scholarly journals Occupational risk assessment and selected morbidities among cement brick unit workers in a rural area of Bangalore District, India

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-22
Author(s):  
Sobin Sunny ◽  
Farah Naaz Fathima ◽  
Jiss Joy ◽  
Benjamin Leroy Passah ◽  
John Chiramel Thomas ◽  
...  

Introduction: The labor-intensive nature of cement brick manufacturing, its unorganized nature and internal migration, expose the employees to several occupational health hazards. The objective of the study was to assess the occupational risks in cement brick unit settings and to estimate the prevalence of respiratory and musculoskeletal morbidities among the cement brick unit workers in a rural area of Bangalore urban district. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among cement brick unit workers over two months. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to capture sociodemographic details. Multiple observations on the field and the World Health Organization semi-quantitative risk assessment matrix were used to obtain risk scores of the occupational hazards. A structured questionnaire on respiratory symptoms and Minispir Portable Spirometer were used to assess the respiratory morbidities and lung functions. Musculoskeletal morbidities were assessed using the Modified Nordic questionnaire. Proportions were used to describe respiratory and musculoskeletal morbidities. Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test and multivariate logistic regressions were done to identify significant variables. Results: Among 120 subjects, 110 (91.6%) were men and 85.8% were migrants. Injury due to falls of heavy objects, back injury, respiratory complaints and slips/falls were found to be high-risk health hazards. The prevalence of respiratory morbidity was 21.7% and that of musculoskeletal morbidity was 51.7%. Workers receiving a higher salary (≥ 1500 Indian rupees) had higher odds of having respiratory morbidity. Conclusion: The prevalence of respiratory and musculoskeletal morbidities was high. Introduction of mechanical equipment, decreasing work hours, periodic medical examinations and appropriate use of personal protective equipment will help in risk reduction as per this study.

Author(s):  
Pooja Sharma ◽  
Karan Veer

: It was 11 March 2020 when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the name COVID-19 for coronavirus disease and also described it as a pandemic. Till that day 118,000 cases were confirmed of pneumonia with breathing problem throughout the world. At the start of New Year when COVID-19 came into knowledge a few days later, the gene sequencing of the virus was revealed. Today the number of confirmed cases is scary, i.e. 9,472,473 in the whole world and 484,236 deaths have been recorded by WHO till 26 June 2020. WHO's global risk assessment is very high [1]. The report is enlightening the lessons learned by India from the highly affected countries.


LWT ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 144 ◽  
pp. 111201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prez Verónica Emilse ◽  
Victoria Matías ◽  
Martínez Laura Cecilia ◽  
Giordano Miguel Oscar ◽  
Masachessi Gisela ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
R Badagliacca ◽  
M D'Alto ◽  
S Ghio ◽  
A Greco ◽  
S Papa ◽  
...  

Abstract Background In pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) upfront oral therapy represents the standard of care for naive patients at low and intermediate risk. However little is known about associated changes in risk assessment and prediction of low risk status achievement. Purpose To evaluate determinants of PVR reduction in patients treated with upfront oral therapy and to create a score to predict PVR reduction after upfront oral treatment and compared its additive value on top of the European and REVEAL scoring system in predicting treatment response. Methods One-hundred-eighty-one consecutive naive PAH patients treated with upfront therapy at 11 italian centers were retrospectively evaluated. Evaluation included clinical, hemodynamic and simple echocardiographic parameters, together with European and REVEAL 2.0 risk scores. Results At the time of diagnosis, the majority of the patients was idiopathic PAH (80.6%), female (66.3%), at intermediate risk, 71.8% and 55.2%, respectively, according to the European (average method) and the REVEAL 2.0 risk scores. Ambrisentan-Tadalafil was the most frequent combination used (62%). The median PVR reduction obtained after 180 days (IQR 79–394) was −40.4% (IQR −25.8; −45.3). Age ≥60 years, male-sex, baseline mPAP 48 mmHg associated with low CI (<2.5 l/min/m2), and RV/LV ratio >1 associated with low TAPSE (<18 mm) emerged as independent predictors of poor PVR reduction, defined as the lower tertile of PVR changes (−25.8%). A treatment response score was created deriving weighted integers from the beta coefficient. At second evaluation 78 (43.1%) patients achieved or remained at European-derived low risk status, while 63 (34.8%) considering the REVEAL 2.0 score. Multivariate analysis for the prediction of treatment failure, defined as the absence of low-risk status at follow-up, demonstrated the incremental prognostic power of the models incorporating the treatment response score (≥3) on top of the European and REVEAL 2.0 scores, improving risk discrimination by 63.2% (IDI index 0.056) and 36.8% (IDI index 0.080), respectively. Conclusions A significant proportion of PAH patients treated with upfront oral combination are not able to achieve a low-risk status. The treatment response score helps clinicians in predicting treatment failure at the time of diagnosis. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None


Author(s):  
David Callaway ◽  
Jeff Runge ◽  
Lucia Mullen ◽  
Lisa Rentz ◽  
Kevin Staley ◽  
...  

Abstract The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization broadly categorize mass gathering events as high risk for amplification of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread in a community due to the nature of respiratory diseases and the transmission dynamics. However, various measures and modifications can be put in place to limit or reduce the risk of further spread of COVID-19 for the mass gathering. During this pandemic, the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security produced a risk assessment and mitigation tool for decision-makers to assess SARS-CoV-2 transmission risks that may arise as organizations and businesses hold mass gatherings or increase business operations: The JHU Operational Toolkit for Businesses Considering Reopening or Expanding Operations in COVID-19 (Toolkit). This article describes the deployment of a data-informed, risk-reduction strategy that protects local communities, preserves local health-care capacity, and supports democratic processes through the safe execution of the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. The successful use of the Toolkit and the lessons learned from this experience are applicable in a wide range of public health settings, including school reopening, expansion of public services, and even resumption of health-care delivery.


Author(s):  
Reza Aghlmand ◽  
Saeed Rasi Nezami ◽  
Ali Abbasi

In recent years, in addition to water resources’ quantity, their quality has also received much attention. In this study, the quality of the urban water distribution network in northwestern Iran was evaluated using the water quality index (WQI) method. Then, some important trace elements were investigated, and finally, the health risk assessment was evaluated for both carcinogenic elements (Ni, Cd, Cr, Pb, and As) and non-carcinogenic elements (Ca, Mg, Na, K, F, NO3, and Cu) using carcinogenic risk (CR) and hazard quotient (HQ), respectively. In the present study, the WQI was calculated based on both World Health Organization (WHO) and Iranian drinking water standards. Comparing the results of these standards revealed that the WQI based on the Iranian standard was slightly higher. Regarding the calculated WQI for the study region, the status of water quality for drinking consumption is in the good water quality class (25 < WQI < 50). It was observed that Cu and Cd have the highest and lowest concentrations in all sampling points, respectively. Hazard Index (HI) results showed that the non-carcinogenic substances studied had a low risk for both adults and children (<1.0). However, the CR results showed that Ni, Cd, and As were above the desired level for both children and adults. The results of this study can be applied for efficient water management and human health protection programs in the study area.


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