Carto PMAi: A Measurement Campaign to Evaluate the Exposure of the Workers and the General Population to the Elongate Mineral Particles of Interest

2021 ◽  
pp. 82-90
Author(s):  
Erell Léocat ◽  
Christine Deneuvillers ◽  
Patrick Richard
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erell Leocat ◽  
Christine Deneuvillers ◽  
Patrick Richard

<p>The French Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labor and Ministry of Environment are faced with the emerging issue of cleavage fragment particles with same chemical composition as actinolite asbestos in aggregates used in road pavement. In 2015, the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) published a literature review on the health effect of these non asbestiform particles. The conclusion is that any study can show the evidence of risk absence related to these particles.</p><p>After this first report, the French government mandated the national agency to conduct a research on the emission source of EMPs of interest (EMPi; ANSES, 2017). These particles correspond to the asbestiform and non-asbestiform varieties of the six regulated asbestos minerals and to four other mineral fibers. The agency recommends following the precaution principle by applicating the asbestos regulation to these whole particles. It also recommends leading a measurement campaign for exploring the potential exposure of workers and general population to EMPi during some construction activities.</p><p>In this context, the three ministries asked in 2017 the Professional Organization for Risk Prevention in Building and Public Work Sector (OPPBTP) to coordinate a project on EMPi, based on the requirements of the ANSES second report. This national project, called Carto PMAi, addresses the potential exposure of populations to EMPi, in order to provide reliable data to the three ministries to set up legal provisions. The first step is to build reliable protocols to measure EMPi in materials and in the air. Several national scientific organisms and asbestos testing laboratories take part at this phase that includes interlaboratory comparisons. The second phase is the measurement campaign in construction areas, including quarries and earthwork in natural environment.</p>


Author(s):  
G. M. Brown ◽  
D. F. Brown ◽  
J. H. Butler

The term “gel”, in the jargon of the plastics film industry, may refer to any inclusion that produces a visible artifact in a polymeric film. Although they can occur in any plastic product, gels are a principle concern in films where they detract from the cosmetic appearance of the product and may compromise its mechanical strength by acting as local stress concentrators. Many film gels are small spheres or ellipsoids less than one millimeter in diameter whereas other gels are fusiform-shaped and may reach several centimeters in length. The actual composition of gel inclusions may vary from miscellaneous inorganics (i.e. glass and mineral particles) and processing additives to heavily oxidized, charred or crosslinked polymer. The most commonly observed gels contain polymer differing from the bulk of the sample in its melt viscosity, density or molecular weight.Polymeric gels are a special concern in polyethylene films. Over the years and with the examination of a variety of these samples three predominant polymeric species have been observed: density gels which have different crystallinity than the film; melt-index gels in which the molecular weight is different than the film and crosslinked gels which are comprised of crosslinked polyethylene.


Author(s):  
Karen A. Katrinak ◽  
James R. Anderson ◽  
Peter R. Buseck

Aerosol samples were collected in Phoenix, Arizona on eleven dates between July 1989 and April 1990. Elemental compositions were determined for approximately 1000 particles per sample using an electron microprobe with an energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometer. Fine-fraction samples (particle cut size of 1 to 2 μm) were analyzed for each date; coarse-fraction samples were also analyzed for four of the dates.The data were reduced using multivariate statistical methods. Cluster analysis was first used to define 35 particle types. 81% of all fine-fraction particles and 84% of the coarse-fraction particles were assigned to these types, which include mineral, metal-rich, sulfur-rich, and salt categories. "Zero-count" particles, consisting entirely of elements lighter than Na, constitute an additional category and dominate the fine fraction, reflecting the importance of anthropogenic air pollutants such as those emitted by motor vehicles. Si- and Ca-rich mineral particles dominate the coarse fraction and are also numerous in the fine fraction.


VASA ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 423-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qingtao Meng ◽  
Si Wang ◽  
Yong Wang ◽  
Shixi Wan ◽  
Kai Liu ◽  
...  

