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Air lead exposures and blood lead levels within a large automobile manufacturing workforce, 1980-1985.

Recent (1980-1985) trends in air lead (PbA) exposures and blood lead (PbB) levels experienced by approximately 10,000 workers employed in various stages of the automobile manufacturing process (i.e., auto assembly, lead-acid battery manufacture, foundry work, and "other" manufacturing-related operations) are described. Between 1980-1985, the mean PbB levels of assembly, battery, foundry, and "other" workers decreased by 28, 24, 3, and 27%, respectively, to 16.6, 23.6, 15.9, and 11.8 micrograms Pb/dl. Workers in the following job categories experienced the highest annual mean PbB levels: paste machine operators (battery plants), solder-grinders (assembly plants), and crane operators (foundries). During the same period, median 8-h Time Weighted Average PbA exposures (micrograms Pb/m3) in assembly plants, battery plants, and foundries decreased by 10, 12, and 20%, respectively, to 8.1, 13.6, and 10.9 micrograms/m3.

Adult

Cervical cytology screening convenient for the workforce.

The study describes the demographic details and smear results of women attending a Well Woman Clinic in an Occupational Health setting over a two year period. The clinic is located close to the place of work, run during working hours, and operated by a doctor and nurse. Charging fees acceptable to women attending or their employers, the service has made a modest profit and offers scope for increasing the income against fixed costs. The age range attending is older than commonly found at screening clinics. The abnormal smear detection rate, 115 per 1000 is high while the proportion of inadequate results at 50 per 1000 compares favourably with other clinics. In an area with 13 per cent Asian population, only 5 per cent of attenders were Asian but of these one fifth had abnormal smears. A cervical cytology screening facility timed and located for the convenience of the working woman is found to attract a group of women in the older age range who have a high abnormal smear rate, and those who fail to attend elsewhere.

Adult

Relations between erythrocyte lithium efflux, blood pressure and family histories of hypertension and cardiovascular disease: studies in a factory workforce and hypertension clinic.

Sodium-dependent lithium efflux was measured in erythrocytes from 399 factory workers and 125 patients attending a hypertension clinic. Thirty-two factory workers had unsuspected essential hypertension (diastolic blood pressure phase V greater than 90 mmHg). These subjects had the same average erythrocyte lithium efflux as those with normal blood pressure, whereas lithium efflux was increased on average in the clinic hypertensives. Lithium efflux was greater in those subjects from both groups who had a family history of high blood pressure. Our clinic hypertensives did not have raised lithium efflux when they were matched for family history; the increased lithium efflux in the group as a whole (and in analysis of published reports) was explained by an excess of subjects with a family history of hypertension. Furthermore, when a family history of hypertension was present, lithium efflux was increased on average only in those whose relatives also had a cardiovascular event associated with their high blood pressure. These results, in conjunction with detailed analysis of the distributions of lithium efflux within the groups, suggest that, though not linked to blood pressure itself, an increase in lithium efflux is an inherited marker for those at risk from the cardiovascular complications associated with high blood pressure.

Adolescent

The changing composition of the British hospital nursing workforce 1962-1984.

The United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (UKCC) recently undertook a major project aimed at identifying the most appropriate future nurse staffing patterns. The results presented here were produced at the request of the UKCC in order that the recommendations stemming from their deliberations could be set against a wider backcloth. It proved possible to secure nurse staffing data from three of the countries of the United Kingdom, namely, England, Wales and Scotland. Most were secured from government publications but the appropriate government agencies also provided valuable assistance. The main trends emerging from a processing of the data are a steadily falling ratio of student nurses and midwives to their qualified counterparts and a steadily increasing contribution by state enrolled nurses. A number of other ratios are presented pictorially accompanied, where appropriate, by a commentary. The actual growth in whole time equivalent nurses is seen to be somewhat less than many people imagine when account is taken of the reduction in both the number of weeks and the number of hours per week worked. Indeed, there has been a levelling off of this last figure over the past few years.

Employment

Variation in hospital morbidity in the male workforce of Western Australia.

The associations of hospital morbidity with occupation were studied in Western Australian men of working age in 1981-2. Data on hospital morbidity were derived from a population based system that covered all short stays in hospitals in the state. Occupations were grouped into 12 major categories and conditions were coded using the International Classification of Diseases. Armed services personnel had the highest overall rate of hospital admissions, followed by transport and communications workers and by administrative and managerial workers. Injuries were the most common cause of referral to hospital. Four occupational groups, farmers and allied workers, miners and quarrymen, transport and communications workers, and craftsmen, production workers, and labourers were often associated with injury. Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue were the second most common cause for referral and were increased in transport and communications workers, and in craftsmen, production workers, and labourers. Several other associations between causes of hospital admission and major occupational groups were observed, including associations of circulatory system diseases with professional and technical work and with administrative and managerial work. The excess of hospital admissions due to factors associated with occupation was estimated to be 12,665 admissions a year or 24.9% of the total in working men.

Adolescent

The effect of smoking on the development of allergic disease and specific immunological responses in a factory workforce exposed to humidifier contaminants.

The effects of smoking on the development of work related asthma and on the production of specific IgE and IgG antibodies to antigen from a contaminated humidifier are described for a sample of 258 workers from a printing factory. Current smoking was associated with low production of IgG antibody but with higher production of IgE antibody. No dose response for either antibody was found when numbers of cigarettes or pack-years smoked were considered. Work related asthma was detected in 12 workers by peak flow recordings. Six were current smokers and one was an ex-smoker. One subject with work related asthma had a high (and one a marginal) concentration of specific IgE to humidifier antigen.

Air Conditioning

Environmental and workplace contamination in the semiconductor industry: implications for future health of the workforce and community.

The semiconductor industry has been an enormous worldwide growth industry. At the heart of computer and other electronic technological advances, the environment in and around these manufacturing facilities has not been scrutinized to fully detail the health effects to the workers and the community from such exposures. Hazard identification in this industry leads to the conclusion that there are many sources of potential exposure to chemicals including arsenic, solvents, photoactive polymers and other materials. As the size of the semiconductor work force expands, the potential for adverse health effects, ranging from transient irritant symptoms to reproductive effects and cancer, must be determined and control measures instituted. Risk assessments need to be effected for areas where these facilities conduct manufacturing. The predominance of women in the manufacturing areas requires evaluating the exposures to reproductive hazards and outcomes. Arsenic exposures must also be evaluated and minimized, especially for maintenance workers; evaluation for lung and skin cancers is also appropriate.

Arsenic