Examining associations between job characteristics and health: linking data from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) to two U.S. national health surveys.

Objective: To determine whether the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) database can be used to identify job dimensions to serve as proxy measures for psychosocial factors and select environmental factors, and to determine whether these factors could be linked to national health surveys to examine associations with health risk behaviors and outcomes.

Methods: Job characteristics were obtained from O*NET 98. Health outcomes were obtained from two national surveys.

A meta-analysis of studies investigating the effects of lead exposure on nerve conduction.

Group means from nerve conduction studies of persons exposed to lead were used in a meta-analysis. Differences between the control and exposed groups, and the slopes between nerve conduction measurements and log(10) blood lead concentrations were estimated using mixed models. Conduction velocity was reduced in the median, ulnar, and radial nerves in the arm, and in the deep peroneal nerve in the leg.

The relationship between blood lead levels and neurobehavioral test performance in NHANES III and related occupational studies.

Objectives: The goals of this study were two-fold: (1) to assess the relationship between blood lead levels and neurobehavioral test performance in a nationally sample of adults from the third National Health and Nutrition Evaluation Survey and (2) to analyze the results from previously published studies of occupational lead exposure that used the same neurobehavioral tests as those included in the survey.

Methods: Regression models were used to test and estimate the relationships between measurements of blood lead and performance on a simple reaction time, a symbol-digit substitution, and a serial digit learning test in adults aged 20-59 years who participated the survey. Mixed models were used to analyze the data from the occupational studies.

Neurobehavioral test performance in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

The third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) contained three computerized neurobehavioral tests from the Neurobehavioral Evaluation System (NES): simple reaction time, symbol-digit substitution and serial digit learning. The neurobehavioral data that were collected came from a nationally representative sample of adults 20-59 years old. Performance on the tests was related to sex, age, education level, family income and race-ethnicity.

Neurologic function among termiticide applicators exposed to chlorpyrifos.

Chlorpyrifos is a moderately toxic organophosphate pesticide. Houses and lawns in the United States receive a total of approximately 20 million annual chlorpyrifos treatments, and 82% of U.S.

Health effects associated with sulfuryl fluoride and methyl bromide exposure among structural fumigation workers.

Objectives: This study assessed the health effects associated with occupational exposure to methyl bromide and sulfuryl fluoride among structural fumigation workers.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of 123 structural fumigation workers and 120 referents in south Florida was conducted. Nerve conduction, vibration, neurobehavioral, visual, olfactory, and renal function testing was included.

A mathematical model of performance on a simple reaction time test.

A nonlinear function with components for learning and fatigue was used to model individual performance on a simple reaction time test. The relationships between the parameters of the model and the mean and variance of the reaction times are discussed. The function is used to analyze data from a field study of agricultural workers exposed to organophosphate pesticides.

Chronic neurologic sequelae to cholinesterase inhibition among agricultural pesticide applicators.

To test the hypothesis that chronic neurologic sequelae are associated with cholinesterase depression short of frank organophosphate poisoning, we compared 45 male subjects who had a history of moderate cholinesterase inhibition with 90 male subjects who had neither past cholinesterase inhibition nor current pesticide exposure. Cholinesterase-inhibited subjects were defined as having had a history of (a) red blood cell cholinesterase at 70% or less of baseline or (b) plasma cholinesterase at 60% or less of baseline absent symptoms of frank poisoning. In the subject comparison evaluation, only 1 of 27 neurologic tests (i.

Neurobehavioral test methods for environmental health studies of adults.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry convened a workshop in Atlanta, GA, that evaluated approaches and methods to ascertain whether there are neurobehavioral sequelae to children and adults exposed to hazardous substances in the environment. This article, developed from that Workshop, recommends testing methods [to identify neurotoxic insult] for immediate use in environmental health field studies of adults. A list of broad functional domains or modalities affected by chemicals was identified from the occupational and related literature (learning and memory, coding, sustained attention, higher intellectual function, strength, coordination, speed, vision, somatosensory, and affect).

Chronic neurological sequelae to organophosphate pesticide poisoning.

Objectives: This work was undertaken to determine whether there are any chronic neurological sequelae to acute organophosphate pesticide poisoning.

Methods: California surveillance data were used in a study of neurological function among 128 men poisoned by organophosphate pesticides in California from 1982 to 1990 and 90 referents. Tests included a neurological physical examination, 5 nerve conduction tests, 2 vibrotactile sensitivity tests, 10 neurobehavioral tests, and 1 postural sway test.

Comparison of performance from three continents on the WHO-Recommended Neurobehavioral Core Test Battery.

To address the need for standardized test batteries, an expert group convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health during 1983 proposed the Neurobehavioral Core Test Battery (NCTB) to identify nervous system effects of chemical exposures in human populations worldwide.

Reproductive and developmental toxicity of N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide in rats.

N,N-Diethyl-m-toluamide (mDET, DEET) is widely used as a topical insect repellent. It is the active ingredient in many consumer formulations, which usually contain 10-25% mDET in an alcohol base. More concentrated consumer products are also available, including some that are pure technical grade mDET.

Effects of acute oral administration of lithium compounds on multiple schedule performance in rats.

Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were given acute oral administrations of lithium carbonate or lithium chloride at concentrations of 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg. Barpressing performance on a multiple fixed ratio 20/fixed interval 5 minute schedule was measured daily. The 200 and 300 mg/kg administrations of lithium chloride produced significant decreases in barpressing performance and all levels of lithium carbonate produced significant changes in performance.

A behavioral examination of workers exposed to carbon disulfide.

The present study was conducted with a group of 298 textile workers. Of the workers studied 131 had worked at least one year in a rayon plant where there were CS2 exposures of varying degree, but generally below 20 ppm, which is the U.S.