Browsing by Subject "Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene"
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Item A Study of Pesticide Safety and Health Perceptions Among Tarrant County Pesticide Applicators(2001-05-01) Martinez, Robert A.; Gratton, Terrance B.; Coggin, Claudia S.; Atkinson, SamPesticides have become an important part of our lives. We rely on them to help protect our crops from pest; they rid our homes of unwanted pests and help us make our lawns and public parks beautiful. Pesticides are also important to public health. They are a major source of vector control and help stop the spread of vector-borne disease. Even though we used them in our everyday lives, it is important to remember that pesticides are poisons, and that great care must be taken to ensure the safety of the public and safety of those who work with pesticides. This study looked at the safety knowledge and health perceptions among Tarrant County, Texas licensed applicators. Much research has been focused on the effects of pesticides on human health. Much of this research has been focus on the farmer applicator (Alavanja, 1999). This study focuses on applicators that work mostly in the urban areas of the County, as well as ranchers live in the County. These licensed urban applicators included those who work for city parks departments, golf courses, commercial applicators, lawn care service, pest control and some private ranchers. The Texas Pesticide Regulations require that a person may not use a restricted-use or state-limited use pesticides or herbicides unless licensed by the Texas Department of Agriculture (2000). Therefore the purpose of this study is to see if an association between health beliefs and pesticide safety knowledge exist. The reason it is important is because these people can have either a positive or negative impact on the safety of themselves and their crews. Acute pesticide poisoning is one of the biggest risks that applicators face. The state of Texas conducts an active surveillance of occupational-related pesticide poisonings. The Environmental Epidemiology and Toxicology Division at the Texas Department of Health (TDH) have had this system in place since 1985. TDH reported that 107 work related cases occurred during 1998, with 55 confirmed as occupational pesticide poisoning (1998). The most frequent symptoms reported were neuromuscular symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, confusion, irritability, and twitching muscles. Pyrethroids and pyrethins were the most commonly reported class of pesticides exposure (51%) followed by Organophosphates (25%), which are the most widely used form of insecticides, as well as herbicides and fungicides. Pesticide safety and the TDH surveillance system are two very important ways of informing pesticide applicators about the risk and what can be done to minimize that risk to themselves and their crew.Item Assessment and Identification of Areas for Improvement of a Local Health Department Food Safety Program(2008-05-01) Harris, Ann MarieHarris, Ann Marie. Assessment and Identification of Areas for Improvement of a Local Health Department Food Safety Program. Master of Public Health (Environmental Health), May 2008, 14 pp. 1 table, 1 figure, references, 14 titles. The Fort Worth Public Health Department (FWPHD) established a standardized assessment to compare compliance rates for risk factors contributing to foodborne illness. The FWPHD identified significantly higher compliance rates in four out of six risk factors. Risk factors posing the greatest risk for out of compliance observations included threats from contaminated equipment and chemical/other hazards. Fast food establishments had a significantly greater risk for contaminated equipment (OR=1.81; CI=1.27, 2.58). Chemical/other hazards was the only risk factor with a higher overall out of compliance rate than the FDA. The FWPHD can now accurately track the effectiveness of training and education programs for food handlers, consumer health specialists, and the overall inspection process.Item Association of Leukemia and Other Selected Diseases with Occupational Exposure to Welding(2003-05-01) Mendoza, Hilda OraliaMENDOZA, HILDA ORALIA. ASSOCIATION OF LEUKEMIA AND OTHER SELECTED DISEASES WITH OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO WELDING. Master of Public Health (Epidemiology). May, 2003. Exposure to carcinogens is an established risk factor for cancer development. Welders are chronically exposed to cardinogens. In this study, the relationship between occupational exposure to welding and mortality from leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, melanoma, lung cancer, or myocardial infarcation was examined. Files from ORISEWDS, Comprehensive Epidemiologic Data Resource, U.S. Department of Energy were utilized to develop a working file including 416,686 records from employees of one or more Oak Ridge, nuclear plant facilities. Neither welding exposure length, radiation exposure, nor smoking were included in this study. Results show higher adjusted ratios (OR) for leukemia, lymphoma, and