Personal and area exposure assessment at a stainless steel fabrication facility: an evaluation of inhalable, time-resolved PM10, and bioavailable airborne metals.

This study describes a comprehensive exposure assessment in a stainless steel welding facility, measuring personal inhalable PM and metals, time-resolved PM10 area metals, and the bioavailable fraction of area inhalable metals. Eighteen participants wore personal inhalable samplers for two, nonconsecutive shifts. Area inhalable samplers and a time-resolved PM10 X-ray fluorescence spectrometer were used in different work areas each sampling day. Inhalable and bioavailable metals were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Median exposures to chromium, nickel, and manganese across all measured shifts were 66 (range: 13-300) µg/m3, 29 (5.7-132) µg/m3, and 22 (1.5-119) µg/m3, respectively. Most exposure variation was seen between workers ( 0.79

Grower Perceptions of Safety Hazards and Associated Injuries among Farmworkers Involved in Northwest Potato Production.

Background: Potatoes are a vital part of the Pacific Northwest's agricultural economy. As in many agricultural industries, workers involved in potato production may be at risk for illness and injuries.Methods: A Hazard Perception Survey (HPS) was completed by 63 potato growers in Washington (n = 26) and Idaho (n = 37) during the fall and winter of 2017-2018. Participants were asked to indicate their level of concern regarding the frequency and severity of injuries associated with various potato production tasks. Descriptive statistical analyses were used to identify operations and tasks that potato growers perceived to be most hazardous.Results: The majority of growers (70.9%) indicated that they were very concerned about injuries on their farm. Growers reported that tasks requiring bending, twisting, and lifting resulted in the most common and severe injuries, followed by potato sorting during harvest and falling during planting operations.Conclusions: Potato growers were concerned with potential hazards related to a variety of potato production tasks. In response to these concerns, we developed educational materials to assist growers in identifying and mitigating safety hazards on their own establishments. Future research is needed to evaluate the utility of these tools on reducing potential hazards and injury rates among workers in the Northwest potato industry.

A faceoff with hazardous noise: Noise exposure and hearing threshold shifts of indoor hockey officials.

Noise exposure and hearing thresholds of indoor hockey officials of the Western States Hockey League were measured to assess the impact of hockey game noise on hearing sensitivity. Twenty-nine hockey officials who officiated the league in an arena in southeastern Wyoming in October, November, and December 2014 participated in the study. Personal noise dosimetry was conducted to determine if officials were exposed to an equivalent sound pressure level greater than 85 dBA. Hearing thresholds were measured before and after hockey games to determine if a 10 dB or greater temporary threshold shift in hearing occurred. Pure-tone audiometry was conducted in both ears at 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 6000, and 8000 Hz. All noise exposures were greater than 85 dBA, with a mean personal noise exposure level of 93 dBA (SD = 2.2), providing 17.7% (SD = 6.3) of the officials' daily noise dose according to the OSHA criteria. Hearing threshold shifts of 10 dB or greater were observed in 86.2% (25/29) of officials, with 36% (9/25) of those threshold shifts equaling 15 dB or greater. The largest proportion of hearing threshold shifts occurred at 4000 Hz, comprising 35.7% of right ear shifts and 31.8% of left ear shifts. The threshold shifts between the pre- and post-game audiometry were statistically significant in the left ear at 500 (p=.019), 2000 (p=.0009), 3000 (p<.0001) and 4000 Hz (p=.0002), and in the right ear at 2000 (p=.0001), 3000 (p=.0001) and 4000 Hz (p<.0001), based on Wilcoxon-ranked sum analysis. Although not statistically significant at alpha = 0.05, logistic regression indicated that with each increase of one dB of equivalent sound pressure measured from personal noise dosimetry, the odds of a ≥ 10 dB TTS were increased in the left ear at 500 (OR=1.33, 95% CI 0.73-2.45), 3000 (OR=1.02, 95% CI 0.68-1.51), 4000 (OR=1.26, 95% CI 0.93-1.71) and 8000 Hz (OR=1.22, 95% CI 0.76-1.94) and in the right ear at 6000 (OR=1.03, 95% CI 0.14-7.84) and 8000 Hz (OR=1.29, 95% CI 0.12-13.83). These findings suggest that indoor hockey officials are exposed to hazardous levels of noise, experience temporary hearing loss after officiating games, and a hearing conservation program is warranted. Further temporary threshold shift research has the potential to identify officials of other sporting events that are at an increased risk of noise-induced hearing loss.

Effect of HIV and chlamydia infection on rectal inflammation and cytokine concentrations in men who have sex with men.

Asymptomatic Chlamydia trachomatis infections are common in HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM). Although C. trachomatis combined with HIV would be likely to enhance inflammation, the asymptomatic course suggests otherwise. We assessed local inflammation, mucosal damage, and cytokine concentrations in rectal mucosal fluid samples from patients with HIV (with or without the use of combination antiretroviral therapy [cART]) and with or without the presence of rectal C. trachomatis. Rectal swabs from 79 MSM (with and without C. trachomatis, HIV, and cART use) who reported a history of receptive anal sex were analyzed for neutrophil activation (measured by myeloperoxidase [MPO]), mucosal leakage (measured by albumin and alpha-2-macroglobulin), and proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. C. trachomatis infection, HIV infection, and cART use in MSM had no differential effects on rectal neutrophilic inflammation and mucosal damage. Interleukin 8 (IL-8) was found to correlate with MPO, and MPO correlated with markers of mucosal damage. In HIV-negative participants, men with C. trachomatis infection had lower concentrations of monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), IL-1α, and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) than men without rectal C. trachomatis infection (P = 0.005, 0.007, and 0.07, respectively). We found no difference in anal cytokine concentrations in HIV-infected participants in relation to the presence of C. trachomatis infection or cART use. In participants with rectal C. trachomatis infection, those who were HIV negative had lower median concentrations of IL-8 and IL-1α than those with HIV (P = 0.05 and 0.06, respectively). The slope of the regression line between MPO and IL-8 was reduced in participants with rectal C. trachomatis infection. C. trachomatis dampens cytokine concentrations but not in HIV-infected patients. The extent of mucosal damage was comparable in all patient groups. The apparent reduced neutrophil response to IL-8 in HIV-infected patients with C. trachomatis infection is in accordance with its asymptomatic course.

No evidence for a sustained increase in sexually transmitted diseases among heterosexuals in Amsterdam, the Netherlands: a 12-year trend analysis at the sexually transmitted disease outpatient clinic, Amsterdam.

OBJECTIVES: Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are on the rise, mainly among men having sex with men (MSM). GOAL: The goal of this study was to evaluate whether STD increases as seen in MSM are also visible among heterosexuals. STUDY DESIGN: Attendees of the STD clinic in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, are routinely tested for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. Additionally, all women are tested for trichomoniasis. STD time trends of heterosexual attendees between 1994 and 2005 were analyzed by logistic regression and generalized linear models with a negative binomial distribution. RESULTS: The number of consultations doubled since 1994. However, no long-term increase was seen in the number of syphilis and gonorrhea infections. Additionally, the trichomonas prevalence declined. However, the number of chlamydia infections increased over time. CONCLUSIONS: Although the number of attendees increased, no evidence for increasing STD incidence was found among heterosexuals. The increase in chlamydia infections can probably be explained by increased screening resulting from increased numbers of attendees.