Environmental design, work, and well being: managing occupational stress through changes in the workplace environment.

The physical environment can be an important contributor to occupational stress. Factors that contribute to stress and other negative outcomes include: lack of control over the environment, distractions from coworkers, lack of privacy, noise, crowding, and environmental deprivations (such as lack of windows and aesthetic impoverishment). The design of "salutogenic" environments requires not only the elimination of negative stress inducing features, but also the addition of environmental enhancements, including such factors as increased personal control, contact with nature and daylight, aesthetically pleasing spaces, and spaces for relaxation alone or with others. Salutogenic environments also take into consideration positive psychosocial "fit," as well as functional fit between people and environments. At the heart of the current interest in the work environment are two major concerns: organizational productivity and employee well being.

Effects of inhalation exposure to a high-boiling (288 to 454 degrees C) coal liquid.

Coal liquids have been evaluated in a variety of short-term toxicological assays; however, few studies have been conducted to determine the systemic effects after inhalation exposure to these materials. To extend the data base on potential health effects from coal liquefaction materials, we performed a study with solvent refined coal (SRC)-II heavy distillate (HD). Fischer-344 rats were exposed for 6 hr/day, 5 days/week for 5 or 13 weeks to an aerosol of HD (boiling range, 288 to 454 degrees C) at concentrations of 0.69, 0.14, 0.03, or 0.0 mg/liter of air for the high, middle, low, and control groups, respectively. Survival through 13 weeks of exposure was greater than 90% for all groups; body weights for exposed animals were decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Significant increases in liver weights and decreases in thymus and ovary weights were observed for treated animals compared with controls. There were also significant treatment-related decreases in erythrocytes, hemoglobin, volume of packed red blood cells, lymphocytes, eosinophils, and total white blood cells. After 5 weeks of exposure serum cholesterol concentrations increased in a dose-dependent manner for both sexes and serum triglyceride amounts decreased for males but not for females. After 13 weeks of exposure, high-dose animals had significant increases in cholesterol (males only), triglycerides, blood urea nitrogen, and serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT; males) and significant decreases in albumin, SGPT (females), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Examination of bone-marrow preparations from exposed animals demonstrated consistent decreases in the degree of cellularity, suggesting that this organ is a target for HD. Microscopic evaluation of organ sections indicated exposure-related changes for nasal mucosa, pulmonary macrophages, thymus, liver, kidney, bone marrow, ovaries, and cecum. Results from this study indicated dose-dependent increases in the severity of the lesions observed, with few effects in the low-exposure group that were attributable to the exposure.