Occupational Health Survey of Cosmetologists in Minnesota.

Cosmetologists face a variety of occupational health and safety challenges. To gather information on respiratory issues related to work as a cosmetologist, licensed cosmetologists were invited by e-mail to participate in a short online survey. The survey collected demographic data, work history, respiratory symptoms, product usage, and health and safety training. Results revealed that while 57% of cosmetologists reported having received training on customer or consumer safety, only 10.5% had received training on worker health such as work-related asthma and/or breathing issues. Respiratory symptoms were reported by 46% of respondents. Length of employment and the use of glues or adhesives were associated with a diagnosis of asthma.

The Economic Impact for Farm Injury in Minnesota, 2004-2010.

Only 2% of Minnesota's employed population worked in agriculture between the years 2005 and 2012. However, this small portion of the state's employed population accounted for 31% of total work-related deaths in the state during that same time period. During a similar time period, 2007-2013, the contribution of agriculture to Minnesota's gross domestic product increased from approximately 1.5% to about 2.3%. This article describes the economic impact of injuries related to farm work between the years 2004 and 2010. Using hospital discharge data and the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), estimates of the number of injuries and fatalities related to agricultural work were compiled. A cost of illness model was applied to these injury and fatality estimates to calculate the related indirect and direct costs in 2010 dollars. Estimated total costs, in 2010 dollars, ranged between $21 and $31 million annually over the 7-year study period. The majority of the costs were attributable to indirect costs, such as lost productivity at work and home. Fatal injuries accrued the largest proportion of the estimated costs followed by hospitalized and nonhospitalized injuries. A sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the impact each selected data source had upon the cost estimate. The magnitude of the costs associated with these injuries argues for better surveillance of injury related to agriculture to prioritize resources and evaluate intervention and prevention programs.

Incidence Rates and Trend of Serious Farm-Related Injury in Minnesota, 2000-2011.

Only about 2% of Minnesota's workers were employed in agriculture for the years 2005-2012, this small portion of the workforce accounted for 31% of the 563 work-related deaths that occurred in Minnesota during that same time period. Agricultural fatalities in Minnesota and elsewhere are well documented; however, nonfatal injuries are not. To explore the burden of injury, Minnesota hospital discharge data were used to examine rates and trends of farm injury for the years 2000-2011. Cases were identified through the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM), injury codes and external cause of injury codes (E codes). Probable cases were defined as E code E849.1 (occurred on a farm) or E919.0 (involving agricultural machinery). Possible cases were based on five less specific E codes primarily involving animals or pesticides. Multiple data sources were used to estimate the agricultural population. An annual average of over 500 cases was identified as probable, whereas 2,000 cases were identified as possible. Trend analysis of all identified cases indicated a small but significant average annual increase of 1.5% for the time period 2000-2011. Probable cases were predominantly male (81.5%), whereas possible cases were predominantly female (63.9%). The average age of an injury case was 38.5 years, with the majority of injuries occurring in late summer and fall months. Despite the undercount of less serious injuries, hospital discharge data provide a meaningful data source for the identification and surveillance of nonfatal agricultural injuries. These methods could be utilized by other states for ongoing surveillance for nonfatal agricultural injuries.

A nonparametric approach for determining significance of county cancer rates compared to the overall state rate: illustrated with Minnesota data.

BACKGROUND: The study of the geographical distribution of disease has expanded greatly with GIS technology and its application to increasingly available public health data. The emergence of this technology has increased the challenges for public health practitioners to provide meaningful interpretations for county-based state cancer maps. METHODS: One of these challenges-spurious inferences about the significance of differences between county and overall state cancer rates-can be addressed through a nonparametric statistical method. The Wilcoxon's signed rank test (WSRT) has a practical application for determining the significance of county cancer rates compared to the statewide rate. This extension of the WSRT, developed by John Tukey, forms the basis for constructing a single confidence interval for all differences in county and state directly age-adjusted cancer rates. Empirical evaluation of this WSRT application was conducted using Minnesota cancer incidence data. RESULTS: The WSRT procedure reduced the impact of statistical artifacts that are frequently encountered with standard normal significance testing of the difference between directly age-adjusted county and the overall state cancer rates. CONCLUSION: Although further assessment of its performance is required, the WSRT procedure appears to be a useful complement for mapping directly age-adjusted state cancer rates by county.

Investigation of exposures to commercial asbestos in northeastern Minnesota iron miners who developed mesothelioma.

A 70% excess of mesothelioma, an asbestos-related cancer, has been reported among men in northeastern Minnesota, where iron mining has been the major industry. The Minnesota Department of Health has studied iron miners who developed mesothelioma to identify possible sources of asbestos exposure. A database of all Minnesota residents diagnosed with mesothelioma between 1988 and 1996 was linked to a database of approximately 72,000 current and former Minnesota iron-mining employees to identify cases who had ever worked in the mining industry. The job histories of the cases were examined to determine if any of their jobs could have involved exposure to commercial asbestos. Seventeen individuals diagnosed with mesothelioma in Minnesota between 1988 and 1996 were found to have worked in the iron mining industry. Of the 15 for whom adequate work histories were available, 14 had identifiable sources of exposure to commercial asbestos in jobs held both inside and outside of the mining industry. The time between employment in these asbestos-exposed occupations and the diagnosis of mesothelioma is consistent with the 20 or more year latency period that has been observed in other studies of this cancer.

Asthma among rural Minnesota adolescents.

This study examined the prevalence of and risk factors for wheezing and asthma in rural Minnesota adolescents. A survey querying about wheezing, asthma, farm residence, and other respiratory-related factors was administered to all 9th to 11th grade students (N = 13,490) in a stratified, random sample of high schools in rural Minnesota. Nearly one in 8 (12.6%) students reported ever-diagnosed asthma, and 9.2% reported current asthma. Students living on farms reported less wheezing and asthma than rural non-farm students. Obesity and smoking were associated with wheezing and asthma in all rural adolescents. Asthma rates increased with age among girls and may be largely accounted for by simultaneous increases in smoking rates. Despite the apparent protective effect of farm residence, asthma remains a significant public health issue among rural Minnesota adolescents.