Hodgkin’s disease for employees occupationally exposed to welding as compared to employees on-occupationally exposed to welding. OR’s for lung cancer and myocardial infarction were also higher for welders than non-welders.Item Evaluation of a Hospital Decontamination Protocol for Mass Casualty Patient Surge(2007-05-01) Hood, Joyce L.; Gratton, Terry; Ramphal, Lilly; Larranaga, MichaelHood, Joyce L., Evaluation of a Hospital Decontamination Protocol for Mass Casualty Patient Surge. Master of Public Health (Occupational Health Practice), May 2007, 43 pp., 3 tables, 10 illustrations, references, 25 titles. Recent studies have expressed concern about hospitals’ ability to decontaminate casualties who have been contaminated with chemical, biological or radioactive agents. Since September 11, 2001, more attention has focused on hospital preparedness, but prior to 9/11, most of the focus was on decontamination in the field rather than pre-hospital. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of two urban hospitals’ decontamination teams using quantitative methods. Subjects were contaminated with equal amounts of visible and invisible simulants in six locations. Residual contamination was measured and the team was debriefed regarding opportunities for improvement. Considerable improvements were noted after de-briefing, but initially the surface area of contamination was not appreciably affected before briefing was done. The effect of shower time and residual contamination was also examined. Hospital decontamination preparedness is minimal at best, even in large urban hospitals, increasing the risk of secondary contamination within the emergency departments.Item Firefighter Fatality Retrospective Study: A Comparison Between Career and Volunteer Firefighters(2004-05-01) Brackett, Benjamin Earl; Clark, Sharon; Rene, Antonio A.; Singh, KaranBrackett, Benjamin Earl, Firefighter Fatality Retrospective Study: A Comparison Between Career and Volunteer Firefighters. Masters of Public Health (Epidemiology), May 2004, 21 pp., 9 tables, References. A 13-year retrospective study comparing the relative risk of career firefighters dying on the job in relation to the relative risk of volunteer firefighters dying on the job. This paper sought to determine if there was a significant difference between overall career and volunteer firefighter fatalities, as well as any differences among several variables. It was determined that there is no statistical difference between the fatality rates of career and volunteer firefighters. However, a number of statistically significant differences were identified when examining specific variables such as nature of fatal injury, fixed property use, and activity being performed at time of death.Item Line-of-Duty Injury or Illness Incidence in an Air National Guard Unit(2001-05-01) Lorich, Michael F.; Marshall, Muriel; Clark, Sharon; Rene, AntonioLorich, Michael F., Line-of-Duty Injury or Illness Incidence in an Air National Guard Unit. Master of Public Health, DO/MPH track, May 2001, 31 p.p., 3 tables, 4 illustrations, reference list, addendum. Line-of-duty injuries or illnesses (LODs) suffered by members of Air National Guard units may demonstrate the status of unit safety, unit readiness and deployability, a potentially significant area of unit expenditures, and areas of needed health promotion. This descriptive pilot study was conducted at the unit commander’s request to determine an apparent doubling of the prevailing incidence of LODs over a recent quarterly period. Tracking of injuries and injured individuals was problematic. The vast majority of LODs were musculoskeletal in nature. Decreased fitness level (Identified as elevated body mass index (BMI)) among males and increased age were related to increased LODs. Recommendations were given to improve tracking, identify individuals at increased risk, provide pre-training assessment, and institute health promotion focused on musculoskeletal injuries.Item Lung Cancer Risk Among Workers in Poultry Slaughtering and Processing Plants: A Pilot Study(2008-05-01) Preacely, Nykiconia D.; Ramphal-Naley, Lilly; Cardarelli, Kathryn; Qualls-Hampton, RaquelPreacely, Nykiconia D., Lung Cancer Risk Among Workers in Poultry Slaughtering and Processing Plants: A Pilot Study. Doctor of Public Health (Epidemiology), May 2008, 104 pp., 21 tables, 4 figures, bibliography, 50 titles. Poultry workers are at a great risk of exposure to potentially harmful transmissible agents which can cause cancer in poultry; yet there are few epidemiological studies that examine the association of occupation and illnesses experienced by these workers. Workers in poultry slaughtering and processing plants are well suited to investigate the effects of exposure to poultry oncogenic agents because they have one of the highest human exposure to carcinogenic chemicals formed during the packaging and preparation of poultry. The preparations of poultry via smoking, and frying are additional exposures that release carcinogens which may be involved in lung cancer risk among poultry workers. Union records from several unions belonging