was 5.3% (34/641). Multivariable logistic regression model showed that after taking into account the age effect, the leather tannery worker were more likely to be asthmatic, if they were illiterate (adjusted OR = 2.13, 95% CI: 1.17-3.88), of Pathan ethnicity (adjusted OR = 2.69; 95% CI: 1.35-5.36), ever-smoked (adjusted OR = 2.22, 95% CI: 1.16-4.26), reportedly never used gloves during different tanning tasks (OR = 3.28; 95% CI : 1.72-6.26). Also, the final model showed a significant interaction between perceived allergy and duration of work. Those who perceived to have allergy were more likely to have asthma if their duration of work was 8 years (adjusted OR = 2.26; 95% CI: 1.19 - 4.29) and this relationship was even stronger if duration was 13 years (adjusted OR = 3.67; 95% CI: 1.98-6.79). CONCLUSION: Prevalence of asthma in leather tannery workers appears to be high and is associated with educational status, ethnicity, smoking, glove use, perceived to have allergy and duration of work.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Leather nights in the woods: homosexual encounters in a Dutch highway rest area.

This article describes a small-scale research on homosexual encounters in a Dutch highway rest area called "the Mollebos." Research was carried out on Monday evenings and nights, the so-called "leather nights," which attracted a specific group of patrons: men into leathersexuality and sadomasochism (S&M). Participant observation, informal conversations, and in-depth interviews made it possible to analyze spatial strategy as used by cruising men and the individual meanings patrons attach to outdoor leather cruising. It was found that in the Netherlands cruisers are no longer members of "a silent community." The leather nights in the woods proved to be an important supplement for the Dutch gay leather and S&M scene. For many visitors they served as an erotic space to realize sexual fantasies.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Identity, place, and erotic community within gay leather culture in Stockholm.

There has been much recent attention to the relationship between the construction of place, identity, and the body. This paper examines some of these themes in a presentation of the gay leather scene in Stockholm, Sweden. Based on ethnography of Stockholm's only true leather club, it shows how identity and spatial location are implicated in one another. It also looks at social and cultural processes of containment and dispersion within leather culture, the creation of erotic bodies, and forms of erotic interaction. These processes are seen as reflecting features of the wider Swedish gay scene and society in general, which is sometimes less tolerant than it is imagined to be. Aspects of current and possible future transformations of leather culture and style are also briefly considered.

Body Image↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Identification of genotoxic compounds used in leather processing industry].

The release of mutagens from 7 carbon black-based leather dyes and from leather samples at various stages of finishing was determined. After vigorous treatment with toluene, 4 commercial dyes yelded mutagenic extracts on Salmonella typhimurium in the presence of microsomal enzymes. Only in one case were the responsible chemicals identified as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The low bioavailability of mutagens contained in carbon black and their low mutagenic activity suggest that the risk associated with the use of these dyes is probably negligible. Soxhlet extracts with ethanol from finished leather were mutagenic on strain TA98 of Salmonella typhimurium in the absence of S9 mix. Analysis of extracts of leather samples at various intermediate stages of processing showed that mutagenic activity was detectable after the colouring process. The responsible compound was identified as a nitroazo dye (Colour Index: Acid Brown 83), with a mutagenic potential of about 4 revertant/micrograms. Eighteen commercial tannins containing mainly Cr(III) sulphates were assessed for genotoxicity. Most were contaminated with Cr(VI), a known mutagenic and carcinogenic agent, at levels sufficient to induce an increased frequency of SCE (sister chromatid exchanges) in mammalian cells (CHO, chinese hamster ovary) tested in vitro.

Animals↗

PubMed1984

Cancer mortality among shoe and leather workers in Massachusetts.

A proportional mortality analysis of death certificates of 2,798 shoe and leather workers demonstrated a statistically significant excess of bladder cancer among female shoe workers (PMR = 2.51, 95% confidence interval 1.23 to 5.12). A case-referent analysis of 289 leather workers, on whom detailed occupational information was available, demonstrated an association of lung cancer with work in leather-tanning jobs (odds ratio = 4.2, 95% confidence interval 1.09 to 16.2).

