scholarly journals O2A.1 Pesticides and work-related asthma: how this relates to self-reported exposures

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. A12.3-A13
Author(s):  
David Fishwick ◽  
Anne-Helen Harding ◽  
David Fox ◽  
Yiqun Chen ◽  
Neil Pearce ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pesticide Exposure ◽  
Respiratory Health ◽  
Health Study ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Adverse Health Outcomes ◽  
Physical Work Environment ◽  
Study Population ◽  
Pesticide Applicators ◽  
The Relationship

Pesticide exposure has been linked to a number of potentially adverse health outcomes, including asthma. We were interested to explore the relationship between asthma and pesticide use, particularly from the perspective of self-reported work-related asthma.Using the existing UK PIPAH (Prospective Investigation of Pesticide Applicators’ Health) study population, we administered a respiratory questionnaire to 4814 current and past pesticide users. Participants were asked about doctor-diagnosed and self-reported asthma symptoms, and, if present, their views about the cause of work-related asthma (asthma reported to be worse at work).Of the 2562 respondents (53% response) with a median age of 60.2 years, 97.4% were male and 34.1% ever smoked. The prevalence of ever being doctor diagnosed asthma was 11.4% (n=292), and 123 of these (42.1% of those with asthma) reported that their asthma was caused, or made worse, by their work. 17.8% reported wheeze in the last 12 months.Grouping relevant exposures, 117 of the 123 participants reported in decreasing order of proportion, the following agents as being responsible for worsening of their asthma; organic dusts (n=73, 59%), unspecified dust (n=12, 10%), mixed exposures (n=12, 10%), any mention of chemical (n=9, 7%), physical work environment, e.g. temperature, exercise (n=7, 6%), other, e.g. irritant, fumes (n=4, 3%).This large study of pesticide applicators has confirmed a prevalence of 11.4% for doctor-diagnosed asthma. Self-reported exposures thought by workers to aggravate their asthma were predominantly organic in nature, although a smaller proportion identified chemicals as aggravants. Workplace based preventative strategies in this sector should address all potential inhaled hazards and their associated risks to respiratory health.

scholarly journals Pesticide Exposure and Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis among Licensed Male Pesticide Applicators in the Agricultural Health Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 125 (7) ◽  
pp. 077010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Armando Meyer ◽  
Dale P. Sandler ◽  
Laura E. Beane Freeman ◽  
Jonathan N. Hofmann ◽  
Christine G. Parks
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Pesticide Exposure ◽  
Health Study ◽  
Agricultural Health ◽  
Agricultural Health Study ◽  
Pesticide Applicators

scholarly journals High pesticide exposure events and DNA methylation among pesticide applicators in the agricultural health study

2016 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Rusiecki ◽  
Laura E. Beane Freeman ◽  
Matthew R. Bonner ◽  
Melannie Alexander ◽  
Ligong Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Pesticide Exposure ◽  
Health Study ◽  
Agricultural Health ◽  
Agricultural Health Study ◽  
Pesticide Applicators

Police officers’ perceptions of the challenges involved in Internet Child Exploitation investigation

2014 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 543-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martine B. Powell ◽  
Peter Cassematis ◽  
Mairi S. Benson ◽  
Stephen Smallbone ◽  
Richard Wortley
Keyword(s):  
Work Environment ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
Child Exploitation ◽  
Physical Work Environment ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore police officers’ perceptions of the challenges and work stressors of working in Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) investigation. Design/methodology/approach – Participants were a heterogeneous sample of 32 ICE investigators across nine Australian jurisdictions. Officers’ perceptions of ICE work were elicited via individual, open-ended, anonymous, telephone interviews, which focused on both the nature and impact of work-related stressors and challenges. Findings – Thematic analysis revealed that viewing ICE material was not perceived to be a major stressor or particularly traumatic facet of ICE investigation. Rather, the challenges related to three areas; work relationships, workload and resources and the physical environment. Participants also suggested some improvements to their work environment which could reduce the impact of these challenges. Practical implications – The stressors identified by ICE investigators in this study place physical, psychological and social restrictions on investigative capacity. Modifications to the workplace environment that facilitate more effective professional collaboration, reduce workload and enhance investigator efficiency and functionality of the physical work environment would likely reduce the potential for harm associated with ICE investigation and improve ICE investigators’ capacity to perform their role. Originality/value – This is the first study to use a broad research framework to examine the full range of stressors that ICE investigators face (both organisational and operational). The findings are important for developing comprehensive theories regarding workplace traumatisation as well as holistic intervention models to assist the prevention and management of stress related to ICE investigation.

