Comparison of the near field/far field model and the advanced reach tool (ART) model V1.5: exposure estimates to benzene during parts washing with mineral spirits.

The Advanced Reach Tool V1.5 (ART) is a mathematical model for occupational exposures conceptually based on, but implemented differently than, the "classic" Near Field/Far Field (NF/FF) exposure model. The NF/FF model conceptualizes two distinct exposure "zones"; the near field, within approximately 1m of the breathing zone, and the far field, consisting of the rest of the room in which the exposure occurs.

Flavoring Chemicals in E-Cigarettes: Diacetyl, 2,3-Pentanedione, and Acetoin in a Sample of 51 Products, Including Fruit-, Candy-, and Cocktail-Flavored E-Cigarettes.

Background: There are > 7,000 e-cigarette flavors currently marketed. Flavoring chemicals gained notoriety in the early 2000s when inhalation exposure of the flavoring chemical diacetyl was found to be associated with a disease that became known as "popcorn lung." There has been limited research on flavoring chemicals in e-cigarettes.

Review of PCBs in US schools: a brief history, an estimate of the number of impacted schools, and an approach for evaluating indoor air samples.

PCBs in building materials such as caulks and sealants are a largely unrecognized source of contamination in the building environment. Schools are of particular interest, as the period of extensive school construction (about 1950 to 1980) coincides with the time of greatest use of PCBs as plasticizers in building materials. In the USA, we estimate that the number of schools with PCB in building caulk ranges from 12,960 to 25,920 based upon the number of schools built in the time of PCB use and the proportion of buildings found to contain PCB caulk and sealants.

Indoor air quality survey of nail salons in Boston.

Employees in nail salons, largely Vietnamese immigrant women in Boston, are exposed to a range of volatile organic chemicals from the products used in salons, including solvents, glues and polishes. Some of these chemicals have the potential to cause short and long-term adverse health effects. Only limited research has been performed on assessing occupational exposures.

Assessing risk of health care-acquired Legionnaires' disease from environmental sampling: the limits of using a strict percent positivity approach.

Background: Elevated percent positivity (≥30%) of Legionella in hospital domestic water systems has been suggested as a metric for assessing the risk of health care-acquired Legionnaires' disease (LD).

Methods: We examined the validity of this metric by analyzing data from peer-reviewed studies containing reports of Legionella prevalence in hospital water (ie, percent positivity) and temporally matched reports of patients with health care-acquired LD.

Results: Our literature review identified 31 peer-reviewed publications reporting matched data.

Elevated corrosion rates and hydrogen sulfide in homes with 'Chinese Drywall'.

In December 2008, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) began receiving reports about odors, corrosion, and health concerns related to drywall originating from China.

Mitigation of building-related polychlorinated biphenyls in indoor air of a school.

Background: Sealants and other building materials sold in the U.S. from 1958 - 1971 were commonly manufactured with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at percent quantities by weight.

Assessing exposure to granite countertops--Part 2: Radon.

Radon gas ((222)Rn) is a natural constituent of the environment and a risk factor for lung cancer that we are exposed to as a result of radioactive decay of radium ((226)Ra) in stone and soil. Granite countertops, in particular, have received recent media attention regarding their potential to emit radon. Radon flux was measured on 39 full slabs of granite from 27 different varieties to evaluate the potential for exposure and examine determinants of radon flux.

Assessing exposure to granite countertops--Part 1: Radiation.

Humans are continuously exposed to low levels of ionizing radiation. Known sources include radon, soil, cosmic rays, medical treatment, food, and building products such as gypsum board and concrete. Little information exists about radiation emissions and associated doses from natural stone finish materials such as granite countertops in homes.

Airborne fungal spores in a cross-sectional study of office buildings.

Airborne fungal spores were measured in 44 office buildings in the summer and winter throughout the continental United States, as part of the Building Assessment, Survey and Evaluation (BASE) program. Six indoor air and two outdoor air samples were collected on a single day from each building. The cross-sectional and repeated measure design afforded evaluation of between-building and within-building variability of fungal spore levels in buildings.

Exposure assessment for retrospective follow-up studies of semiconductor- and storage device-manufacturing workers.

Objective: This exposure assessment was conducted in the first large study of mortality and cancer incidence in semiconductor and storage device manufacturing.

Methods: Unique combinations of division, department and job codes and names (DDJ) from work history records were assigned to work groups and exposure categories. Agent exposure matrices assessed differences in potential exposures between groups.

Methodologic issues in follow-up studies of cancer incidence among occupational groups in the United States.

Purpose: Incidence studies of occupational factors and cancer in the United States are problematic because the use of population-based registries to identify cases requires development of historical data on subjects' residences and often severely restricts the time period of follow up. This article describes procedures for addressing these challenges.

Methods: We used data from studies of cancer incidence and mortality among microelectronics industry employees to assess various methods for developing residential histories and the relative informativeness of the two studies.

Hypnosis in contemporary medicine.

Hypnosis became popular as a treatment for medical conditions in the late 1700s when effective pharmaceutical and surgical treatment options were limited. To determine whether hypnosis has a role in contemporary medicine, relevant trials and a few case reports are reviewed. Despite substantial variation in techniques among the numerous reports, patients treated with hypnosis experienced substantial benefits for many different medical conditions.

Assessing dental caries prevalence in African-American youth and adults.

It has been well documented that dental caries affect millions of children in the USA with the majority experiencing decay by the late teens. This is especially true for low-income minorities. The objective of this descriptive study was to determine dental caries prevalence in a sample of low-income African-American youth and adults.

Streptococcus mutans levels and caries prevalence in low-income schoolchildren.

Previous studies have shown that persons having high Streptococcus mutans levels in the saliva are "at risk" for dental caries. Most investigators agree, that if high levels of S. mutans were identified early in the life of at-risk children, dental decay could be reduced or eliminated through intervention.