Aged↗

PubMed2003

Biological monitoring of workers exposed to N, N-dimethylformamide in synthetic leather manufacturing factories in Korea.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) exposure and excretion of urinary N-acetyl- S-( N-methylcarbamoyl)cysteine (AMCC) and N-methylformamide (NMF) in workers at synthetic leather manufacturing factories in Korea, for the first time. METHODS: One-hundred forty-four male workers at nine synthetic leather manufacturing factories were surveyed. Exposure to DMF was evaluated through breathing zone air sampling followed by analysis via a gas chromatograph equipped with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The levels of NMF and AMCC were determined by a GC with a flame thermionic detector (GC-FTD). Urine samples were collected at the end of the workshift. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Geometric mean of workplace air DMF and urinary NMF was 8.8 ppm and 47.5 mg/l, respectively, and the level of DMF and NMF was significantly correlated. The biological exposure limit for NMF (15 mg/ml) was exceeded in 89.5% of urine samples, and 37.9% of air samples exceeded the environmental DMF exposure limit (10 ppm), indicating a serious health risk to the employees of the synthetic leather industry in Korea. Exposure to 10 ppm DMF in the workplace air corresponded to a urinary NMF concentration of 53.4 mg/l. Alcohol intake the day before urine was sampled influenced NMF excretion into urine (40.5 mg/l NMF for the no-alcohol group and 94.6 mg/l for the group consuming more than 63.0 g alcohol/day). We could not find a significant relationship between air DMF and urinary AMCC concentration. Exposure to 10 ppm DMF corresponded to an AMCC concentration of 8.0 mg/l in the urine samples collected on the same day as the air was sampled.

Acetylcysteine↗

PubMed1989

Release of mutagens from finished leather.

Extracts of a leather widely used in the furniture and dress-making industries were tested for their mutagenic activity in the Salmonella/microsome assay. Extracts obtained after vigorous treatment of leather samples in a Soxhlet apparatus with toluene or ethanol were mutagenic in strain TA98 of S. typhimurium in the absence of S9 mix. The analysis of extracts of leather at various intermediate stages of processing showed that the mutagenic activity appeared after the coloration process. The responsible compound was identified to be an azo dye (Color Index: Acid Brown 83) whose mutagenic potency was about 4 revertants/micrograms.

Azo Compounds↗

PubMed2006

Chrome-tanned leather shavings as a filler of butadiene-acrylonitrile rubber.

The noxious wastes from the tanning industry such as chrome-tanned leather shavings were used as the only filler of rubber mixes containing carboxylated butadiene-acrylonitrile rubber (XNBR) or butadiene-acrylonitrile rubber (NBR), and a dispersing agent Limanol PEV (Schill & Seilacher). The best form addition of leather powder to the rubber mixes is mixed the waste protein with zinc oxide. The leather powder added to the rubber mixes improves the mechanical properties: tensile strength (T(s)), elongation at break (epsilon(b)) and increase the cross-linking density of carboxylated XNBR and NBR rubber mixes. Satisfactory results of these studies are presented in this work.

Acrylic Resins↗

PubMed2004

Progress and recent trends in biotechnological methods for leather processing.

Global environmental regulations are changing the leather-processing industry. Pre-tanning and tanning processes contribute 80-90% of the total pollution in the industry and generate noxious gases, such as hydrogen sulfide, as well as solid wastes, such as lime and chrome sludge. The use of enzyme-based products is currently being explored for many areas of leather making. Furthermore, enzymes are gaining increasing importance in the de-hairing process, eliminating the need for sodium sulfide. This review discusses emerging novel biotechnological methods used in leather processing. One significant achievement is the development of a bioprocess-based de-hairing and fiber-opening methodology to reduce toxic waste.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

K-ras mutations in sinonasal adenocarcinomas in patients occupationally exposed to wood or leather dust.

Of 39 males diagnosed with sinonasal adenocarcinomas over 30 years in the Lund University Hospital catchment area (1.5 million inhabitants), archival tumor tissue was available from 29. Of these, 16 had been exposed to wood dust and three had been exposed to leather dust. The intestinal-type and papillary adenocarcinomas were more common in the exposed patients (P = 0.0002, Fisher's exact test). The tumors from all but one of the 29 sinonasal adenocarcinomas could be analyzed for point mutations at codons 12, 13 and 61 of the K-ras gene. Four mutations were detected in the 28 tumors. The three mutations in the patients exposed to wood and leather dust were all G:C --> A:T transitions, with two at position 2 of codon 12 and one at position 2 of codon 13. The high proportion of G:C --> A:T mutations in this rare tumor may reflect a genotoxic agent in wood and leather dust.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed2001

Determination of fat in leather by the use of supercritical fluid extraction combined with on-line piezoelectric detection.

