International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Volume:9 Issue: 4, Oct 2018

Formation of pterygium has been mainly attributed to exposure to the ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Other factors such as dry weather, wind exposure and microtrauma with dust particles, have been linked to development of pterygium. To determine the association between ocular exposure to particulate matter and development of pterygium. This case-control study was conducted in a company dedicated to the production and marketing of toilets. We included a total of 90 cases identified in November 2013 and 184 controls. The diagnosis of pterygium was based on clinical examination. Variables studied included age and job tenure of the participants. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the effect of exposure on developing pterygium. All study participants were male. The mean age of the cases and controls was 39.9 (SD 9.5) and 37.8 (SD 7.3) years, respectively. 115 (42%) of the participants had a job tenure of 5–8 years. The percentages of cases and controls exposed to particulate matter were 31.1% (n=28) and 30.4% (n=56), respectively (OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.61 to 1.91). We could not observe any association between ocular exposure to particulate matter and development of pterygium

Background: Noise pollution is one of the important harmful physical factors in work environment in developed and developing countries. It not only causes a variety of physiological effects, but also accounts for psychological disorders. Objective: To investigate the effects of chronic exposure to noise on aggression in automotive industry workers. Methods: In a cross-sectional study conducted in an Iranian automotive industry, a group of workers were randomly selected from different parts of the paint shop. The workers' aggression level was measured using the Buss and Perry's questionnaire. The noise level was also measured at the workplace. Using linear regression analysis, the relationship between the level of aggression and noise level was evaluated. Results: 250 workers with a mean age of 36.1 (SD 3.7) years were studied. There was a significant (p<0.05) correlation between the measured noise intensity and the aggression level of the studied workers. Conclusion: Exposure to noise in work environment increases the incidence of tension and inappropriate behavior associated with aggression. Controlling noise through use of protective equipment might reduce the deleterious effects of noise on workers

Metabolic syndrome, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, is recognized as an important health problem. To investigated whether the workplace environment was associated with metabolic syndrome. This study was a cross-sectional study using medical records and workplace environment reports of 1297 blue-collar Korean male workers who exposed to work hazards in one workplace. The metabolic syndrome was confirmed using the NCEP ATP III. The workplace environment was classified into organic compounds, metals, acids and bases, metalworking fluid, dust, noise and shift worker. Among the total subjects, 257 (19.8%) had metabolic syndrome. Age, BMI, current smoking status, and at risk alcohol drinking were found to be significant predictors of metabolic syndrome. In seven workplace environment categories, the odds ratio (OR) of metabolic syndrome increased 1.785 (95% CI 1.058 to 3.013) times in the metalworking fluid environment. The workplace environment, especially metalworking fluid is associated with metabolic syndrome.

The workplace social capital is one of the important features of clinical work environment that improves the productivity and quality of services and safety through trust and social participation. Evaluation of workplace social capital requires a valid and reliable scale. The short-form workplace social capital questionnaire developed by Kouvonen has long been used to evaluate the workplace social capital. To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the questionnaire among a group of female Iranian health care workers. The Persian version of the short-form questionnaire of workplace social capital was finalized after translation and back-translation. 500 female health care workers completed the questionnaire. Then, the content validity and the construct validity of the questionnaire were assessed. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed by Cronbach's α, θ, and McDonald's Ω. The construct reliability and ICC were also evaluated. Based on the maximum likelihood exploratory factor analysis (n=250) and confirmatory factor analysis (n=250), two factors were identified. The factors could explain 65% of the total variance observed. The model had an acceptable fit: GFI=0.953, CFI=0.973, IFI=0.974, NFI=0.953, PNFI=0.522, RAMSEA=0.090, CMIN/DF=2.751, RMR=0.042. Convergent and divergent validity as well as internal consistency and construct reliability of the questionnaire were confirmed. The Persian version of Kouvonen workplace social capital has acceptable validity and reliability. The questionnaire can thus be used in future studies to assess the workplace social capital in Iranian health care workers.

Recently concern has been raised regarding possible health effects resulting from exposure of a group of pesticide retailers to chemicals they handle. To investigate the prevalence of respiratory and dermal symptoms, as well as biomarkers of oxidative stress, among pesticide retailers and to compare them with those of an unexposed comparison group. 70 male pesticide retailers and 64 male construction workers (served as the comparison group) were investigated. Blood samples were taken from all participants to assess the biomarkers of oxidative stress. A data sheet and the European Community Respiratory Health Survey II questionnaire were used to determine the prevalence of dermal and respiratory disorders, respectively. After adjusting for age, weight, height, education level, job tenure, average daily work, presence of family history of respiratory diseases, marital status, smoking status, and number of cigarettes smoked per day, we found that wheezing (OR 4.07, 95% CI 1.17 to 14.17), cough (OR 3.38, 95% CI 1.15 to 9.98), and mucus hypersecretion (OR 3.66, 95% CI 1.45 to 9.05) were significantly more prevalent among pesticide retailers compared with the comparison group. The prevalence of tingling and dryness of skin exposed individuals was significantly higher than unexposed participants. The mean serum concentrations of glutathione and malondialdehyde in the exposed group were significantly higher than those in the comparison group. Occupational exposure to low doses of a mixture of pesticides by retailers was associated with increased prevalence of dermal and respiratory symptoms as well as raised concentrations of biomarkers of oxidative stress

Betel (areca) nuts are extensively chewed in many countries. This has been associated with respiratory symptoms. We aimed to determine whether betel nut chewing is associated with acute changes in fractional exhaled nitric oxide, a non-invasive marker of airway inflammation. Betel nut chewing resulted in an immediate significant decline in fractional exhaled nitric oxide levels that persisted for up to 180 minutes. This effect has to be taken into account in epidemiological studies, reference ranges, and patient preparation.