BACKGROUND Environmental asbestos pollution can cause malignant mesothelioma, but few studies have involved dose-response analyses with detailed information on occupational, domestic, and environmental exposures. OBJECTIVES In the present study, we examined the spatial variation of mesothelioma risk in an area with high levels of asbestos pollution from an industrial plant, adjusting for occu...

Background Occupational exposures are associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study investigated this association among a population with a high prevalence of tuberculosis and smoking. Methods Cases (n1⁄4110) diagnosed by pulmonologists were selected from specialist respiratory clinics. Frequency sexand age-matched controls (n1⁄4102) were selected from other clinics a...

Information from toxicological and epidemiological studies of the cancer and noncancer health risks from inhaled diesel engine exhaust (DE) and gasoline engine exhaust (GE) was reviewed. The toxicological database is more extensive for DE than for GE. Animal studies have shown that heavy, chronic exposures to both DE and GE can cause lung pathology and associated physiological effects. Inhaled ...

Occupational asthma accounts for about 15% of adult-onset [1] and is associated with poorer quality life than in workers similar severity not caused by exposures at work, main...

BACKGROUND The pharmaceutical industry employs >350 000 people worldwide in operations including research and development (R&D), manufacturing, sales and marketing. Workers employed in R&D and manufacturing sectors are potentially exposed to drug substances in the workplace that are designed to modify physiology and also to chemical precursors that are potentially hazardous to health. Pharmaceu...

The article focuses on issues relating to occupational exposures of researchers and lab workers, and exposures of bystanders such as health care workers and family members during HSR using nanomaterials. Such third-party exposures give rise to unique challenges relating to oversight as well as exposures to worker groups not previously studied. Given the current state of knowledge regarding heal...

BACKGROUND Pesticide exposures are suspected risk factors for Parkinson disease (PD), but epidemiological observations have been inconsistent. OBJECTIVE To investigate associations between pesticide exposures and idiopathic PD. DESIGN Population-based case-control study. SETTING Group Health Cooperative, a health care system in western Washington State, and the University of Washington. ...

OBJECTIVE To determine the cost of management of occupational exposures to blood and body fluids. DESIGN A convenience sample of 4 healthcare facilities provided information on the cost of management of occupational exposures that varied in type, severity, and exposure source infection status. Detailed information was collected on time spent reporting, managing, and following up the exposures...