Leather samples were prepared and characterized as 'in house' matrix standards for the determination of fat. The Soxhlet standard method was used to establish the reference fat content in every standard sample. Sample homogeneity and stability were examined under specific storing conditions. The materials were subsequently used as matrix standards for the determination of fat in leather samples, using supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) with on-line piezoelectric detection. Real samples were weighed in the extraction SFE thimble, previously loaded with 1 g of diatomaceous earth. A temperature of 45 degrees C and a CO2 fluid density of 0.85 g ml-1 were used for extraction. The linear calibration range thus achieved was 0.001-0.040% m/m total fat (related to the weight of the leather) and the relative standard deviation +/- 3% (n = 11; P = 0.05). The results were compared with those obtained with the Soxhlet method and no significant differences were found.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2004

Performance of magnesium ammonium phosphate precipitation and its effect on biological treatability of leather tanning industry wastewaters.

Leather tanning industry is one of the several industries discharging significant amount of nitrogen. Magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP) precipitation is a promising pretreatment for leather tanning industry wastewaters for the control of toxic parameters; excess suspended solids as well as nitrogen which increase the cost and complexity of following biological treatment. Application of MAP precipitation, however, modifies the characteristics and biological treatability of wastewaters. In this study, characteristics and biological treatability of MAP precipitation effluent were experimentally investigated using the wastewaters obtained from a bovine leather processing plant. An experimental study involving the determination of COD fractions and kinetic parameters of biological treatment was conducted for both gravity settling and MAP precipitation. Results of the study indicated that MAP precipitation, in addition to high degree of nitrogen removal, yielded a soluble, readily biodegradable effluent which was also free from toxics. MAP precipitation provided an effluent COD of almost half of that of gravity settling. Reduced value of soluble residual microbial products (Sp) obtained with MAP precipitation effluent was an additional benefit.

Animals↗

PubMed1982

Multiple sclerosis among shoe and leather workers: an epidemiological survey in Florence.

The observation of many multiple sclerosis (MS) cases among shoe and leather workers prompted a survey of the risk of MS in this working population. Eighty-one patients with definite or probable MS alive in Florence on May 1st 1976 were interviewed regarding their occupation at onset of the disease. Five of the 41 patients working at the time had worked in shoe a leather factories. The relative risk for these workers was 4.87 compared to the general populations and 4.91 compared to the active population, both results being significantly different from one. This survey indicates an increased risk of MS among shoe and leather workers. Organic solvents, contained in large quantities in the glues used, may be involved in the pathogenic mechanism through a possible interference with the immune system.

Adhesives↗

PubMed1994

Cancer incidence and mortality among Swedish leather tanners.

OBJECTIVES: The aim was to study the incidence of cancer among Swedish leather tanners. METHODS: A cohort of 2026 subjects who had been employed for at least one year between 1900 and 1989 in three Swedish leather tanneries, was established. The cancer incidence and mortality patterns were assessed for the periods 1958-89 and 1952-89 respectively, and cause-specific standardised incidence and mortality ratios (SIRs and SMRs) were calculated. RESULTS: A significantly increased incidence of soft tissue sarcomas (SIR 4.27, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.39-9.97) was found, based on five cases. Excesses, (not statistically significant) was also found for multiple myelomas (SIR 2.54, 95% CI 0.93-5.53), and sinonasal cancer (SIR 3.77, 95% CI 0.46-13.6). CONCLUSIONS: The increased incidence of soft tissue sarcomas adds support to previous findings of an excess mortality in this diagnosis among leather tanners. A plausible cause is exposure to chlorophenols, which had occurred in all three plants. The excess of multiple myelomas may also be associated with exposure to chlorophenol. The association between incidence of cancer and specific chemical exposure will be elucidated in a cohort-based case-referent study.

Cause of Death↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Impact of the duration of control of cattle lice with eprinomectin on leather quality.

The relationship between lice infestation in calves during their first winter and damage to the leather produced was investigated in a trial involving 500 calves, 100 of which were treated with a pour-on endectocide during the first winter. All the calves received routine lice treatment in the second winter and were reared to slaughter weight. The hides were removed at the abattoir, tanned, inspected for lice-related damage, and graded according to their suitability for the production of high quality leather. The untreated group developed natural infestations of the chewing louse (Bovicola bovis) during the first winter but none was observed in the second winter. Hides from cattle infested with lice in their first winter had higher levels of lice damage than hides from those treated with eprinomectin, at both the chrome-tanned and dried dyed-crust stages of leather production.

Animals↗