BACKGROUND Shift work and nitrous oxide exposure have both been suspected of having adverse influence on the reproductive performance of health workers. Time to pregnancy has been suggested as a sensitive measure of fecundity in occupationally exposed groups. We investigated the effects of shift work and nitrous oxide exposure on the fertility of Swedish midwives. METHODS A questionnaire was ...

BACKGROUND Despite common use of inhalatory anesthetics, such as nitrous oxide (N2O), halothane, sevoflurane, and the like, occupational exposure to these substances in operating theatres was not monitored in Poland until 2006. The situation changed when maximum admissible concentration (MAC) values for anesthetics used in Poland were established in 2005 for N2O, and in 2007 for sevoflurane, de...

The morphology of the bone marrow of 21 dentists who habitually used nitrous oxide in their surgeries was investigated. Exposure to nitrous oxide was measured with an atmospheric sampling device, and each dentist was invited to fill in a questionnaire giving details of medical history, diet, and intake of alcohol. During the trial a full neurological and haematological investigation was carried...

background & purpose: there are occupational hazards related to nitrous oxide (n2o) in hospitals operating and recovery rooms. these hazards include the decrease of mental performance and audio-visual ability, and reduced fertility, spontaneous abortion and neurological, renal and liver diseases. in this survey, the concentration of nitrous oxide in indoor air of hospitals operating and recover...

Recent adoption by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists of a Threshold Limit Value of 50 ppm for an 8-hour average exposure to nitrous oxide (N2O) increases the likelihood for its regulation by state and federal occupational health agencies. This review outlines current information on the health risks of N2O inhalation to provide a basis from which safe and reasonably a...

Maximizing scavenger effectiveness using a 45 L/min evacuation rate as recommended by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) may alter the sedation level of the dental patient. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if scavenging at the recommended NIOSH evacuation rate reduced psychomotor and cognitive impairment as a result of inhaling nitrous oxide. Comput...

Recent epidemiological studies suggest that chronic exposure to nitrous oxide may be a health hazard to the dental staff and the ADA has recommended that atmospheric nitrous oxide be controlled by use of a scavenging system. These concerns are of special interest to pediatric dentists because studies have shown that the effectiveness of the scavenging system may be influenced by patients" behav...

Recent research has shown that gaseous induction in adults with sevoflurane is an acceptable technique. This study was undertaken to assess if gaseous induction using sevoflurane carried in both oxygen alone, and in nitrous oxide and oxygen combined, would provide acceptable pollution levels. As an occupational exposure standard has not been set for sevoflurane, we used the target level of 20 p...