Background: The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to determine if the workers of an Electric Arc Furnace (EAF), which recycles scrap, had higher mortality and morbidity due to possible exposure to pollutants at work. EAFs do not run on coke ovens. In EAFs 40 % of the particulate matter (PM) is made up of PM 2.5. The foundry dust contained iron, aluminum, zinc, manganese, lead, chromium, nickel, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxins.
Methods: Mortality study: a cohort of 331 exposed workers (6731 person-years) was studied from 19/03/1979 to 31/12/2009 (mean follow up 20.7 years). The group of exposed workers was compared to the general population and to a small control group of 32 workers from the same company. Morbidity study: rates of exemption from health fee for the seven major diseases of 235 exposed workers were compared to the rates of exemption in the Province of Trento.
Results: Mortality study: an excess mortality was found in the exposed workers as compared to the general population (SMR 1.13; 95 % CI: 0.76-1.62; 29 deaths) and to the internal group (RR 2.34; 95 % CI: 0.39-95.7). The mortality rate was increased for all tumours (SMR 1.36; 95 % CI: 0.75-2.29; 14 cases), for lung cancer (SMR 3.35; 95 % CI 1.45-6.60; 8 cases), for ischemic heart disease (SMR 1.27; 95 % CI: 0.35-3.26; 4 cases), for chronic liver disease (SMR 1.16; 95 % CI: 0.14-4.20; 2 cases) and for injury and poisoning (SMR 1.32; 95 % CI: 0.48-2.88; 6 cases). Morbidity study: there was a statistically significant increase of diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases in exposed workers.
Conclusions: With the limitations of this relatively small cohort, we found a statistically significant increase of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and deaths due to lung cancer in exposed workers. These findings cannot be explained by PAH exposure alone; metal particulates are the most important pollutants in the working area of EAFs. A reliable method for measuring metal PM in tissues is urgently needed for exposure assessment. This study underlines the necessity to maximize the standards of security toward foundry dusts/diffuse emission. Further studies on EAF's are needed to confirm our findings and to increase statistical power.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12995-016-0095-8 | DOI Listing |
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Department of Economics, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 1353, Denmark.
We study the adoption of ChatGPT, the icon of Generative AI, using a large-scale survey linked to comprehensive register data in Denmark. Surveying 18,000 workers from 11 exposed occupations, we document that ChatGPT is widespread, especially among younger and less-experienced workers. However, substantial inequalities have emerged.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt Arch Occup Environ Health
January 2025
Department of Emergency, The First Hospital of China Medical University, No. 155, Nanjing North Street, Heping District, Shenyang, 11001, China.
Purpose: This study examines the link between high occupational noise exposure and atrial fibrillation (AF), given the limited existing evidence.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among participants from a large heavy industry enterprise in China. High noise exposure was defined as an equivalent A-weighted sound level (LAeq, 8 h) of ≥ 80 dB(A) during an 8 h workday.
Brain Behav
January 2025
Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Türkiye.
Purpose: Genetic studies on the transgender and gender diverse (TGD) community have started to appear in the literature. However, there are limited studies on how genetic data will impact attitudes and perspectives toward TGD individuals. In this study, we investigated the impact of genetic alterations on physicians' attitudes toward TGD individuals and on physicians' decisions concerning gender confirmation surgery (GCS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNoise Health
January 2025
Department of Pain, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao, China.
Objective: This study aimed to explore the relationship between occupational noise exposure and renal dysfunction in male workers.
Methods: A total of 160 male workers (the number of people who met the inclusion criteria) who underwent health examinations in Qingdao Municipal Hospital from January 2023 to December 2023 were grouped into a noise group (80 cases) and a control group (80 cases) based on whether they engaged in noise work. We compared the differences in creatinine (CREA), cystatin C (CysC) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels between the two groups.
Noise Health
January 2025
MGEN Foundation for Public Health, Paris, France.
Objective: Besides psychosocial stressors, teachers are exposed to disturbing noise at work, such as students' irrelevant speech. Few studies have focused on this issue and its health consequences. We explored occupational noise exposure among teachers within the French workforce and analyzed how noise and work-related stress are related to their health.
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