ABSTRACT
Wildland firefighters are exposed to particulate matter and gases containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), many of which are known carcinogens. Our objective was to evaluate the extent of firefighter exposure to particulate and PAHs during prescribed pile burns of mainly ponderosa pine slash and determine whether these exposures were correlated with changes in urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-HP), a PAH metabolite. Personal and area sampling for particulate and PAH exposures were conducted on the White Mountain Apache Tribe reservation, working with 21 Bureau of Indian Affairs/Fort Apache Agency wildland firefighters during the fall of 2006. Urine samples were collected pre- and post-exposure and pulmonary function was measured. Personal PAH exposures were detectable for only 3 of 16 PAHs analyzed: naphthalene, phenanthrene, and fluorene, all of which were identified only in vapor-phase samples. Condensed-phase PAHs were detected in PM2.5 area samples (20 of 21 PAHs analyzed were detected, all but naphthalene) at concentrations below 1 microg m(-3). The total PAH/PM2.5 mass fractions were roughly a factor of two higher during smoldering (1.06 +/- 0.15) than ignition (0.55 +/- 0.04 microg mg(-1)). There were no significant changes in urinary 1-HP or pulmonary function following exposure to pile burning. In summary, PAH exposures were low in pile burns, and urinary testing for a PAH metabolite failed to show a significant difference between baseline and post-exposure measurements.
Subject(s)
Air Pollutants, Occupational/analysis , Fires , Occupational Exposure/analysis , Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons/analysis , Adult , Environmental Monitoring/methods , Female , Humans , Inhalation Exposure/analysis , Male , Middle Aged , Particulate Matter/analysisABSTRACT
Thirty-seven infants with severe central nervous system injury or extreme prematurity were randomly assigned to a multisensory (auditory-tactile-visual-vestibular) intervention or control group. Intervention began in the hospital at 33 weeks' postconceptional age and continued twice daily in the home until 2 months' corrected age. Mother-infant interactions during feedings were videotaped, and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development were administered. Control mothers stimulated their infants more during feeding, but these significant differences dissipated by 4 months. The presence of periventricular leukomalacia was associated with significantly poorer mental development, regardless of group assignment. Experimental infants tended to exhibit better motor and mental performance and had 23% fewer cerebral palsy diagnoses at 1 year, but these trends were not statistically significant. The type of brain injury was more important in determining 1-year developmental outcome than type of postnatal experience, suggesting that periventricular leukomalacia presents a major challenge for infant development.
Subject(s)
Birth Injuries/rehabilitation , Central Nervous System/injuries , Child Development , Infant, Premature , Leukomalacia, Periventricular/complications , Sensory Thresholds , Cerebral Palsy/etiology , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Leukomalacia, Periventricular/etiology , Male , Mother-Child Relations , Motor Skills Disorders/etiology , Prognosis , Risk Factors , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
This article describes the importance of hospital admission rates as utilization indicators and provides guidance on the development of related data. It identifies categories for analysis of hospital admission rates, including inpatient services, age groups, and geographic units. It describes how resident hospital admission rates can be developed from computer abstract data and contains examples of this information.
