Laura S. Welch

Bone Marrow Injury in Lithographers Exposed to Glycol Ethers and Organic Solvents Used in Multicolor Offset and Ultraviolet Curing Printing Processes

Prompted by referral of a printer with aplastic anemia, a study of possible marrow toxicity of workplace substances was undertaken. Dermal and respiratory exposures to dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, and a range of aliphatic, aromatic and halogenated hydrocarbons used for offset and ultraviolet cured multicolor printing were documented. Evaluation of seven co-workers revealed normal peripheral blood pictures, but bone marrow specimens demonstrated clear patterns of injury in three while the others had nonspecific signs of marrow effect. These changes could not be explained by known risk factors. The authors conclude that further evaluation of possible bone marrow toxicity resulting from exposure to glycol ethers and ultraviolet curing printing processes is warranted. More generally, we have provided data demonstrating that peripheral blood counts may be an insensitive tool for the study of hematologic toxins acting at the bone marrow level.

Development of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity after an Outbreak of Sick-Building Syndrome

Investigation of this outbreak raises some important points for future research. Although for various reasons the case ascertainment for MCS was not complete, the three MCS patients described here all had preexisting conditions that may have put them at risk. In addition, one person among the 20 described had chronic fatigue syndrome but did not develop MCS. Many of the persons described here continue to have ongoing complaints that are not MCS. Significant exacerbation of preexisting allergic disease and new onset of asthma occurred among those patients. As a group, they did not recover completely after the outbreak; several are no longer working in the building but in alternative work spaces. An important distinction should be made between individuals who met the definition used here for MCS and others who had significant exacerbation of some better-defined illness brought on by building conditions. New onset of MCS was a partial but not complete explanation of the clinical course for this group of 20 persons.

An analysis of permanent work disability among construction sheet metal workers

BACKGROUND Causes of permanent work disability in the sheet metal industry are not well characterized. METHODS Pension records were used to compare causes of disability among sheet metal workers and the U.S. working population. Subgroup analysis examined the major causes of sheet metal worker disability. RESULTS Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), circulatory disease, and injuries were leading causes of sheet metal worker disability (47.2%, 13.7%, 10.9% of awards, respectively). Award distribution differed from the U.S. working population (P < 0.0001); MSDs and injuries accounted for higher proportions of sheet metal worker awards, particularly at spine, shoulder, and knee. CONCLUSIONS Higher proportions of awards caused by MSD or injury among sheet metal workers may reflect higher rates of work-related injuries and MSDs, a high likelihood of disability with construction work given the same impairment, or higher prevalence of other conditions in the general population. Prevention requires task-specific ergonomic innovations and proven participatory interventions.

Asbestos-related disease among sheet metal workers 1986-2004: radiographic changes over time.

BACKGROUND In 1985, the Sheet Metal Workers International Association and the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning National Association formed The Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust (SMOHIT) to examine the health hazards of the sheet metal industry. Between 1986 and 2004 18,211 individuals were examined. At the time of the first examination 9.6% of all participants (1,745) had findings consistent with parenchymal disease (ILO > 1/0), and 21% (3,827) had pleural scarring. METHODS 2181-Two thousand hundred eighty-one who had no radiographic evidence of pneumoconiosis on baseline examination underwent a second examination. RESULTS By the second examination, 5.3% had developed parenchymal disease on chest radiograph; an additional 12.4% had developed pleural scarring without parenchymal disease. Factors that predicted new cases of pneumoconiosis on radiograph were the calendar year the worker entered the sheet metal trade, smoking, and shipyard work. Forty-seven percent of those smoking at the time of initial exam reported having quit smoking by the second examination. CONCLUSIONS Asbestosis is still occurring 50 years after first exposure. Exposed workers benefit from medical screening programs that incorporate smoking cessation.

Exposure science will not increase protection of workers from asbestos-caused diseases: NIOSH fails to provide needed public health action and leadership.

Exposure science will not increase protection of workers from asbestos-caused diseases: NIOSH fails to provide needed public health action and leadership

Correspondence regarding the article “The asbestos fibre burden in human lungs: new insights into the chrysotile debate”

The article by Feder et al. [1] states that the lung asbestos fibre burden in 23 955 patients was analysed to address fibre type and biopersistence; data from 12 patients undergoing two tissue excisions at intervals at least 4 years were considered. All asbestos types cause asbestosis (cancer): chrysotile is not biopersistent, so fibre analysis is not diagnostic http://ow.ly/BOLC30grqYg

Concrete form Work, Injury and Musculoskeletal Disorders

We present hospital emergency room data on 154 injuries of carpenters and laborers working for one contractor on one large project over four years. This contractor was in charge of concrete form construction, a task that entails significant ergonomic risks. The carpenters working for this contractor had a higher percentage of injuries diagnosed as strains and sprains, while the laborers had more injuries from “struck-by/struck-against” than other crafts. We will discuss possible strategies to decrease ergonomic hazards and injuries in form construction