A quantitative risk assessment of sinonasal cancer as a function of time in workers occupationally exposed to wood dust.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to conduct a quantitative assessment of the risk related to occupational exposure to wood dust and the occurrence of sinonasal epithelial cancer (SNEC) by histotype, depending on the duration of exposure, using mathematical models. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The relationship between the occurrence of SNEC by histotype (adenocarcinoma [AR] and tumors of other histotypes) and exposure to wood dust has been studied using the values of the odds ratios for individual periods of employment involving exposure to wood dust, and their 95% confidence intervals. The dose-response curves were constructed (more precisely, the duration of exposure-response curves). The author attempted to match the linear, quadratic or exponential models. RESULTS: In all SNEC cases, there is a relationship between the duration of occupational exposure to wood dust and the relative risk of developing cancer. The estimated relative risk of developing AR after 35 years of exposure to wood dust is about 300, and the estimated risk of developing SNEC is 50, compared to non-exposed people for whom the relative risk is equal to 1. However, the relative risk of developing other types of cancer is <20, also in comparison with non-exposed people. CONCLUSIONS: The author has identified a relationship between the duration of occupational exposure to wood dust and the relative risk of developing cancer in all SNEC cases. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2021;34(4):541-9.

[Testing of the composition of e-cigarette liquids - Manufacturer-declared vs. true contents in a selected series of products]. / Badanie skladu plynów do e-papierosów - deklaracje producenta a stan rzeczywisty w wybranej serii wyrobów.

BACKGROUND: Electronic cigarettes are currently in common use. However, in Poland there is no specific legislation governing the sale of these products. At the same time, no information has been made public about the hazards e-cigarettes pose to the users and bystanders - passive smokers. The aim of the study was to determine the qualitative composition of the analyzed liquid, which is an essential element of regulating the distribution of such cigarettes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Under this study the method for determining the composition of e-cigarette liquids was developed. This method employs gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Levels of nicotine and flavoring components were determined in 50 e-liquid samples. The results were compared with the information provided by the manufacturer on the packaging. RESULTS: The applied method of qualitative determination helped to identify the main ingredients, such as nicotine and propylene glycol (PG). Propylene glycol was found to be present in all liquids, because it was used as the solvent for nicotine and flavors. There was a good agreement between the declared and the determined content of nicotine in the analyzed samples. The agreement was considerably poorer for the remaining e-liquid ingredients, mainly flavors. CONCLUSIONS: There was no agreement between the flavor substances specified by the manufacturer and aroma identified in the e-cigarette liquid, which may pose a risk to users of e-cigarettes, particularly those susceptible to allergies. Several unsaturated aliphatic alcohols and aldehydes found to be present in the liquids, unstable at elevated temperatures, may be more harmful to the smoker than the original compounds. Therefore, it is essential to implement in Poland the legal provisions regarding e-cigarettes. Med Pr 2016;67(2):239-253.

OELs derivation in Poland and in the former Eastern Bloc with reference to approaches and practices applied in the EU.

Based on the literature, current legislation and the European Union (EU) directives, the rules to protect the health of workers in Poland and the countries of the former Eastern Bloc were analyzed. Since 2002, the activities in the field of hygiene standards in the countries of the former Eastern Bloc have been correlated with the EU policy. The functioning of the system of maximum admissible concentrations (MAC) having been implemented in Poland for many years before the accession to the EU, has provided for a relatively quick adjustment of Polish regulations on chemicals to the relevant European law. The Polish list includes 543 substances. In the former Eastern Bloc countries, intensification of work after joining the EU has caused the lists in those countries to contain from 285 substances in Slovakia to 780 in Lithuania. Currently, all substances included in the EU lists (up to and including the 3rd list of occupational exposure limit values of the Directive 2009/161/EC) have been governed by the Polish, Lithuanian, Czech, Latvian and Hungarian law. In Estonia and Slovakia the provisions of the Directive 2006/15/EC establishing the second list of occupational exposure limits have been implemented. Individual national lists contain much more chemicals than the EU list containing currently 122 substances. The legislative process in the EU is slow, and that is why the national law is important and necessary due to the local needs in selected areas. It is necessary to correlate the activities in the field of determining regional occupational exposure limit (OEL) values in the countries of the Eastern Bloc and the EU.