to the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union for the years 1949-1989 were used to identify a cohort of workers once employed in poultry slaughtering and processing plants. The current research investigated whether certain occupational exposures were associated with lung cancer mortality among these workers. The research employed a case cohort design that provided individual level occupational and lifestyle data for workers who died with lung cancer between 1990 and 2003 compared to a sub-cohort of individuals randomly sampled from the entire cohort. It is anticipated that by identifying potentially harmful exposures in this industry, future research may focus on developing methods to alleviate them among poultry workers. The results of this study will provide public health professionals and the poultry industry with new information on the occupational exposures not previously explored in relation to lung cancer mortality among poultry slaughtering/processing plant workers.Item Race/Hispanicity and Use of Alcohol and Illicit Drugs in the United States Construction Industry(2004-05-01) Rosario-Rosado, Rosa V.; Rene, Antonio A.; Clark, Sharon; Singh, KaranRosario-Rosado, Rosa V., M.S. Race/Hispanicity and Use of Alcohol and Illicit Drugs in the United States Construction Industry. Doctor of Public Health (Epidemiology), May 2004, 135 pp., 19 tables, bibliography, 49 Titles. This study explored the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse’s data in order to identify any difference in the patterns of substance use among different groups represented in the national construction industry. The study included male, 18 years and older, self-classified as U.S.-born non-Hispanic Whites, U.S.-born non-Hispanic African Americans, U.S.-born Hispanics or immigrant Hispanics with different lengths of stay in the U.S. (less than five years; five years to less than 10 years; and 10 or more years), that indicated working in the construction industry. Substances of interest were alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, crack, heroin, hallucinogens, inhalants, and psychotherapeutics. Differences by race/hispanicity in substance use were found. Immigrant Hispanics living in the U.S. for less than five years were significantly (p [less than] .0001) less likely to use substances as compared to other groups. Immigrant Hispanics with five to less than 10 years and those with 10 or more years living in the U.S. were 1.096 (95% CL = 1.079 to 1.112) and 1.160 (95% CL= 1.146 to 1.175) times more likely to use any illicit drug during past year, respectively, when compared with U.S.-born Hispanics. Characteristics associated with the past year and the past month use of substances were: working for a small company, missing two or more whole days of work due to sickness or injury, and skipping three or more days of work. Findings of this study suggest that, when designing substance use and abuse prevention programs, it is not only important to take into consideration differences by race/hispanicity, but that the length of stay in the U.S. also can affect the substance use behaviors of immigrant construction workers.Item Risk of Hematopoietic Cancer Associated Mortality among Workers in the Poultry Slaughtering and Processing Industries(2015-05-01) Bangara, Saritha; Felini, Martha J.Objectives: Previous occupational cohort studies among poultry workers have revealed an excess risk of cancer-related mortality, including deaths due to hematopoietic malignancies. However, specific occupational and non-occupational exposures contributing to this excess risk have yet to be identified. Poultry workers are particularly at high risk since an average of 175,000 chickens are killed daily in poultry plants in the United States. This brings poultry workers into intimate contact with their blood, organs, and secretions, which may harbor transmissible oncogenic viruses. Moreover, they are exposed to potentially carcinogenic chemicals that are emitted during packaging and preparation. Hence, our study was conducted to provide preliminary evidence of which specific poultry related and non-poultry related occupational tasks increase the risk of mortality from hematopoietic cancer among poultry workers. Methods: A pilot case-cohort study was conducted using a combined cohort of 30,411 highly exposed poultry workers and 16,408 control subjects. Exposures pertaining to poultry and non-poultry related tasks were self-reported through telephone interviews from controls and next-of-kin for cases. Hematopoietic cancer mortality risk was assessed using logistic regression odds ratios (OR) and proportional hazard ratios (HR). Results: To assess possible differential recall between responses obtained directly from live study subjects and those from the next-of kin of deceased study subjects, the questionnaire was administered to a small subset of seven pairs of live control study subjects and their next-of-kin. Of the 245 direct responses obtained for dichotomous questions, there was an agreement of 80 % to 100% between the pairs for nearly 75% of the