Psychosocial work environment and indoor air problems: a questionnaire as a means of problem diagnosis.

Aims: To examine the relation between the psychosocial work environment and the perceived indoor air problems measured by a questionnaire survey; and to discuss the role of a questionnaire as a means to enhance collaboration in the challenging multiprofessional process of solving indoor air problems.

Methods: The research material comprises surveys conducted in 1996-99 in 122 office workplaces with 11 154 employees.

Results: The association between the psychosocial work environment measured by the Indoor Air Questionnaire (MM-40) and the occupants' complaints concerning indoor air as well as symptoms attributed to indoor air was significant.

Assessment of indoor air problems at work with a questionnaire.

Aims: To assess the extent of indoor air problems in office environments in Finland.

Methods: Complaints and symptoms related to the indoor environment experienced by office workers were collected from 122 workplaces in 1996-99 by using the modified Indoor Air Questionnaire established by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. Altogether 11 154 employees took part in the survey.

Work environment and occupational health of Finnish veterinarians.

Background: Health and work environment of Finnish veterinarians was evaluated by The Finnish Veterinary Association and the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in a questionnaire survey.

Methods: The questionnaire was mailed in the spring of 2000 to all veterinarians under 65 years of age and working in Finland (n = 1169); 785 (67%) responded.

Results: A veterinarian's work was physically demanding, and often involved an elevated risk of accident.

Incidence of cancer among the participants of the Finnish Asbestos Screening Campaign.

Objectives: Cancer risk has been estimated for asbestos production workers or other heavily exposed asbestos workers in numerous studies. The bulk of the asbestos epidemic results come, however, from past intermittent exposures during asbestos product use. This study concentrated on estimating the risk of cancer in such a population.

Different measures of asbestos exposure in estimating risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma among construction workers.

To analyze occupation, expert-evaluated cumulative exposure, and radiographic abnormalities as indicators of asbestos-related cancer risk we followed 16,696 male construction workers for cancer in 1990-2000. We calculated standardized incidence ratios (SIR) in comparison to the Finnish population and relative risks (RR) in a multivariate analysis in comparison to the internal low-exposure category of each indicator. Overall, the risk was increased for mesothelioma (SIR 2.

Self-reported occupational health hazards and measured exposures to airborne impurities and noise in shoe repair work.

The authors identified occupational risk factors of shoe repairers and measured their exposures to organic solvents, dust, chromium, degradation products of synthetic shoe materials, and noise. Exposures were measured in 11 shops selected from the workplaces of 82 repairers who responded to a questionnaire about their work environments. The questions dealt with, e.

Indoor radon concentrations caused by construction materials in 23 workplaces.

The aim of this study was to compare the measured and the calculated concentrations of indoor radon caused by building materials at 23 workplaces. The measured concentrations of radon were clearly higher than the calculated radon concentrations from the building materials, which indicated that the main source of indoor radon was the soil under and around the buildings. The highest means of continuously (933 Bq m(-3)) and integrated (169 Bq m(-3)) measured and calculated (from 70 to 169 Bq m(-3)) concentrations of radon were found in hillside locations.

Customer exposure to gasoline vapors during refueling at service stations.

Gasoline is a volatile complex mixture of hydrocarbon compounds that is easily vaporized during handling under normal conditions. Modern reformulated gasoline also contains oxygenates to enhance octane number and reduce ambient pollution. This study measured the difference in the exposure of customers to gasoline and oxygenate vapors during refueling in service stations with and without vapor recovery systems.

Urinary 1-naphthol excretion in the assessment of exposure to creosote in an impregnation facility.

Objectives: This study explored the possibility of using urinary 1-naphthol excretion as a marker of complex exposure among workers handling creosote.

Methods: Urine specimens of 6 workers from a creosote impregnation plant, where railroad ties were impreganted with coal tar creosote, were collected during 1 workweek, and the concentration of 1-naphthol was determined. 1-Naphthol in spot urine samples of 5 occupationally nonexposed male smokers was used as the background reference.