[Admissible concentration in biological material: an index of exposure to dichloromethane]. / Dopuszczalne stezenie w materiale biologicznym jako wskaznik narazenia na dichlorometan.

In 2007, a new maximum admissible concentration value of 88 mg/m3 was specified for dichloromethane (DCM) in the Polish list of admissible concentrations of harmful chemicals and dusts in the work environment atmosphere. The new value is four times higher than the former one (20 mg/m3), valid in Poland for 20 past years. At the same time, it was decided that the value of short term exposure limit (STEL) shall no longer be specified. Dichloromethane is a chemical which can be absorbed by routes other than respiratory, therefore, biological monitoring is required to ensure that the risk is not underestimated. Experimental data support the conclusion that volatile chloroorganic compounds, including dichloromethane, are excreted with urine in the unchanged form, and thus their absorption and exposure can be easily assessed. Concentration of dichloromethane in urine determined at the end of work shift is proposed in Poland as a specific index of dichloromethane exposure. Dichloromethane inhalation exposure at maximum admissible concentration of 88 mg/m3 corresponds with biological exposure index (BEI) of 0.15 mg DCM/l urine. The BEI value proposed in Poland for DCM is compatible with that specified by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH).

[Is dichloromethane an occupational carcinogen?]. / Czy dichlorometan jest kancerogenem zawodowym?

Dichloromethane (DCM) has been widely used in Poland and worldwide as a pesticide fumigant to preserve seed and fruit, in the manufacture of polyurethane, in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical and food-processing industry. It isalso used as an ingredient of fire extinguishing formulations and as a cooling agent in refrigerators. Because of dichloromethane's widespread use, its multisystemic toxic activity and a significant number of the exposed people, it is important to assess occupational risk for dichloromethane. In Poland, the maximum admissible concentration of dichloromethane based on its carcinogenic effect is MAC TWA 20 mg/m3 and MAC STEL 50 mg/m3. However, according to experimental and epidemiological data, occupational risk associated with DCM use is attributable to its effect on central nervous system rather than to its carcinogenic activity.

RD50 value as the criterion for setting maximum admissible levels of occupational exposure to irritants in Poland.

The aim of this work is to analyse Maximum Admissible Concentration (MAC) values proposed for irritants by the Group of Experts for Chemical Agents in Poland, based on the RD50 value. In 1994-2004, MAC values for irritants based on the RD50 value were set for 17 chemicals. For the purpose of the analysis, 1/10 RD50, 1/100 RD50 and the MAC/RD50 ratio were calculated. The determined MAC values are within the 0.01-0.09 RD50 range. The RD50 value is a good rough criterion to set MAC values for irritants and it makes it possible to estimate quickly admissible exposure levels. It has become clear that, in some cases, simple setting the MAC value for an irritant at the level of 0.03 RD50 may be insufficient to determine precisely the possible hazard to workers' health. Other available toxicological data, such as NOAEL (No-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level) and LOAEL (Lowest-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level), should always be considered as well.

[Assessment of health risk of sevoflurane and isoflurane exposure among surgical staff: a problem for employers]. / Ocena ryzyka zwiazanego z narazeniem personelu medycznego na dzialanie sewofluranu i izofluranu, wziewnych srodków anestetycznych--problem dla pracodawców.

Sevoflurane and isoflurane are polyfluorinated anesthetics used during surgical treatment of both adults and children. They are usually applied as mixtures with oxygen or dinitrogen monoxide. An assessment of health risk of exposure to these inhalant anesthetics poses a serious problem for employers, mostly due to the fact that maximum admissible concentrations (MAC) for these compounds have not been established. Consequently, there is no obligation to measure their air concentration in the workplace. However, the employer is responsible for determining whether or not a given hazardous agent is present in the work environment. The setting of MAC values for sevoflurane and isoflurane has recently been considered by the Expert Group for Chemical Hazards that proposed to accept 55 mg/m3 (7 ppm) and 32 mg/m3 (4 ppm), respectively as MAC values in assessing workplace hazards. These exposure levels should protect the surgical staff from adverse neurological, cardiovascular, respiratory, and irritant effects.