Publications by authors named "Dement J"
Article Synopsis
- Hearing loss is linked to higher mortality rates, especially among workers in high-risk jobs, but using hearing aids can reduce this risk significantly.
- A study of over 19,000 DOE workers found that 41.3% had hearing loss, with 15.3% using hearing aids, leading to 5,398 deaths during an 11.1-year follow-up.
- Results showed that severe hearing loss increases mortality risk, while hearing aid users had a 30% lower risk of death, suggesting improvements in workers' compensation and medical benefits for noise-exposed workers are needed.
Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is recommended for adults aged 45 to 75. Using data from a national screening program, we examined the impact of CRC screening in a population with occupational exposures.
Methods: Since 1998, the Building Trades National Medical Screening Program (BTMed) has offered CRC screening every 3 years.
Background: To determine if construction and trades workers formerly employed at US Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear weapons sites are at significant risk for occupational diseases, we studied the mortality experience of participants in the Building Trades National Medical Screening Program (BTMed).
Methods: The cohort included 26,922 participants enrolled between 1998 and 2021 and 8367 deaths. Standardized mortality ratios were calculated based on US death rates.
While all forms of asbestos have been determined to be carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as well as other authoritative bodies, the relative carcinogenic potency of chrysotile continues to be argued, largely in the context of toxic tort litigation. Relatively few epidemiologic studies have investigated only a single form of asbestos; however, one study that included an asbestos textile plant located in Marshville, North Carolina that processed chrysotile asbestos was used by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2020 to help inform the agency's chrysotile asbestos risk assessment. During the EPA proceedings toxic tort defense consultants submitted comments to the EPA docket and made public presentations asserting that the Marshville plant had processed amphibole asbestos types and should not be used for the chrysotile risk assessment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Spirometry-based studies of occupational lung disease have mostly focused on obstructive or mixed obstructive/restrictive outcomes. We wanted to determine if restrictive spirometry pattern (RSP) is associated with occupation and increased mortality.
Methods: Study participants included 18,145 workers with demographic and smoking data and repeatable spirometry.
Introduction: Gastrointestinal illnesses associated with the consumption of shellfish contaminated with have a negative impact on the shellfish industry due to recalls and loss of consumer confidence in products. This bacterial pathogen is very diverse and specific sequence types (STs), ST631 and ST36, have emerged as prevalent causes of foodborne disease outbreaks in the US, though other STs have been implicated in sporadic cases. We investigated whether bacteriophages could be used as a proxy to monitor for the presence of distinct STs in coastal waters.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Construction workers have historically faced a high risk of occupational illnesses, and a study analyzed 25 years of data from a medical screening program to assess health improvements over the past 60 years.
- The research evaluated relative risks for various health issues, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer mortality, and hearing impairment, and found significant reductions in risks for workers hired after 1990 compared to those hired before 1960.
- The study concluded that the implementation of occupational health protections has greatly improved outcomes, particularly in areas with strong regulations, whereas hearing impairment showed the least improvement due to minimal regulatory actions.
Background: Construction workers at U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear weapons facilities are screened to identify DOE-related occupational illnesses, including beryllium sensitization (BeS) and chronic beryllium disease (CBD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Few studies have defined the risk of hearing impairment and tinnitus after retirement. This report measures hearing impairment and tinnitus prevalence among older construction trades workers.
Methods: The study cohort included 21,340 participants in a national medical screening program (www.
Importance: Extensively drug-resistant Campylobacter jejuni infections cannot be treated with any commonly recommended antibiotics and pose an increasing public health threat.
Objectives: To investigate cases of extensively drug-resistant C jejuni associated with pet store puppies and describe the epidemiologic and laboratory characteristics of these infections.
Design, Setting, And Participants: In August 2017, health officials identified, via survey, patients with C jejuni infections who reported contact with puppies sold by pet stores.
Article Synopsis
- Florida has a significantly higher incidence of non-typhoidal Salmonella compared to the national average, with 1,709 clinical isolates analyzed revealing 115 different serotypes.
- The dominant serotypes found in Florida differ from those prevalent nationally, particularly with a higher prevalence of certain serotypes like Javiana and Sandiego in Florida.
- A combination of genomic and molecular techniques, including cgMLST and SNP analysis, was proposed to accurately identify outbreak clusters and potential common sources of infection, revealing closely related isolates within the same serotype in Florida.
