INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE
Year:2017 | Volume:8 | Issue:2|Papers Count:8

Predatory publishing is “ an exploitative open-access publishing business model that involves charging publication fees to authors without providing the editorial and publishing services associated with legitimate journals (open access or not). ” No one has any idea how many predatory journals there are, but the number is in the thousands and is increasing. Between 2010 and 2014, the estimated number of articles published by predatory publishers increased from 53 000 articles to 420 000 (published in about 8000 predatory journals). ..

Background: Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. In Canada, the health authorities have no access to comprehensive profile of the communities built over uranium-rich micro-geological settings. The present indoor radon monitoring guideline is unable to provide an accurate identification of health hazards due to discounting several parameters of housing characteristics. Objective: To explore indoor radon levels in a micro-geological setting known for high uranium in bedrock and to develop a theoretical model for a revised radon testing protocol. Methods: We surveyed a remote Inuit community in Labrador, located in the midst of uranium belt. We selected 25 houses by convenience sampling and placed electret-ion-chamber radon monitoring devices in the lowest levels of the house (basement/crawl space). The standard radon study questionnaire developed and used by Health Canada was used. Results: 7 (28%) houses had radon levels above the guideline value (range 249 to 574 Bq/ m3). Housing characteristics, such as floors, sump holes, ventilation, and heating systems were suspected for high indoor radon levels and health consequences. Conclusion: There is a possibility of the existence of high-risk community in a low-risk region. The regional and provincial health authorities would be benefited by consulting geologists to identify potentially high-risk communities across the country. Placing testing devices in the lowest levels provides more accurate assessment of indoor radon level. The proposed protocol, based on synchronized testing of radon (at the lowest level of houses and in rooms of normal occupancy) and thorough inspection of the houses will be a more effective lung cancer prevention strategy.

Background: Over the past several years our laboratories have investigated different aspects of the challenging issue of the alterations in bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics induced by physical stresses. Objective: To explore the bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics in samples of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. typhimurium), Staphylococcus aureus, and Klebsiella pneumoniae after exposure to gamma radiation emitted from the soil samples taken from the high background radiation areas of Ramsar, northern Iran. Methods: Standard Kirby-Bauer test, which evaluates the size of the zone of inhibition as an indicator of the susceptibility of different bacteria to antibiotics, was used in this study. Results: The maximum alteration of the diameter of inhibition zone was found for K. pneumoniae when tested for ciprofloxacin. In this case, the mean diameter of no growth zone in non-irradiated control samples of K. pneumoniae was 20. 3 (SD 0. 6) mm; it was 14. 7 (SD 0. 6) mm in irradiated samples. On the other hand, the minimum changes in the diameter of inhibition zone were found for S. typhimurium and S. aureus when these bacteria were tested for nitrofurantoin and cephalexin, respectively. Conclusion: Gamma rays were capable of making significant alterations in bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics. It can be hypothesized that high levels of natural background radiation can induce adaptive phenomena that help microorganisms better cope with lethal effects of antibiotics.

Background: A large number of studies have reported the relationship between ambient temperature and mortality. However, few studies have focused on the effects of high temperatures on cardio-cerebrovascular diseases mortality (CCVDM) and their acute events (ACCVDM). Objective: To assess the threshold temperature and time lag effects on daily excess mortality in Harbin, China. Methods: A generalized additive model (GAM) with a Poisson distribution was used to investigate the relative risk of mortality for each 1 ° C increase above the threshold temperature and their time lag effects in Harbin, China. Results: High temperature threshold was 26 ° C in Harbin. Heat effects were immediate and lasted for 0– 6 and 0– 4 days for CCVDM and ACCVDM, respectively. The acute cardiovascular disease mortality (ACVDM) seemed to be more sensitive to temperature than cardiovascular disease mortality (CVDM) with higher death risk and shorter time lag effects. The lag effects lasted longer for cerebrovascular disease mortality (CBDM) than CVDM; so did ACBDM compared to ACVDM. Conclusion: Hot temperatures increased CCVDM and ACCVDM in Harbin, China. Public health intervention strategies for hot temperatures adaptation should be concerned.

Background: Research suggests that diabetes mellitus (DM) has a negative impact on employment and workplace injury, but there is little data within the Canadian context. Objective: To determine if DM has an impact on various occupational health outcomes using the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). Methods: CCHS data between 2001 and 2014 were used to assess the relationships between DM and various occupational health outcomes. The final sample size for the 14-year study period was 505 606, which represented 159 432 239 employed Canadians aged 15– 75 years during this period. Results: We found significant associations between people with diabetes and their type of occupation (business, finance, administration: 2009, p=0. 002; 2010, p=0. 002; trades, transportation, equipment: 2008, p=0. 025; 2011, p=0. 002; primary industry, processing, manufacturing, utility: 2013, p=0. 018), reasons for missing work (looking for work: 2001, p=0. 024; school or education: 2003, p=0. 04; family responsibilities: 2014, p=0. 015; other reasons: 2001, p<0. 001; 2003, p<0. 001; 2010, p=0. 015), the number of work days missed (2010, 3 days, p=0. 033; 4 days, p=0. 038; 11 days, p<0. 001; 24 days, p<0. 001), and workrelated injuries (traveling to and from work: 2014, p=0. 003; working at a job or business: 2009, p=0. 021; 2014, p=0. 001). Conclusion: DM is associated with various occupational health outcomes, including workrelated injury, work loss productivity, and occupation type. This allows stakeholders to assess the impact of DM on health outcomes in workplace.

Background: Traffic policemen working at heavy traffic junctions are continuously exposed to high level of noise and its health consequences. Objective: To assess the hearing pathway in traffic policemen by means of brainstem evoked response audiometry (BERA), mid-latency response (MLR), and slow vertex response (SVR). Methods: In this observational comparative study, BERA, MLR, and SVR were tested in 35 male traffic policemen with field posting of more than 3 years. 35 age-matched men working in our college served as controls. Results: Increase in the latencies of waves I and III of BERA, and IPL I-III were observed. Compared to controls, the MLR and SVR waves showed no significant changes in studied policemen. Conclusion: We found that chronic exposure of traffic policemen to noise resulted in delayed conduction in peripheral part of the auditory pathway, ie, auditory nerve up to the level of superior olivary nucleus; no impairment was observed at the level of sub-cortical, cortical, or the association areas.

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Exposure to cotton dust is associated with several occupational lung diseases. The dust is often contaminated with Gram-negative bacteria containing endotoxins. This article is a secondary analysis from a cross-sectional study on respiratory symptoms and lung function of cotton industry workers in Greece. Details on the assessment of respiratory symptoms and lung function indices have been reported elsewhere...