American journal of industrial medicine
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Occupational exposure assessment often relies upon subject report. We examined the characteristics of self-reported exposure in respondents' longest held job to vapors, gas, dust, or fumes (VGDF) compared to other measures of exposure risk. ⋯ A single VGDF survey item appears to delineate exposure risk at least as well as a multiple-item battery assessing such exposures; it has modest agreement with a JEM-based exposure categorization.
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The use of opioids for chronic non-cancer pain has increased in the United States since state laws were relaxed in the late 1990s. These policy changes occurred despite scanty scientific evidence that chronic use of opioids was safe and effective. ⋯ The reasons for escalating doses of the most potent opioids are unknown, but it is possible that tolerance or opioid-induced abnormal pain sensitivity may be occurring in some workers who use opioids for chronic pain. Opioid-related deaths in this population may be preventable through use of prudent guidelines regarding opioid use for chronic pain.
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Comparative Study
Laceration injuries among workers at meat packing plants.
Employees in meat packing experience one of the highest occupational laceration injury rates in the US. ⋯ Findings confirm the high rate of injury from laceration in this industry and indicate hazard varies across time into shift, task being performed, and type of tool being used.
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Both continuous and impact noise exposures of rail yards and railways have been historically understudied. We summarize noise exposures to rail workers at a large chemical facility in North America. ⋯ Rail workers at this facility are at risk of noise induced hearing loss from high impact noise exposures. Peak impact and maximum continuous sound levels can be attenuated through the use of hearing protection or by increasing distances from railroad noise sources.
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Chronic beryllium disease (CBD), which primarily affects the lungs, occurs in sensitized beryllium-exposed individuals. At a copper-beryllium alloy strip and wire finishing facility we performed a cross-sectional survey to examine prevalences of beryllium sensitization and CBD, and relationships between sensitization and CBD and work areas/processes. ⋯ Sensitization and CBD were associated with an area in which beryllium air levels exceeded 0.2 microg/m3, and not with areas where this level was rarely exceeded. Employees at this copper-beryllium alloy facility had similar prevalences of sensitization and CBD as workers at facilities with higher beryllium air levels.