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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1977

Health effects of exposure to automobile exhaust--V. exposure of toll booth operators to automobile exhaust.

The exposures of automobile toll booth collectors in the Boston area to selected air contaminants were monitored during the four seasons from 1972 to 1974. The highest carbon monoxide concentrations were found at the in-city toll booths and the highest lead levels at the surburban booths. Biological monitoring for carbon monoxide and lead exposure were closely related to airborne contaminant levels. The study supports the need for environmental control for toll booths located at busy highway and tunnels.

Air↗
PubMed1978

Carbon monoxide automobile emissions measured from the interior of a traveling automobile.

During a procedure to monitor carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations inside a traveling car, it was discovered that CO emissions from individual passing vehicles produced accurately measurable increases in the CO concentration. The CO produced by individual vehicles varied by three orders of magnitude; this finding demonstrates that a relatively small number of cars can be responsible for a high percentage of total vehicle CO Emissions.

Automobile Driving↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Exposure to emissions from gasoline within automobile cabins.

Gasoline is emitted from automobiles as uncombusted fuel and via evaporation. Volatile organic compounds (VOC) from gasoline are at higher levels in roadway air than in the surrounding ambient atmosphere and penetrate into automobile cabins, thereby exposing commuters to higher levels than they would experience in other microenvironments. Measurements of VOC concentrations and carbon monoxide were made within automobiles during idling, while driving on a suburban route in New Jersey, and on a commute to New York City. Concentrations of VOC from gasoline were determined to be elevated above the ambient background levels in all microenvironments while VOC without a gasoline source were not. The variability of VOC concentrations with location within the automobile was determined to be smaller than inter-day variability during idling studies. VOC and carbon monoxide levels within the automobile cabin differed among the different routes examined. The levels were related to traffic density and were inversely related to driving speed and wind speed. Overall, daily VOC exposure for gasoline-derived compounds during winter commuting in New Jersey was estimated to range between 5 and 20% and constituted between 15 and 40% of an individual's daily exposure based on comparison to urban and suburban settings, respectively. VOC exposure during commuting in Southern California was estimated to range between 15 and 60%.

Air↗
PubMed1989

Pedal error and misperceived centerline in eight different automobiles.

The hypothesis that misperception of an automobile's centerline is related to pedal error was tested in eight late-model automobiles. Pedal error is described as hitting the accelerator pedal when instructed to depress the brake pedal. One hundred twenty-nine subjects participated in an experiment in which pedal errors and perceived centerline were measured in all eight automobiles. The results indicate that subjects misperceive the centerline of the automobile to be to the right of the actual centerline. Although 26 pedal errors were recorded, no relationship between pedal errors and misperceived centerline was found.

Automobile Driving↗
PubMed1991

Health, life, and automobile insurance characteristics in adults with IDDM.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether people with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) were compromised in their access to insurance. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A case-control study of 158 people with IDDM and 158 nondiabetic siblings matched for age and sex was conducted to evaluate the health, life, and automobile insurance characteristics and history of people with IDDM. RESULTS: Health insurance coverage (yes/no) among the IDDM and sibling control subjects was similar. More than 90% of the IDDM and control respondents had insurance through a private third-party source, and this insurance did not differ by type of plan, coverage, or premium. However, Medicare coverage was more common among the IDDM subjects and was associated with the presence of severe diabetic complications. IDDM subjects were also more likely to have been denied a health insurance policy by an insurer than were the control subjects (23 vs. 1%, P less than 0.001). Similarly, there was no difference between the IDDM and sibling control subjects in the number who had a life or automobile insurance policy. However, life and automobile insurance refusal was much more frequent among the IDDM respondents, more so for life (55 vs. 0%, P less than 0.001) than for automobile (12 vs. 4%, P less than 0.05) insurance. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that access to insurance is severely compromised for people with IDDM. Although most of those with IDDM are able to find some form of insurance, it is evident that on average they must go to extra lengths to find it. These data and a changing insurance environment emphasize the need to reexamine, as a society, the importance of insurance for people with chronic disease, particularly IDDM.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Visual inhibitions of automobile driving.

