ABSTRACT
A 20-year-old, healthy man, who four years earlier had lost a kidney in a skiing accident, applied for a medical fitness certificate for service on board German flag vessels. Under reference to national and international regulations he was initially turned down, but attained permission to sail on appeal. We discuss the justification of denying persons with a single, well-functioning kidney the opportunity to work at sea, conclude that there is no good reason to refuse a fitness certificate, and propose to change national and international regulations accordingly.
Subject(s)
Kidney , Naval Medicine , Occupational Health , Physical Fitness , Work Capacity Evaluation , Germany , Government Regulation , Guidelines as Topic , Humans , Male , Naval Medicine/legislation & jurisprudence , Occupational Health/legislation & jurisprudence , Physical Examination , Young AdultABSTRACT
The crew of a container vessel detected an aromatic odor of the tap water that was produced on board. As the origin of the contamination was not obvious, water was taken at different sampling sites of the water supply of the vessel. Samples were analyzed for occurrence of chemical substances by GC-MS. Thereby xylene and ethylbenzene were detected in nearly each sample. The highest xylene concentration was found in the sample from the fresh water tank. As xylene was used as solvent in the tank coating, it could be concluded that it was released by the coating. Consequently, the crew was advised to ventilate and clean the fresh water tanks.
Subject(s)
Benzene Derivatives/analysis , Ships/standards , Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis , Water Supply/standards , Xylenes/analysis , Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry , Oceans and SeasABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: According to observations by occupational health physicians, nearly 50 % of the seamen on German vessels will get diseases of the upper respiratory tract. An impact of the air-conditioning systems on these diseases has been suggested. OBJECTIVES: To examine the hygienic quality of indoor air on seagoing vessels, a pilot study was initiated by the See-Berufsgenossenschaft. METHODS: Air samples were taken on-site at different sampling sites and analysed for the occurrence of microorganisms. RESULTS: Bacteria showed the highest cell numbers and the highest distribution in indoor air on vessels, whereby the maximum level was determined in the air of crew cabins. The identification of bacteria showed that beside common airborne species, pathogens existed. CONCLUSIONS: Air-conditioning seems to influence the quality of indoor air on seagoing vessels. Interim results of the study indicate that regular maintenance of air-conditioning systems is essential.
