Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2004;
61:571
Copyright © 2004 by the BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.
WORK IN BRIEF
Work in brief
Keith Palmer, Editor
CLIMATE AND ATOPIC DISEASE
Thundery conditions and short-term
changes in temperature and humidity have been linked with exacerbations
of asthma. Less is known about the general association between
climatic conditions and atopic disease, but Weiland
et al (p.
609) have now investigated the question extensively in a study
that spanned 146 centres worldwide (the International Study
of Allergies in Childhood). At each centre some 6000 children
completed written and video questionnaires about their symptoms
of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis, and eczema in the previous 12
months. Their responses were related to long-term climatic data
from the centres using multilevel modelling. Several striking
findings emerged. In Western Europe the prevalence of asthmatic
symptoms increased by 2.7% for a 10% increase in annual mean
indoor relative humidity, but there was a negative correlation
with altitude and annual variation in temperature. The prevalence
of eczema was positively correlated with altitude and negatively
with mean annual outdoor temperature. The authors find support
in the data for the hypothesis that climate affects the prevalence
of childhood asthma and eczema.
CATALYTIC CONVERTERS AND ROAD TRANSPORT POLLUTION
In recent years, the widespread
use of catalytic converters in road transport vehicles has led
to a substantial increase in environmental concentrations of
platinum group elements (PGEs—platinum, palladium, and
rhodium), detectable even in remote parts of the world. The
risk to human health and ecosystems is unclear, however, given
the low levels of PGEs usually detected. Further insight into
the problem is provided by the report of Iavicoli
et al (p.
636), in which pre- and post-shift urinary platinum levels were
measured in traffic police from the city of Rome and compared
with those from indoor police force workers. No significant
differences were found between these groups, or between pre-
and post-shift levels in the traffic officers. However, levels
in both groups were higher than in other historical surveys,
so the authors caution that human exposures may be increasing
over time.
MORTALITY IN ATOMIC WORKERS FROM UKEA: 50 YEAR FOLLOW UP
In this issue, Atkinson
et al (p.
577) report a further mortality analysis in workers from
the UK Atomic Energy Authority. An earlier survey highlighted
higher mortality rates from prostate and uterine cancer in this
workforce. The latest analysis incorporates twice the previous
number of deaths (10 249), thanks to extended follow up and
a 30% growth in size of the original cohort, and so substantially
increases the power to examine these health endpoints. The findings
were generally reassuring. Radiation workers showed no overall
increase in mortality, and the previously detected association
with prostate cancer was no longer evident. Mortality rates
from endometrial cancer were still increased in female radiation
workers, but there was no correlation with dose, leading the
authors to conclude that the findings do not arise from radiation
exposure.
DEINDUSTRIALISATION AND FATAL WORKPLACE ACCIDENTS IN THE USA
The rate of fatal occupational
accidents in the United States declined 45% between 1980 and
1996. "Deindustrialisation"—the restructuring of business
through reduced domestic manufacturing, downsizing, closure
of industrial plants, and transfer of jobs to the service sector—may
explain a part of this long term trend. Loomis
et al (p.
616)
have quantified the effect of deindustrialisation using death
certificate and census data. Standardisation of rates (to the
structure of the labour force in 1980) and regression modelling
were employed to compare rates adjusted and unadjusted for changes
in the labour market. Industries that were contracting and industries
that were growing both showed a downward trend in fatal injury
rates, but the rate of decline was smaller in shrinking industries
(–2.65%
v –3.43% per year). The shift of jobs from
high to low hazard industries explained only 10–15% of
the total decline. Deindustrialisation does not appear to have
major negative (or positive) effects on occupational safety.
The authors speculate that more important factors may include
process changes, new technology, the automation of manufacturing,
and specific safety interventions.
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