scholarly journals Self-reported work activities, mucus membrane symptoms, and respiratory health outcomes among an industrial hog operation worker cohort, North Carolina, USA

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Renee Coffman ◽  
Devon J Hall ◽  
Nora Pisanic ◽  
David C Love ◽  
Maya Nadimpalli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Respiratory Health ◽  
Specific Work ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Work Activities ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Adverse Health Outcomes ◽  
Mucus Membrane ◽  
The Relationship

Background: Respiratory disease among industrial hog operation (IHO) workers is well documented; however, it remains unclear whether specific work activities are more harmful and if personal protective equipment (PPE), as used by workers, can reduce adverse health outcomes. Objectives: To assess the relationship between self-reported IHO work activities and PPE use with mucus membrane and respiratory health symptoms in an occupational cohort. Methods: IHO workers (n=103) completed baseline and up to eight bi-weekly (i.e., every two weeks) study visits. Workers reported typical (baseline) and transient (bi-weekly) work activities, PPE use, and physical health symptoms. Baseline and longitudinal associations between work activities and health outcomes were assessed using generalized logistic and fixed-effects logistic regression models, respectively. Results: At baseline, reports of ever versus never drawing pig blood, applying pesticides, and increasing years worked at any IHO were positively associated with reports of eye, nose, and/or throat irritation. Over time, transient exposures, including those associated with dustiness in barns, cleaning of barns, and pig contact were associated with increased odds of symptoms including sneezing, headache, and eye or nose irritation, particularly in the highest categories of exposure. When PPE was used, workers had decreased odds of symptoms interfering with sleep (odds ratio (OR): 0.1; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.01, 0.8), sneezing (OR: 0.1; 95% CI: 0.01, 1.0), and eye or nose irritation (OR: 0.1; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.9). Similarly, when they washed their hands ≥8 times per shift (the median) versus less frequently, workers had decreased odds of any respiratory symptom (OR: 0.3; 95% CI: 0.1, 0.8). Discussion: In this healthy volunteer IHO worker population, increasingly unfavorable work activities were associated with self-reported mucus membrane and respiratory health outcomes. Strong protective associations were seen between PPE use and handwashing and the odds of symptoms, warranting further investigation in intervention studies.

Neurologic symptoms in licensed pesticide applicators in the Agricultural Health Study

2007 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 243-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Kamel ◽  
L S Engel ◽  
B C Gladen ◽  
J A Hoppin ◽  
M CR Alavanja ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pesticide Exposure ◽  
Health Study ◽  
Pesticide Use ◽  
Pesticide Poisoning ◽  
Neurologic Symptoms ◽  
Agricultural Health ◽  
Organochlorine Insecticides ◽  
History Of ◽  
Agricultural Health Study ◽  
Pesticide Applicators

