National estimates of occupational exposure to animal bladder tumorigens
Article Abstract:
To establish a prevention program for occupational bladder cancer, the number of workers previously and currently exposed and at risk must be known. Several major surveys were conducted to identify past and recent estimates of exposure to bladder carcinogens. The National Occupational Hazards Survey (NOHS) was conducted between 1972 and 1974 for past exposure estimates. The National Occupational Exposure Survey (NOES) from 1981 to 1983 identified potential occupational exposures, and provides the best available estimate for recent exposure hazards. Their data identified potential hazards in approximately 5,000 private sector firms. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances (RTECS) listed approximately 200 bladder tumorigenic compounds. The information available in the three data bases was pooled to derive national estimates for exposure. Approximately 21 to 25 percent of bladder tumor in white males and 25 percent in black males are occupationally related. Full tables and lists of known and suspected bladder carcinogens with evidence of their carcinogenicity and estimates of the numbers of exposed workers, lists of aromatic amine dyes and the numbers of exposed workers, and exposures by trades are included in the report. The data, however, are not complete. Areas of employment, exposure, actual carcinogens and more defined studies on the relationship between exposure and risk of bladder cancer are required. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journal of Occupational Medicine
Subject: Health care industry
ISSN: 0096-1736
Year: 1990
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Monitoring of nitrous oxide in operating rooms: identification of sources and estimation of occupational exposure
Article Abstract:
Threshold limit values (TLVs) are established for volatile compounds in order to reduce the risk of persons working or living in locations where they may be exposed to them. In 1986, the Dutch government established a TLV of 25 parts per million (ppm) for nitrous oxide (N20) gas, consistent with international standards. Operating room (OR) staff in hospitals are exposed to unknown levels of N20 while performing their daily functions. Little information has been available concerning the levels, areas of greatest risk, and safety procedures necessary to establish a safe work environment in ORs. A stationary gas monitoring instrument was installed to study N2O gas concentrations at different locations within each operating suite of a hospital in the Netherlands. Exposure sources, locations and times of gas concentrations, degrees of occupational exposure, and the relation between exposure and other individual biological data were considered. Three OR suites were studied for 18 days (31 hours of observation) and each was divided into specific work areas with environmental and personal data collected continuously. The results showed that, with the exception of surgeons, OR staff were exposed to levels of N2O above the accepted TLV. Leakage from anesthesia induction apparatus appears to be the greatest source of N20 exposure in the OR. Other data derived from this study indicate the need to revise OR procedures, and thereby reduce N20 exposure levels. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journal of Occupational Medicine
Subject: Health care industry
ISSN: 0096-1736
Year: 1990
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