responses, with less than 60% agreement for only 8% of the responses. The highest risks for hematopoietic cancer mortality were among poultry workers in stockyards (OR=4.50, 95%CI=0.34-59.88), work as a poultry farmer (OR=2.67, 95%CI=0.78-9.23), working in non-commercial poultry farms (OR=2.53, 95%CI=0.85-7.52), handling of raw eggs in grocery stores (OR= 2.24, 95%CI=0.05-9.78), working in commercial poultry farms (OR=2.41, 95%CI=0.79-7.33), and spreading of chicken wastes (OR=2.00, 95%CI=0.58-6.89). Direct contact with poultry blood (OR=1.40, 95%CI=0.66-2.95) and killing chickens at work or outside of work (OR=1.35, 95%CI=0.26-7.14 and 1.63 (95%CI=0.72-3.65, respectively) were exposures that were also associated with an increased risk. Among non-poultry associated occupational exposures, working in a chemical plant (OR=6.92, 95%CI=0.56-85.23) and spraying insecticides (OR=3.03, 95%CI=0.78-11.83) incurred an increased risk. Work-related exposure to coal tar, naphthalene, or paraffin was associated with a significantly increased risk (OR=5.63, 95%CI=1.72-18.43). An elevated risk was also observed among subjects that worked at a gasoline station (OR=1.89, 95%CI=0.52-6.96). These exposures are known to be associated with increased exposures to PAHs and benzene. There was a statistically significant increased risk among those who sold seafood at work (OR=4.31, 95%CI=1.08-17.16) and among participants who worked on a commercial mixed farm (OR=3.15, 95%CI=1.20-9.92). Conclusion: This study provides preliminary evidence that exposure to poultry may be associated with increased mortality from hematopoietic cancer. A plausible explanation is that stockyard workers are regularly exposed to the bodily fluids of poultry, including blood and fecal matter, which may harbor oncogenic viruses that are transmissible to humans. The elevated risk estimates among workers exposed to gasoline as well as chemicals such as coal tar corroborate findings from previous studies that have established benzene and PAHs as risk factors for hematopoietic malignancies, respectively. While our findings support evidence from previous studies linking pesticide use and working on farms with mortality due to hematopoietic cancer, selling seafood was a unique risk factor that was discovered in our study, worthy of further investigation. Case-control studies nested within occupational cohorts of highly exposed subjects of sufficient statistical power may provide an efficient and valid method of investigating and confirming these findings.Item The Effect of Self Administered Workers' Compensation on Employee Safety Programs(1997-12-01) Smitha, Matt W.Smitha, Matt W., The Effect of Self Administered Workers’ Compensation on Employee Safety Programs. Master of Public Health, December 1997, 72 pp., three tables, seven figures, reference list, 28 titles. In Texas nonsubscribers to workers’ compensation have been under ongoing attack as powerful interest groups such as casualty insurance carriers have lobbied for an end to the elective system. Seventy-two nonsubscribing Texas companies were surveyed. Logistic regression with an alpha level of p=0.05 found the safety program qualitative score, Wald (1)=10.1992, p=0.0014 to be a significant predictor of increased management attention to safety while the other variables of total losses, frequency rate, and severity rate together in the same model were found to not be significant predictors of the same dependent response. Eighty-one percent of organizations surveyed reported that management attention to safety had increased after the company became a nonsubscriber.Item The Impact of Graduation and Work on Health and Behavior(2006-08-01) Minzenmayer, Tracey; Watson, Warren; Townsend, Alicia; Franks, SusanMinzenmayer, Tracey. The Impact of Graduation and Work on Health and Behavior. Doctor of Philosophy (Biomedical Sciences), August, 2006, 131 pp., 1 table, references, 125 titles. The transition of young adults from the educational system to the workplace is affected by individual, cultural, economic, and institutional factors within the specific context of the time of transition. Since World War II, there have been a number of changes in both the order and timing of reaching the traditional markers of adulthood such as financial independence, work, marriage, and children. The lack of guidance in navigating the new path to adulthood has resulted in anecdotal evidence of increased stress in young adults. Little health research has been conducted on new graduates to evaluate the sources and effects of this stress. The current study surveyed psychological distress, health behaviors, and occupational variables in young adults between one and four years after they had received their undergraduate degrees. The majority of the sample believed they could potentially perform their job duties without the benefit of their degree, and over a third regretted their choice of major. A fourth of the sample had jobs that were unrelated to their undergraduate degrees. Underemployment, or not making use of their college education, was strongly associated with depression and