International archives of occupational and environmental health
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Int Arch Occup Environ Health · Jan 2002
ReviewNeurological diagnosis--aspects of quantitative sensory testing methodology in relation to hand-arm vibration syndrome.
The objectives are to summarise the fundamental neurophysiological base for quantitative sensory testing (QST), and to discuss associated methodological and practical aspects necessary to consider with respect to applicability and reliability as a screening or diagnostic aid for vibration-induced sensory neuropathy. ⋯ QST is in general easy to perform, usually not associated with pain (except thermal pain), suitable for screening and can readily be conducted in the field. QST is, however, known to be susceptible to the effects of multiple covariates and test methodologies. It is thus important that the relative influence on test results from all significant covariates are identified, and to standardise test methodology accordingly before QST can become a reliable and useful tool for diagnostic and screening purposes in the field of vibration-induced sensory neuropathy. The sensitivity, specificity and reliability of different methods for QST for this type of disorder is still very much unknown. Lack of normative values, standardisation of methods and of a "gold standard" for the presence of sensory neuropathy are some reasons.
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Int Arch Occup Environ Health · Oct 2001
Multicenter StudyOutdoor sulphur dioxide and respiratory symptoms in Czech and Polish school children: a small-area study (SAVIAH). Small-Area Variation in Air Pollution and Health.
Air pollution has been linked to respiratory outcomes but controversy persists about its long-term effects. We used a novel technique to estimate the outdoor concentrations of sulphur dioxide (SO2) at small-area level to study the long-term effects on respiratory symptoms and disease in children. ⋯ In these two Central European cities with relatively high levels of air pollution, small-area based indicators of long-term outdoor winter concentrations of SO2 were associated with wheezing/whistling and with asthma diagnosed by a doctor.
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Int Arch Occup Environ Health · Oct 2001
Biomonitoring of exposure to nitrous oxide, sevoflurane, isoflurane and halothane by automated GC/MS headspace urinalysis.
The goal of the present study was to develop an automated method to assess by biological monitoring, the volatile-anaesthetic exposure (nitrous oxide, sevoflurane, isoflurane and halothane) in operating theatre personnel. ⋯ The biological monitoring of post-shift unmodified urinary volatile anaesthetics was confirmed to be a useful tool for evaluating individual exposure to these chemicals. The urinary concentrations of N2O and of halogenated vapours might reflect, to a certain extent, the external exposure to these compounds, and respiratory air-monitoring data support the validity of biological monitoring. Furthermore, the good relationship between air and urinary concentration of anaesthetics in people working in closer contact with these chemicals may be a good indirect means of revealing the bad air conditions of operating rooms, and may contribute to the highlighting and correction of service defects in anaesthesiology equipment and of human errors.
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Int Arch Occup Environ Health · Apr 2001
Beryllium sensitization and disease among long-term and short-term workers in a beryllium ceramics plant.
Workers at a beryllium ceramics plant were tested for beryllium sensitization and disease in 1998 to determine whether the plant-wide prevalence of sensitization and disease had declined since the last screening in 1992; an elevated prevalence was associated with specific processes or with high exposures; exposure-response relationships differed for long-term workers hired before the last plant-wide screening and short-term workers hired since then. ⋯ A plant-wide decline in beryllium exposures between the 1992 and 1998 surveys was not matched by a decline in the prevalence of sensitization and disease. Similar to findings from other studies, beryllium sensitization/disease was associated with specific processes and elevated exposures. The contrast in disease prevalence between long-term and short-term workers suggests that beryllium sensitization can occur after a short period of exposure, but beryllium disease usually requires a longer latency and/or period of exposure. The findings from this study motivated interventions to more aggressively protect and test workers, and new research into skin exposure as a route of sensitization and the contribution of individual susceptibility.
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Int Arch Occup Environ Health · Mar 2001
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyFurther round-robin tests to improve the comparability between laboratories of the measurement of carbon in diesel soot and in environmental samples.
An informal European coordination group organized two round-robin tests on filters collected from environmental, workplace and diluted diesel emissions. Previous inter-laboratory comparisons have shown that experimental samples give reasonably good results in terms of the dispersion around the mean, from all the participating laboratories. However, there were significant differences between the laboratories owing to a narrow distribution of the results within a single laboratory. In order to gain a better understanding of the differences obtained between the laboratories, it was decided to carry out more round-robin tests and to investigate further the possible factors which may influence the results. ⋯ It was expected that a significant improvement would be seen in the inter-laboratory dispersion by the use of a common standardized thermal desorption program, but the objectives of these RRTs were only partly reached. This paper provides new information that will be useful in the elaboration of a standardized procedure for the European Normalisation Centre (CEN TC 137 WG2--General requirements for measuring procedures).