Tag: occupational

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Occupational health risks associated with the use of germicides in health care.

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Occupational health risks associated with the use of germicides in health care.

Am J Infect Control. 2016 May 2;44(5S):e85-e89

Authors: Weber DJ, Consoli SA, Rutala WA

Abstract
Environmental surfaces have been clearly linked to transmission of key pathogens in health care facilities, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, Clostridium difficile, norovirus, and multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacilli. For this reason, routine disinfection of environmental surfaces in patient rooms is recommended. In addition, decontamination of shared medical devices between use by different patients is also recommended. Environmental surfaces and noncritical shared medical devices are decontaminated by low-level disinfectants, most commonly phenolics, quaternary ammonium compounds, improved hydrogen peroxides, and hypochlorites. Concern has been raised that the use of germicides by health care personnel may increase the risk of these persons for developing respiratory illnesses (principally asthma) and contact dermatitis. Our data demonstrate that dermatitis and respiratory symptoms (eg, asthma) as a result of chemical exposures, including low-level disinfectants, are exceedingly rare. Unprotected exposures to high-level disinfectants may cause dermatitis and respiratory symptoms. Engineering controls (eg, closed containers, adequate ventilation) and the use of personal protective equipment (eg, gloves) should be used to minimize exposure to high-level disinfectants. The scientific evidence does not support that the use of low-level disinfectants by health care personnel is an important risk for the development of asthma or contact dermatitis.

PMID: 27131141 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

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Flour identified as the main cause of occupational asthma in France – EurekAlert (press release)

Flour identified as the main cause of occupational asthma in France
EurekAlert (press release)
Munich, Germany: Flour has been identified as the main cause of occupational asthma in France, closely followed by cleaning products. A new study, which was presented at the European Respiratory Society's International Congress today (07 September …

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Medical History, Lifestyle, Family History, and Occupational Risk Factors for Marginal Zone Lymphoma: The InterLymph Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Subtypes Project.

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Medical History, Lifestyle, Family History, and Occupational Risk Factors for Marginal Zone Lymphoma: The InterLymph Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Subtypes Project.

J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr. 2014 Aug;2014(48):52-65

Authors: Bracci PM, Benavente Y, Turner JJ, Paltiel O, Slager SL, Vajdic CM, Norman AD, Cerhan JR, Chiu BC, Becker N, Cocco P, Dogan A, Nieters A, Holly EA, Kane EV, Smedby KE, Maynadié M, Spinelli JJ, Roman E, Glimelius B, Wang SS, Sampson JN, Morton LM, de Sanjosé S

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Marginal zone lymphoma (MZL), comprised of nodal, extranodal, and splenic subtypes, accounts for 5%-10% of non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases. A detailed evaluation of the independent effects of risk factors for MZL and its subtypes has not been conducted.
METHODS: Data were pooled from 1052 MZL cases (extranodal [EMZL] = 633, nodal [NMZL] = 157, splenic [SMZL] = 140) and 13766 controls from 12 case-control studies. Adjusted unconditional logistic regression was used to compute odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
RESULTS: Novel findings for MZL subtypes include increased risk for B-cell activating autoimmune conditions (EMZL OR = 6.40, 95% CI = 4.24 to 9.68; NMZL OR = 7.80, 95% CI = 3.32 to 18.33; SMZL OR = 4.25, 95% CI = 1.49 to 12.14), hepatitis C virus seropositivity (EMZL OR = 5.29, 95% CI = 2.48 to 11.28), self-reported peptic ulcers (EMZL OR = 1.83, 95% CI = 1.35 to 2.49), asthma without other atopy (SMZL OR = 2.28, 95% CI = 1.23 to 4.23), family history of hematologic cancer (EMZL OR = 1.90, 95% CI = 1.37 to 2.62) and of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NMZL OR = 2.82, 95% CI = 1.33 to 5.98), permanent hairdye use (SMZL OR = 6.59, 95% CI = 1.54 to 28.17), and occupation as a metalworker (NMZL OR = 3.56, 95% CI = 1.67 to 7.58). Reduced risks were observed with consumption of any alcohol (EMZL fourth quartile OR = 0.48, 95% CI = 0.28 to 0.82) and lower consumption of wine (NMZL first to third quartile ORs < 0.45) compared with nondrinkers, and occupation as a teacher (EMZL OR = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.37 to 0.88).
CONCLUSION: Our results provide new data suggesting etiologic heterogeneity across MZL subtypes although a common risk of MZL associated with B-cell activating autoimmune conditions was found.

PMID: 25174026 [PubMed – in process]

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Clearing the Air at Work: How to Identify Occupational Allergies or Asthma – MarketWatch

Clearing the Air at Work: How to Identify Occupational Allergies or Asthma
MarketWatch
"Work-related allergy and asthma symptoms are a serious problem," says Tonya Winders, president and CEO of Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA), a leading nonprofit patient education organization, "but sometimes it's hard to identify …

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