A Comparison of the Composition of Selected Commercial Sandalwood Oils with the International Standard.

Sandalwood oils are highly desired but expensive, and hence many counterfeit oils are sold in high street shops. The study aimed to determine the content of oils sold under the name sandalwood oil and then compare their chromatographic profile and α- and β santalol content with the requirements of ISO 3518:2002. Gas chromatography with mass spectrometry analysis found that none of the six tested "sandalwood" oils met the ISO standard, especially in terms of α-santalol content.

[Analysis of volatile ingredients of selected essential oils listing relaxing action].

Background: Stress is a result of disturbed homeostasis and can contribute to the development of many diseases. One of the methods of combating stress is aromatherapy, which uses essential oils with a calming and relaxing effect. The aim of the work was to perform a qualitative analysis of selected essential oils with a relaxing effect.

[Comparison of chemical composition of selected essential oils used in respiratory diseases].

Background: Essential oils are fragrances extracted from plants. They have a smooth consistency and pleasant smell. Essential oils have been applied in aromatherapy, cosmetics, food and pharmaceutical products.

Metabolite Profiling of Eastern Teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens L.) Lipophilic Leaf Extracts with Hyaluronidase and Lipoxygenase Inhibitory Activity.

The phytochemical profile and anti-inflammatory activity of Gaultheria procumbens dry lipophilic leaf extracts were evaluated. Forty compounds were identified by GC-MS, representing 86.36% and 81.

[Testing of the composition of e-cigarette liquids - Manufacturer-declared vs. true contents in a selected series of products].

Background: Electronic cigarettes are currently in common use. However, in Poland there is no specific legislation governing the sale of these products. At the same time, no information has been made public about the hazards e-cigarettes pose to the users and bystanders - passive smokers.

Application of predictive models for estimation of health care workers exposure to sevoflurane.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the potential use of predictive models to estimate professional exposure to chemicals in the workplace, such as the operating room, by simultaneous determination of the levels of exposure using a model and measurements.

Methods: Measurements included determinations of sevoflurane (SEV) in the workplace air of 117 operating rooms of 31 hospitals in one Polish region. Measurements were carried out at the time of various surgical procedures during administration of anaesthetics by endotracheal intubation.

Occupational exposure to diisocyanates in polyurethane foam factory workers.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate health effects of occupational exposure to diisocyanates (DIC) among polyurethane foam products factory workers.

Material And Methods: Thirty workers had a physical examination, skin prick tests with common allergens, allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies to diisocyanates and pulmonary function tests. Concentrations of selected isocyanates in the workplace air samples as well as concentration of their metabolites in the urine samples collected from the workers of the plant were determined.

Health risk to medical personnel of surgical smoke produced during laparoscopic surgery.

Objectives: During laparoscopic cholecystectomy, the removal of the gall bladder, pyrolysis occurs in the peritoneal cavity. Chemical substances which are formed during this process escape into the operating room through trocars in the form of surgical smoke. The aim of this study was to identify and quantitatively measure a number of selected chemical substances found in surgical smoke and to assess the risk they carry to medical personnel.

[Assessment of occupational exposure of medical personnel to inhalatory anesthetics in Poland].

Background: Despite common use of inhalatory anesthetics, such as nitrous oxide (N2O), halothane, sevoflurane, and the like, occupational exposure to these substances in operating theatres was not monitored in Poland until 2006. The situation changed when maximum admissible concentration (MAC) values for anesthetics used in Poland were established in 2005 for N2O, and in 2007 for sevoflurane, desflurane and isoflurane. The aim of this work was to assess occupational exposure in operating rooms on the basis of reliable and uniform analytical procedures.

Chemical composition of surgical smoke formed in the abdominal cavity during laparoscopic cholecystectomy--assessment of the risk to the patient.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the exposure of patients to organic substances produced and identified in surgical smoke formed in the abdominal cavity during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Material And Methods: Identification of these substances in surgical smoke was performed by the use of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with selective ion monitoring (SIM). The selected biomarkers of exposure to surgical smoke included benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene.

[Intoxication or false-positive acetaminophen result of toxicological determinations? Two case reports].

The aim of this study was to show the diagnostic procedure used in the two cases with false-positive serum acetaminophen results in suspected acetaminophen poisoning. The determination of serum acetaminophen were carried out using a UV/VIS spectrophotometer (Specord 40 Analytik Jena), coupled with an analytic computer station WinASPECT. The employed method of determination was based on the acetaminophen reaction with sodium nitrite, which yields yellow colour of solution in the presence of sodium hydrate.