Background: A 2010 study of construction workers participating in medical screening programs at the Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear facilities demonstrated increased chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) risk. The current study of a larger worker cohort allowed for a more nuanced analysis of COPD risk, including for employment beginning after the mid-1990s.
Methods: Study participants included 17,941 workers with demographic and smoking data and spirometry with a minimum of three recorded expiratory efforts and reproducibility of forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV ) of 0.
Non-typhoidal infections cause a high disease burden in the United States with an estimated 1.2 million illnesses annually. The state of Florida consistently has a relatively high incidence compared to other states in the United States.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAbstract: The Florida Complaint and Outbreak Reporting System (FL-CORS) database is used by the Florida Department of Health's Food and Waterborne Disease Program as one of the tools to detect foodborne disease outbreaks (FBOs). We present a descriptive and spatial network analysis of FL-CORS data collected during 2015 to 2018. We also quantified FBOs that were investigated and confirmed because of a filed complaint and the etiological agents involved in these outbreaks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study investigated factors influencing lung cancer death among construction workers at US Department of Energy sites, looking beyond just age and smoking history.
- A predictive model analyzed data from over 17,000 workers, identifying additional risk factors such as chest X-ray changes, respiratory issues, and years of employment in construction.
- The revised screening criteria showed higher accuracy in identifying those at risk for lung cancer death, suggesting that occupational exposure and respiratory health should be considered in lung cancer screening guidelines.
Unpasteurized milk can contain harmful bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes. In 2016, the US Food and Drug Administration notified the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta, GA) that L. monocytogenes isolated from unpasteurized chocolate milk from a Pennsylvania dairy was closely related, by whole-genome sequencing, to L.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: To determine if construction and trades workers employed at U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear sites facilities are at significant risk for diseases associated with occupational exposures, we compared the mortality experience of participants in the Building Trades National Medical Screening Program (BTMed) to that of the US population.
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- The NCCN recommends pathways for Early Lung Cancer Detection (ELCD) that include occupational exposure to lung carcinogens, potentially broadening eligibility beyond just smoking history.
- Using a modified algorithm, researchers studied 1,260 former workers and found that the prevalence of lung cancer was similar to that in the National Lung Cancer Screening Trial (NLST), despite a lower percentage of current smokers and fewer pack-years among participants.
- The study concluded that incorporating occupational exposures into lung cancer screening criteria is essential, suggesting that current risk assessment tools should be adapted to account for these additional risk factors.
Multidrug-Resistant Campylobacter jejuni Outbreak Linked to Puppy Exposure - United States, 2016-2018.
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep
September 2018
Campylobacter causes an estimated 1.3 million diarrheal illnesses in the United States annually (1). In August 2017, the Florida Department of Health notified CDC of six Campylobacter jejuni infections linked to company A, a national pet store chain based in Ohio.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext: Health care workers have high rates of musculoskeletal injuries, but many of these injuries go unreported to workers' compensation and national surveillance systems. Little is known regarding the work-related injuries of certified athletic trainers (ATs).
Objective: To determine the 12-month incidence and prevalence of work-related injuries and describe injury-reporting and -management strategies.
Background: Current regulations require that asbestos fibers are collected and examined using a light microscope. This method fails to enumerate fibers that are too short or thin to reliably count using a light microscope under normal conditions.
Methods: A cohort of 3054 workers employed at an asbestos textile plant was followed to ascertain causes of death.
Article Synopsis
- A follow-up study on construction workers examined the prevalence of hearing loss, finding 58% of participants experienced this issue, highlighting a significant increase across various trades.
- The research utilized data from nearly 19,127 workers, comparing them to groups with lower exposure to noise and solvents, and identified significant risk factors like work duration, noise, solvents, hypertension, and smoking.
- The findings suggest a strong link between construction work and hearing loss, emphasizing the need for preventive measures to limit exposure to harmful noise, chemicals, and smoking.
Article Synopsis
- - The study aimed to identify barriers to healthy eating and physical activity among participants in a workplace weight management program by using questionnaires and statistical analysis.
- - Key barriers found included time constraints and a lack of interest in physical activity, while unhealthy eating was hindered by issues like convenience and limited access to healthy foods.
- - Results indicated that greater barriers to healthy eating were associated with increased sugary drink consumption, highlighting the need for workplace programs to tackle these barriers for better outcomes.