Three patients in psychotherapy who were symptomatically unable to drive automobiles also gave histories of having been afflicted with oculomotor disorders in childhood. This calls attention to the previously undiscussed visual dimension of automobile driving, which is considered in general terms. The specific question of an inhibition of visual function resulting in avoidance of automobile driving is then raised, and a case illustration given in which the attachment of sexual and aggressive meanings to the act of looking was important in the formation of an automobile driving symptom. The particular impact of ocular deviation on early psychosexual development is explored, using the clinical material as a point of departure.

Aggression↗
PubMed1977

Children's behavior during automobile rides: do car seats make a difference?

The behavior of children riding in automobiles with their mothers was assessed by having an observer accompany them on repeated 15-minute automobile rides. Children riding in car seats exhibited very high levels of appropiate or safe behavior, whereas children not riding in car seats exhibited very low levels of appropriate behavior. When car seats were introduced to those children who previously had not used them, the level of appropriate behavior improved dramatically. These results were maintained at three-month follow-up observations. Prevention or reduction of disruptive child behavior on car rides is an obviously important, but previously unreported, benefit of the use of child restraint seats. This fact might very well be used by the pediatrician to further encourage or persuade parents to purchase and use child restraint seats. The use of a child restraint seat to reduce disruptive behavior during automobile rides is an advantage, beyond the safety aspects, of introducing car seats to young children.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1992

Sleep apnea syndrome symptoms and automobile driving in a general population.

Automobile accidents are reported as being overrepresented in those suffering from the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (SAS), evident by snoring, sleep disturbances and diurnal hypersomnia. An estimation of the prevalence of these symptoms amongst an adult population, predominantly automobile drivers, was assessed by using a one-stage questionnaire procedure. From a national random sample of 1214 persons a weighted reply rate of 76% was achieved. Snoring, breath cessations, mid-sleep awakenings, and diurnal hypersomnia were reported in 24, 3.8, 27 and 9.1%, respectively. The maximum prevalence of SAS was estimated as 2.8-5.5% among men, aged 30-69 years, depending on definition used. Driving frequency in potential sleep apneics was similar to that of the entire population studied. Diurnal hypersomnia, considered a consequence of SAS, was reported as an overall 2.2%, corresponding to 100,000 automobile drivers in Sweden.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Psychological performance of accident-prone automobile drivers in China: a case-control study.

To evaluate the role of neurobehavioural factors in the aetiology of recurrent automobile accidents, we administered the Revised Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-R), the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), and choice and simple reaction time tests to 31 accident-prone automobile drivers. These drivers who had caused three or more traffic accidents during the years 1980-1984, were selected from records of 2723 traffic accidents registered by Hefei Traffic Police Department during the years 1980-1984. The same tests were administered to an equal number of sex- and age-matched control drivers who had no reported involvement in automobile accidents. None of the subjects had suffered from any neuropsychiatric illness or head injury. Comparisons between the two groups indicated that for accident-prone drivers scores on picture completion and block design subtests of the WAIS-R were significantly lowered (p less than 0.05); scores for neurosis extrovert behaviour and psychosis (EPQ) were significantly higher (p less than 0.05); and the number of errors in the choice reaction time test was significantly higher (p less than 0.01). It is suggested that accident-prone drivers have lower psychological performance, poorer judgement and a higher tendency than safe drivers to be neurotic, extrovert and psychotic.

Accident Proneness↗
PubMed1977

Traumatic spinal cord injuries due to automobile accidents.

Of the 1,164 patients with traumatic spinal cord injury admitted to the Texas Institute for Rehabilitation and Research from February 1959 through December 1975, 389 were injured in automobile accidents. The patients with spinal cord injury were predominantly male, and the average age was in the late 20s. Two thirds of the accidents involved a single automobile and occurred less than 50 miles from the residence. The driver's seat was the most common seating position. Seat belts were not worn in over 90% of the cases; many of the other victims wore their seat belts improperly. Some of the patients were probably injured because of structural defects of the automobile.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1990

[Injuries caused by automobile dragging: a report of three cases].