Unmetabolized VOCs in urine as biomarkers of low level occupational exposure.

Objectives: To compare the usefulness of determining unchanged forms of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), namely toluene (TOL), ethylbenzene (EB) and xylene (XYL), in urine with the effectiveness of the already used biomarkers of occupational exposure.

Materials And Methods: Surveys were conducted in two workplaces (paint factory and footwear factory). In total, 65 subjects participated in the study.

Occupational exposure to nitrous oxide - the role of scavenging and ventilation systems in reducing the exposure level in operating rooms.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the level of occupational exposure to nitrous oxide (N(2)O) in operating rooms (ORs), as related to different ventilation and scavenging systems used to remove waste anaesthetic gases from the work environment.

Methods: The monitoring of N(2)O in the air covered 35 ORs in 10 hospitals equipped with different systems for ventilation and anaesthetic scavenging. The examined systems included: natural ventilation with supplementary fresh air provided by a pressure ventilation system (up to 6 air changes/h); pressure and exhaust ventilation systems equipped with ventilation units supplying fresh air to and discharging contaminated air outside the working area (more than 10 air changes/h); complete air-conditioning system with laminar air flow (more than 15 air changes/h).

Exacerbation of noise-induced hearing loss by co-exposure to workplace chemicals.

Background: : Numerous organic solvents applied in industry, like toluene, styrene, xylene and n-hexane have been demonstrated to impair hearing in animals. However, the effects of exposure to a given organic solvent and the interaction of noise and solvents on hearing in humans are still not fully recognized.

Study Design: : The study was aimed to assess the effects of occupational exposure to solvents alone or in combination with noise on hearing in 1117 employees of yacht, ship, plastic, shoe, and paint and lacquer industry.

Effects of coexposure to noise and mixture of organic solvents on hearing in dockyard workers.

Questionnaire and audiometric data of 701 dockyard workers (517 noise and organic solvent mixture-exposed and 184 noise-only-exposed) were referred to 205 control subjects not exposed to either noise or solvents. The odds ratio (OR) of hearing loss was significantly increased by approximately 3 times in the noise-only group and by almost 5 times in the noise and solvent group. A moderate effect of solvent ototoxicity, in addition to noise, was observed on hearing threshold at a frequency 8 kHz.

Ototoxic effects of occupational exposure to styrene and co-exposure to styrene and noise.

Ototoxicity of styrene and the synergistic action of styrene and noise have been shown in rats. The respective data in humans are scarce and equivocal. This study evaluated the effects of occupational exposure to styrene and combined exposures to styrene and noise on hearing.

Occupational exposure to rubber vulcanization products during repair of rubber conveyor belts in a brown coal mine.

Several hundred chemical compounds were found in workroom environments in the rubber industry, but most of the published exposure data relate to the production of tyres; information from the "non-tyre" sections are very limited, if any. This study was carried out to identify chemical substances and measure their air concentrations in the repair shop of a brown coal mine in which damaged rubber conveyor belts were repaired. GC-MS and HPLC analysis of stationary air samples resulted in identification of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons to C12, PAHs, alcohols, phenols, ketones, heterocyclic nitrogen and sulfur compounds.

Effects of occupational exposure to a mixture of solvents on the inner ear: a field study.

Some clinical and laboratory studies indicate that industrial solvents such as toluene, styrene, xylene, trichloroethylene and carbon disulfide or their mixtures may affect the inner ear, although the mechanism of this process is still not well understood. The aim of this investigation was to assess the incidence of hearing and vestibular disorders (using modem audiological and vestibular tests) in 61 workers exposed to a mixture of organic solvents at the production of paints and varnishes; the control group included 40 age-matched non-exposed subjects. Environmental and biological monitoring revealed that the most significant exposure can be attributed to the following mixture constituents: ethylbenzene, xylene and trimethylbenzene isomers such as pseudocumene, mesitylene and hemimellitene.

Toxicokinetics and metabolism of pseudocumene (1,2,4-trimethylbenzene) after inhalation exposure in rats.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the toxicokinetics and metabolism of pseudocumene after inhalation exposure. Male Wistar rats were exposed to pseudocumene vapors at nominal concentrations of 25,100 or 250 ppm in the dynamic inhalation chambers for 6 h. Blood samples were collected during (between 1st and 6th h) and after exposure (betwen 6th min and 6th h).