worry in the respondents. Having adequate social support had positive relationships with job satisfaction and organizational commitment and was associated with low levels of stress, depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties, and worry. High levels of stress, anxiety, and depression were associated with less sleep. Unfortunately, this study was limited by a small number of respondents, but it is still clear that many graduates are not experiencing all of the benefits of having a college degree. There appears to be a discrepancy between their education and the demands of the workplace. It is recommended that institutions of higher education and employers find ways to address this discrepancy and to better guide graduates through the transition.Item The Prevalence of Behaviors Used to Make & Maintain Weight Among Male Horse Jockeys(2001-05-01) Dodson, Martha A.; Gonzalez, AdelaObjective: Determine the prevalence of weight loss behaviors used by male jockeys to make and maintain weight. Design: An original survey instrument was developed. The pilot study was distributed in a random, anonymous manner. Setting: Lone Star Park, Grand Prairie, Texas and Sunland Park, Sunland Park, New Mexico in December 2000 and January 2001 meetings respectively. Subjects: Twenty-nine male jockeys with a mean age of 34 years and mean racing career of 14 years. Mean weight was 116 pounds, mean height was 66 inches and mean body mass index was 19.6 kg/m2. Twelve jockeys were from Lone Star Park and 17 were from Sunland Park. No female jockeys participated. Results: SPSS Version 10.0 was used for data analysis. The prevalence of current usage of methods to make and maintain weight among the jockeys was 62%. The hot box was used by 85%, diuretics and semi-starvation were each used by 60%, excessive exercise 45% and flipping by 15%. The average number of methods used was 3. The hot box was the primary method used. Two of 20 jockeys felt they had an eating disorder. Conclusion: The prevalence of disordered eating behaviors among male horse jockeys is greater than that for the general male population. Their low mean body mass index may reflect a malnourished state. Pathological eating behaviors can result in a myriad of clinical abnormalities that can be deleterious to a jockey’s health and athletic performance. A national study of jockeys’ methods to make and maintain weight is recommended. Key Words: Eating disorder – disordered eating – weight-loss – athlete – jockeyItem Use of Body Mass Index as a Predictor of Health Status in Firefighters(2002-05-01) Theurer, Wesley M.; Rene, Antonio A.; Clark, SharonTheurer, Wesley M., Use of Body Mass Index as a Predictor of Health Status in Firefighters. Master of Public Health (DO/MPH), May, 2002, 28 pp., 3 tables, 29 References. This study evaluated the usefulness of BMI as a screening tool for health parameters and duty fitness among firefighters. Our cohort consisted of 218 active firefighters between the ages of 18 and 58 (men 33.5 ±8.6). Two major BMI categorization methods were used: standard [low (30)] and obesity [(normal([less than] 25), overweight(≥25 [less than] 30), obese(≥30 [less than] 39), morbidly obese ≥39)] The mean BMI was 28.8 (±4.5). Standard categorization revealed that nearly 60% had medium or high BMI's; obesity categorization showed 80.7% to be overweight, obese, or morbidly obese. Statistically significant, adverse relationships between BMI and each of the following were found: systolic and diastolic blood pressure, VO2max, METS, and total cholesterol. Inconsistent or statistically insignificant relations were found between BMI and HDL, Chol/HDL ratios, Triglycerides, FVC, and FEV1sec. Tobacco use and participation in an exercise program is also reported. BMI continues to prove useful as a screening tool and may be useful in identifying individual firefighters for health and fitness intervention measures.Item Voluntary Hepatitis A Campaigns for Food Handlers and Day Care Workers: Evaluation of Participation and Barriers(2001-05-01) Bosarreyes, Rebecca; Urrutia-Rojas, Ximena; Bayona, Manuel; Lurie, SueBosarreyes, Rebecca L., Voluntary Hepatitis for Food Handlers and Daycare Workers: Evaluation of Participation and Barriers. Master of Public Health (Community Health), May 2001, 84 pp., 20 Tables, references, 32 titles. Food-borne illness is a continuing problem in the United States. Individual’s desire for fast and ready to eat food has contributed to the trend. Ready to eat foods increase risk for spread of viral infections, like hepatitis A. Vaccination of service workers against hepatitis A could decrease this risk. Two recent voluntary vaccination campaigns in North Texas attempted to vaccinate this target group. Both campaigns had low vaccination rates. This study assessed barriers impeding access to the campaigns. Barriers included dissemination of information, knowledge about the disease among the target groups, cost of vaccine, and language spoken by some of the target group. The study findings showed that these barriers combined contribution to the low vaccination rates for the campaign.