Three cases of victims who were dragged a long distance by automobiles are reported. Injuries caused by such dragging are discussed. [Case 1] A 50-year-old man was found dead under an automobile after having been dragged for a distance of 530 m. Deep abrasions were found in the right temporal region, both scapular regions, the buttocks, and the heels. There were excoriations toward upper side in the right hypochondriac region along the rib arch, and multiple rib fractures with and without severe hemorrhaging. Alcohol levels were 3.54 mg/ml in the femoral venous blood, and 4.54 mg/ml in the urine. It seemed that the victim was drunk and had been lying on his back and that the automobile's underbody had caught him in his right hypochondriac region and had compressed the thoraco-abdominal regions. [Case 2] A 50-year-old drunken man, who had been lying on his back on the side of a road, was dragged by a car for a distance of 2 km. The victim showed marked and deep abrasions of the back, the buttocks, the lateral surface of both ankles, and on the ulnar surface of the left forearm. In the left forearm, the ulna and soft tissues had been rubbed flat and were blackened. The alcohol levels in the femoral venous blood and in the urine were 3.31 and 4.19 mg/ml, respectively. [Case 3] An 83-year-old woman was found dead on the side of a road. In the right temporal region, the skull had been rubbed flat and the right cerebral hemisphere was exposed and flattened. Severe abrasions were observed on both shoulders, the buttocks, and on the back surfaces of the lower extremities. Her sandals and a broken cane were found on the road 2 km from the scene. The offender has not yet been arrested. Injuries caused by the road surface in traffic accidents usually take the form of excoriations or abrasions, and the three victims of this report showed severe and characteristic injuries. Excoriations or abrasions develop into abrasive injuries, defects of the skin or soft tissue, and to the exposure of the internal organs from continuous, prolonged dragging. Some of these accumulated injuries might have been caused by frictional heat.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1976

The automobile and heat stress.

This study suggests that the thermal burden of poorly ventilated parked automobiles can be considerable, particularly when the automobiles are exposed to direct sunlight. Leaving the windows open two inches does not appear to be protective. The pratice of exposing infants and toddlers to such thermal risk appears to be common and the need for adequate ventilation unrecognized. Education measures stressing the use of carseats and other safety devices should include the potential hazards of high temperature in parked automobiles.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMed1989

A sixteen-factor personality test for predicting automobile driving accidents of young drivers.

The predictive value of the Cattell 16-factor personality test on the occurrence of automobile accidents among conscripts during their 11-month military service in a transportation section of Finnish Defense Forces was examined. Automobile driving experience before and during the follow-up as well as the occurrence of traffic accidents and penalties before and during the follow-up period were investigated. Complete data on personality, mileage, and traffic accidents plus penalties were obtained for 597 conscripts. In this population, altogether 91 automobile accidents were recorded for 82 conscripts. A logistic model showed that impulsivity and adventurousness (high score in factor H), naivete and excessive trustfulness (low score in factor L), and poor self-control (low score in factor Q3) predicted significantly, and guilt proneness and depression (high score in factor O) almost significantly the subsequent occurrence of motor vehicle accidents. Factors L and Q3 remained significant when only accidents of which the subject was found guilty were being predicted. All these personality factors are related to the control of emotions. The results indicate that the 16-factor personality test is valuable when selecting safe drivers in a population of young male adults with little previous driving experience.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1975

Rat and rabbit response (in relation to age) to inhalation of automobile exhaust fumes.

