Publications by authors named "Knut Ringen"
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.
Background: 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.
Article 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.
A tribute to Dr. Irving J. Selikoff MD, the founder of this journal, is indeed welcome now more than two decades after his passing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: 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.
Objectives: This study examined predictors of lung cancer mortality, beyond age and smoking, among construction workers employed at US Department of Energy (DOE) sites to better define eligibility for low-dose CT (LDCT) lung cancer screening.
Methods: Predictive models were based on 17 069 workers and 352 lung cancer deaths. Risk factors included age, gender, race/ethnicity, cigarette smoking, years of trade or DOE work, body mass index (BMI), chest X-ray results, spirometry results, respiratory symptoms, beryllium sensitisation and personal history of cancer.
Background: 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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The US National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recommends two pathways for eligibility for Early Lung Cancer Detection (ELCD) programmes. Option 2 includes individuals with occupational exposures to lung carcinogens, in combination with a lesser requirement on smoking. Our objective was to determine if this algorithm resulted in a similar prevalence of lung cancer as has been found using smoking risk alone, and if so to present an approach for lung cancer screening in high-risk worker populations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFConstruction Safety and Health in the USA: Lessons From a Decade of Turmoil.
Ann Work Expo Health
September 2018
The construction industry is one of the largest and also most hazardous industries in the USA. It is affected more severely by the business cycle than most other industries. We examined industry trends during the last decade including the severe recession.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle 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.
Longitudinal decline in lung function among older construction workers.
Occup Environ Med
October 2017
Article Synopsis
- Occupational exposure to vapours, gases, dusts, and fumes (VGDF) and chest X-ray abnormalities negatively affect lung function in construction workers, with this study being a long-term analysis rather than a cross-sectional one.
- The research involved 3,150 aging workers and showed that both smoking and VGDF exposure led to decreased respiratory measures (FEV and FVC), with higher VGDF exposure linked to notable annual declines in lung function.
- Increasing severity of pleural plaques correlates with greater losses in lung function, indicating a potential causal relationship between these factors and respiratory health deterioration.
Objectives: This study estimated the self-reported probability of working full-time past age 62 (P62) or age 65 (P65) among four cohorts of Americans born between 1931 and 1959.
Methods: Data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) were analyzed. Respondents in four age cohorts were selected for comparison.
Background: A study of medical outcomes among 6857 elderly construction workers who received an initial and at least one periodic follow-up examination as a result of participating in a medical screening program was undertaken.
Methods: We compared results from the initial examination to follow-up examinations delivered at least 3 years after the initial examination for the following outcomes: body mass index (BMI); total serum cholesterol; nonhigh-density lipoprotein (non-HDL) cholesterol; hemoglobin A1c, hypertension; current cigarette smoking; and 10-year cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk scores.
Results: Statistically significant improvements (P < 0.
Background: While smoking is the major cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), occupational exposures to vapors, gases, dusts, and fumes (VGDF) increase COPD risk. This case-control study estimated the risk of COPD attributable to occupational exposures among construction workers.
Methods: The study population included 834 cases and 1243 controls participating in a national medical screening program for older construction workers between 1997 and 2013.
Even as the Ebola epidemic is finally showing signs of remitting, controversy continues regarding the modes of disease transmission, the understanding of which necessarily dictates methods of prevention. The initial public health response to the epidemic was based on assumptions formed during previous outbreaks, and in the belief that transmission was restricted to direct "contact" with other infected patients. However, the current Ebola outbreak differed from previous experiences in its intensity of transmission, speed of spread, and fatality rate and was also particularly unforgiving on health workers occupationally infected.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The Building Trades National Medical Screening Program (BTMed) was established in 1996 to provide occupational medicine screening examinations for construction workers who have worked at US Department of Energy nuclear sites. Workers participating in BTMed between 1998 and 2011 were followed to determine their vital status and mortality experience through December 31, 2011.
Methods: The cohort includes 18,803 BTMed participants and 2,801 deaths.
Background: We developed working-life estimates of risk for dust-related occupational lung disease, COPD, and hearing loss based on the experience of the Building Trades National Medical Screening Program in order to (1) demonstrate the value of estimates of lifetime risk, and (2) make lifetime risk estimates for common conditions among construction workers.
Methods: Estimates of lifetime risk were performed based on 12,742 radiographic evaluations, 12,679 spirometry tests, and 11,793 audiograms.
Results: Over a 45-year working life, 16% of construction workers developed COPD, 11% developed parenchymal radiological abnormality, and 73.