Background: Orthostatic hypotension (OH) is a disease prevalent among middle-aged men and the elderly. The association between arterial stiffness and OH is unclear. This study evaluates whether arterial stiffness is correlated with OH and tests the usefulness of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), an arterial stiffness marker, with regard to identifying OH. Patients and methods: A sample of 1,010 participants was recruited from the general population (64.8 ± 7.7 years; 426 men) who attended health check-ups. BaPWV and the radial augmentation index (rAI) were both assessed as the arterial stiffness markers, and OH was determined using blood pressure (BP) measured in the supine position, as well as 30 seconds and 2 minutes after standing. Results: The prevalence of OH in this population was 4.9 %. Compared with the non-OH group, both baPWV (20.5 ± 4.5 vs 17.3 ± 3.7, p < 0.001) and rAI (88.1 ± 10.8 vs 84.2 ± 10.7, p < 0.05) were significantly higher in the OH group. In the multiple logistic regression analysis, baPWV (OR, 1.3; 95 % CI, 1.106–1.528; p < 0.05) remained associated with OH. Moreover, the degree of orthostatic BP reduction was related to arterial stiffness. In addition, increases in arterial stiffness predicted decreases in the degree of heart rate (HR) elevation. Finally, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that baPWV was useful in discriminating OH (AUC, 0.721; p < 0.001), with the cut-off value of 18.58 m/s (sensitivity, 0.714; specificity, 0.686). Conclusions: Arterial stiffness determined via baPWV, rather than rAI, was significantly correlated with the attenuation of the orthostatic hemodynamic response and the resultant OH. The impaired baroreceptor sensitivity might be the mechanism. In addition, baPWV appears to be a relatively sensitive and reliable indicator of OH in routine clinical practice.


Crisis ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudath Samaraweera ◽  
Athula Sumathipala ◽  
Sisira Siribaddana ◽  
S. Sivayogan ◽  
Dinesh Bhugra

Background: Suicidal ideation can often lead to suicide attempts and completed suicide. Studies have shown that Sri Lanka has one of the highest rates of suicide in the world but so far no studies have looked at prevalence of suicidal ideation in a general population in Sri Lanka. Aims: We wanted to determine the prevalence of suicidal ideation by randomly selecting six Divisional Secretariats (Dss) out of 17 in one district. This district is known to have higher than national average rates of suicide. Methods: 808 participants were interviewed using Sinhala versions of GHQ-30 and Beck’s Scale for Suicidal Ideation. Of these, 387 (48%) were males, and 421 (52%) were female. Results: On Beck’s Scale for Suicidal Ideation, 29 individuals (4%) had active suicidal ideation and 23 (3%) had passive suicidal ideation. The active suicidal ideators were young, physically ill and had higher levels of helplessness and hopelessness. Conclusions: The prevalence of suicidal ideation in Sri Lanka is lower than reported from the West and yet suicide rates are higher. Further work must explore cultural and religious factors.


2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Ogliari ◽  
Simona Scaini ◽  
Michael J. Kofler ◽  
Valentina Lampis ◽  
Annalisa Zanoni ◽  
...  

Reliable and valid self-report questionnaires could be useful as initial screening instruments for social phobia in both clinical settings and general populations. The present study investigates the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children (SPAI-C) in a sample of 228 children from the Italian general population aged 8 to 11. The children were asked to complete the Italian version of the SPAI-C and the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that social phobia can be conceptualized as a unitary construct consisting of five distinct but interrelated symptom clusters named Assertiveness, General Conversation, Physical/Cognitive Symptoms, Avoidance, and Public Performance. Internal consistency of the SPAI-C total scores and two subscales was good; correlations between SPAI-C total scores and SCARED total scores/subscales ranged from moderate to high (Generalized Anxiety Disorder, for social phobia), with the SCARED Social Phobia subscale as the best predictor of SPAI-C total scores. The results indicate that the SPAI-C is a reliable and sensitive instrument suitable for identifying Social Phobia in the young Italian general population.


2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Dionigi

Abstract. In recent years, both professional and volunteer clowns have become familiar in health settings. The clown represents a peculiar humorist’s character, strictly associated with the performer’s own personality. In this study, the Big Five personality traits (BFI) of 155 Italian clown doctors (130 volunteers and 25 professionals) were compared to published data for the normal population. This study highlighted specific differences between clown doctors and the general population: Clown doctors showed higher agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, and extraversion, as well as lower neuroticism compared to other people. Moreover, specific differences emerged comparing volunteers and professionals: Professional clowns showed significantly lower in agreeableness compared to their unpaid colleagues. The results are also discussed with reference to previous studies conducted on groups of humorists. Clowns’ personalities showed some peculiarities that can help to explain the facility for their performances in the health setting and that are different than those of other groups of humorists.


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