Cardiovascular changes in workers exposed to fine particulate dust.

Objectives: Epidemiological studies provide evidence that airborne particulate matter may contribute to the increased incidence and mortality rates due to pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases. Only some of them address the problem of occupational exposure to particulate air pollution. The aim of our study was to assess cardiovascular reaction and autonomic regulation in workers exposed to fine particles.

Environmental asbestos pollution -- situation in Poland.

Objectives: Environmental exposure of the general population to asbestos in Poland is mainly due to degradation of very popular asbestos-cement products and the resultant release of the elementary asbestos fibres into the ambient air. Assessments of environmental pollution by asbestos were based on the volume of the raw material used, amount of manufactured asbestos products, and measuring the concentration of fibres in the air.

Material And Methods: Under the governmental program intended to remove asbestos, measurements of the concentration of asbestos fibres were performed in 2004-2010 in all provinces of Poland.

[Occupational exposure to silica dust by selected sectors of national economy in Poland based on electronic database].

Background: To evaluate occupational exposure to dusts, the Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine in Łódź, in collaboration with the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate, has developed the national database to store the results of routine dust exposure measurements performed by occupational hygiene and environmental protection laboratories in Poland in the years 2001-2005. It was assumed that the collected information will be useful in analyzing workers' exposure to free crystalline silica (WKK)-containing dusts in Poland, identyfing exceeded hygiene standards and showing relevant trends, which illustrate the dynamics of exposure in the years under study.

Material And Methods: Inhalable and respirable dust measurement using personal dosimetry were done according to polish standard PN-91/Z-04030/05 and PN-91/Z-04030/06.

[Exposure to silica dust in the Polish construction industry].

Background: In the construction industry, free crystalline silica (FCS), mostly in the form of quartz, is in a very common use. Construction, especially repair and demolition works, are associated with emission of considerable amounts of FCS-containing dusts. Studies concerning the work environment, carried out recently in other countries, indicate that exposure to quartz frequently exceeds hygiene standards, i.

[Weighing precision of filters used in dust measurements: repeatability and reproducibility].

Background: Measurements of inhaled and respirable dust concentrations in the work environment are most frequently performed by employing the method of the air filtration with analytical filters placed in measuring heads, which is followed by the mass determination of the dust precipitated on the filter respective to the volume of the filtrated air. A twofold weighing of filters is thus the basic measurement technique used to determine the dust mass. It should be emphasized that the weighing precision decides about the precision of measured inhaled and respirable dust concentrations.

[Identification of asbestos in bulk materials by polarised light microscopy and phase contrast--method and results].

The implementation of the 1997 law on the banned use of asbestos, entailing a successive elimination of asbestos products, is planned for 30 years. Asbestos identification in samples of bulk materials is essential before starting dismantling works. The presented method of asbestos identification by polarized light microscopy and phase contrast involves the study of the following optical parameters of asbestos fibers: color, morphology, refractive index, anisotropy, pleochroism, optic nature and extinguish angle.

Exposure to dust and its particle size distribution in shoe manufacture and repair workplaces measured with GRIMM laser dust monitor.

Objectives: Owing to a diversified technological process and a great variety of products and materials used in shoe manufacture, workers may be exposed to dusts that contain different chemicals and particles of various shapes and sizes. The aim of this study was to assess the dust exposure, taking account of concentration of particular size fractions according to the European Standard Norm, and to analyze particle size distribution in inhalable dust at selected workplaces in a modern shoe manufacture plant and in a small shoe repair workshop in comparison with other industrial branches.

Materials And Methods: In these two workplaces, the concentrations of dust, representing the inhalable, thoracic, and respirable fractions, were measured with the GRIMM 1.

[Health effects of occupational exposure among shoe workers. A review].

World-wide epidemiological studies provide evidence that the employment in the shoe production and repair plants is associated with an enhanced risk for cancer (primarily nose and nasal sinuses). According to the majority of authors, it is induced by exposure to leather dust. It is also known that, leather dust particles contain numerous chemicals acquired during the process of leather tanning and finishing (chromium salts, vegetable dye extracts, mineral oils).

[Dust exposure in a pottery plant assessed by using GRIMM dust monitor].

In one of the pottery plants in which pneumoconiosis was the only certified occupational disease (16 cases during the years 1984-1997), the concentrations of dust in inhalable, thoracic and respirable fractions were measured at most characteristic workplaces. The highest concentrations in all the three fractions was found in the slip house; the mean concentrations were as follows: inhalable dust-7231.8 mg/m3; thoracic fraction--4834.

[Cancerogenic effect of occupational exposure to man-made mineral fibers: results from the epidemiological study].

The size and technology of the man-made mineral fibers production in Poland is presented. The results of the case-referent and cohort studies aimed at assessing risk for or mortality from respiratory system cancers in populations occupationally exposed to dust containing artificial mineral fibers are also analyzed. The majority of studies focused on the exposure to glass fibers, however, their results revealed no increased risk for cancers in those exposed.