Exposure to high levels of many pesticides has both acute and long-term neurologic consequences, but little is known about the neurotoxicity of chronic exposure to moderate pesticide levels. We analysed cross-sectional data from 18 782 Caucasian, male, licensed pesticide applicators, enrolled in the Agricultural Health Study from 1993 to 1997. Applicators provided information on lifetime pesticide use, and 23 neurologic symptoms typically associated with pesticide intoxication. Increased risk of experiencing ≥10 symptoms during the year before enrollment was associated with cumulative pesticide use, personally mixing or applying pesticides, pesticide-related medical care, diagnosed pesticide poisoning, and events involving high personal pesticide exposure. Greatest risk was associated with use of organophosphate and organochlorine insecticides. Results were similar after stratification by pesticide use during the year before enrollment, or exclusion of applicators with a history of pesticide poisoning, or high-exposure events. Use of pesticide application methods likely to involve high personal exposure was associated with greater risk. Groups of symptoms reflecting several neurologic domains, including affect, cognition, autonomic and motor function, and vision, were also associated with pesticide exposure. These results suggest that neurologic symptoms are associated with cumulative exposure to moderate levels of organophosphate and organochlorine insecticides, regardless of recent exposure or history of poisoning.

scholarly journals Pesticide exposure and risk of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance in the Agricultural Health Study

Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 113 (25) ◽  
pp. 6386-6391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ola Landgren ◽  
Robert A. Kyle ◽  
Jane A. Hoppin ◽  
Laura E. Beane Freeman ◽  
James R. Cerhan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Monoclonal Gammopathy ◽  
Pesticide Exposure ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Health Study ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Pesticide Exposures ◽  
Pesticide Applicators ◽  
Undetermined Significance

Abstract Pesticides are associated with excess risk of multiple myeloma, albeit inconclusively. We included 678 men (30-94 years) from a well-characterized prospective cohort of restricted-use pesticide applicators to assess the risk of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). Serum samples from all subjects were analyzed by electrophoresis performed on agarose gel; samples with a discrete or localized band were subjected to immunofixation. Age-adjusted prevalence estimates of MGUS were compared with MGUS prevalence in 9469 men from Minnesota. Associations between pesticide exposures and MGUS prevalence were assessed by logistic regression models adjusted for age and education level. Among study participants older than 50 years (n = 555), 38 were found to have MGUS, yielding a prevalence of 6.8% (95% CI, 5.0%-9.3%). Compared with men from Minnesota, the age-adjusted prevalence of MGUS was 1.9-fold (95% CI, 1.3- to 2.7-fold) higher among male pesticide applicators. Among applicators, a 5.6-fold (95% CI, 1.9- to 16.6-fold), 3.9-fold (95% CI, 1.5- to 10.0-fold), and 2.4-fold (95% CI, 1.1- to 5.3-fold) increased risk of MGUS prevalence was observed among users of the chlorinated insecticide dieldrin, the fumigant mixture carbon-tetrachloride/carbon disulfide, and the fungicide chlorothalonil, respectively. In summary, the prevalence of MGUS among pesticide applicators was twice that in a population-based sample of men from Minnesota, adding support to the hypothesis that specific pesticides are causatively linked to myelomagenesis.

Facility management services and employee well-being

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-130
Author(s):  
Efstratia Arampatzi ◽  
Martijn Burger
Keyword(s):  
Employee Performance ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Facility Management ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Limited Attention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Physical Work Environment ◽  
Job Affect ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Although a large number of studies have examined the relationship between the physical work environment and employee performance, the relationship between employee well-being and facility management (FM) has received limited attention. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between FM services and employee well-being in terms of job satisfaction, satisfaction with the workplace, job affect and engagement within the context of the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, distinguishing between soft FM services and hard FM services. Design/methodology/approach The analysis is based on the responses of 1,390 employees, who responded to all the relevant items used in this analysis. In addition to the linear estimations, the research uses an instrumental variable (IV) estimation, the Lewbel IV estimator (Lewbel, 2012), to establish a causal relationship between FM services and employee well-being. Findings The findings of this paper suggest that there is a positive relationship between the FM index and the four well-being proxies. In addition, the findings indicate that the effect of soft FM on employee well-being is generally weaker than the effect of hard FM, especially with regard to job affect and engagement. Originality/value The current research treats FM services as a resource instead of a cost and goes beyond the financial value of FM by providing a quantitative analysis on the added value of FM services in terms of employee well-being. Most importantly, this study incorporates FM services in the JD-R model and uses an alternative approach to linear regression and traditional IV regression to solve for endogeneity issues.

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