Rats of two age groups, of 119 and 163 g mean body weight, were exposed for three and thirty days, respectively, to automobile gases diluted with air. In addition, rabbits, of 1.88 kg mean body weight, were exposed for twenty-four days. The conditions of exposure were kept nearly constant as related to the concentration of CO in the chamber. The following determinations were performed: (1) Body weight measurements as evidence of growth of the animals; (2) The number of alveolar macrophages (AM) in the lung washings; (3) Damage to the integrity of the cytoplasmic membrane of AM; (4) Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity (G6PD) in AM; (5) The acid-base balance in the capillary blood of the rabbits. The results of the 30-day exposure show that automobile exhaust gases significantly inhibit the growth of both age groups; with significant body weight losses in the older animals from the 16th day of exposure. The number of AM was elevated in both groups. The activity of G6PD increased in the AM of the younger animals and decreased in the AM of the older as compared with the controls. The number of dead AM was higher in the older than in the younger rats. After the three-day exposure, no significant difference was found in the number of AM washed from the lungs of both exposed groups, compared with the controls. However, G6PD activity and the number of viable AM in the older animals were decreased and the percent of dead phagocytes was significant. The opposite effect was seen in the younger group. Alterations of lung tissue structure in the exposed animals were apparent to the naked eye. Acid-base response showed metabolic and respiratory disturbances as evidenced by the decrease in carbon dioxide tension (PCo2), the rise of hemoglobin by the reduction of pH level and by the base excess (BE). The inhibition of the growth of the rabbits was noted. The intra- and extrapulmonary effect of automobile exhaust gases after inhalation was observed as a complex of disturbances of the fundamental metabolic processes in the organism. The gases affected the cells of lung defence-alveolar macrophages and their biosynthetic activity.

Acid-Base Equilibrium↗
PubMed1991

The pattern of injury to rear seat passengers involved in automobile collisions.

This retrospective study analyzed the pattern of injury among rear seat occupants in automobile collisions and compared the incidence and type of injury with that of front seat occupants. During a 2-year study period, 253 persons involved in automobile collisions were admitted to our hospital. Among these patients 168 were drivers, 54 were front seat passengers, and 24 were rear seat occupants. Injuries were classified into the following categories: neurologic, orthopedic, soft tissue, thoracic, and abdominal. No significant differences were observed in the type or extent of injury, in the incidence of permanent disability, or in the mortality rate based on the location of the passengers within automobiles involved in these crashes.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The use of automobile safety restraint systems during pregnancy.

The American Medical Association's Committee on Medical Aspects of Automobile Safety recommends that pregnant women use seat belts. Currently, all military installations, 39 states, and the District of Columbia mandate varying degrees of seat belt usage. A survey was conducted to evaluate seat belt usage in the antepartum population at the Wilford Hall United States Air Force Medical Center. Eighty-eight percent of the respondents used automobile safety restraints 100% of the time when driving, and 90% of the respondents used automobile safety restraints 100% of the time when riding as a passenger. Twenty-three percent, however, were uniformed or misinformed about seat belt safety procedures and practices during pregnancy. Increased education regarding seat belt safety would be beneficial to this population.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The tumor-producing effect of automobile exhaust condensate and fractions thereof. Part III: mathematical-statistical evaluation of the test results.

This paper deals with the mathematical-statistical evaluation of experiments devoted to the following problems: 1. To what extent is the carcinogenic potency of automobile exhaust gas condensate dependent on the dose? 2. What fractions (groups of substances) of the automobile exhaust gas condensate are mainly responsible for the carcinogenic potency? 3. To what extent can the potency be explained by fractions (or single substances)? In order to answer the above questions, the working group planned animal experiments (cf. Misfeld and Timm, 1973) and obtained, prepared, and fractionalized automobile exhaust gas condensate (Grimmer, 1978). The exhaust gas condensate and its fractions were dropped onto the skin of female CFLP mice (Brune et al., 1978). In view of the problems posed above, the aim of the mathematical-statistical evaluation was to establish the dose-response relations, to assess the combined effect, and to estimate the relative potency and the assumed potency. In particular, the hypothesis (basis for the separation process) that the potency of the entire exhaust gas condensate is mainly attributable to the fraction which contains the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitromethane phase) was examined.

Animals↗