Document mqYYZ3LQwa1qBv67mZOebKwQb

Stacks After Current Taels % * il' -1s ,, niltiUB rEB i i OimiGH OF AFFAIRS LIBRARY ndustrial Hygiene Digest . __;-r'; L INDUSTRIAL HEALTH NEWS LITERATURE ABSTRACTS: MEDICAL ENGINEERING CHEMICAL TOXICOLOGICAL LEGAL Si?"' v. Z'Z-lyrSg- JANUARY, 1969 (Vol. 33, No. 1) INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE FOUNDATION 5231 CENTRE AVENUE PITTSBURGH, PA. 15232 W ' s ' " - V* \ '*! d? -' CHR-316 msmmm January. I 5o 5 > - a'W: ?: ;. Ind. Eeirle--.ictojical, Z.v.-.r -r.rr~.,h ii 7-232 -'Oct. , : i.-d C.mloii Survey. C. E. D. Hearn. -idemioiojical and environmental survey of 17; oajasse wor.--.ers em.o'.oyed by a raw s.__j An 'r -.'reducing c.v.upa r.v in Trinidad was carried out ir. order to assess the oreva-ar.ee of resoira: i'.r.'.th'1111' a er.r.la: aoac:ty. The epid'inniriogioal surge/ railed to reveal a significantly increased prevaier.ee o --oiratory svtr.ptom.s ir. the more exposed group but snowed that the grouo of Indian wo nicer: who were regularly ar.d continuously exposed to bagasse had a significantly lower ventilatory capacity than the control group. This diminished venciiatory capacity was demonstrated des: negliatble dust concentrations ir. the plant. However, the possibility that persistent exposer' '0w concentrations of bagasse may be the cause must be considered. During a five-year ->er i7 oatients with bagassosis were seen, the clinicai picture being similar to that described ir. extrinsic allergic alveolitis from, other causes. The systematic variations demonstrated ir. : indices of ventilatory function in different racial groups are discussed. --Author's abs: Y fT-'rr.unological Aspects of Bagassosis. C. E. D. Hearn and V. Holford-Strevens. "gTit". J. Ind. Med! 25, 283-292 (Oct. , 1963). trr.munologicai investigations of 37 patients with bagassosis, 32 unaffected bagasse workers, .and 130 non-exposed controls showed that orecipitir.s against extracts of bagasse could be demon strated iust as frequently in the unaffected and the nor.-exposed as in the affected. However, there was a general tendency for the precipitin levels of patients with bagassosis to fall slightly with increasing time after recovery from the clinical episode. The presence of the orecipitir.s so far demonstrated in the sera of bagasse workers therefore appears to be of no clinicai sig nificance. Inhalation tests with an extract of bagasse, in a group of 16 patients who had had bagassosis, produced late, systemic reactions in 13 similar to those described in farmer's lung h and bird fancier's lur.g, so supporting the hypothesis that a similar type of hypersensitivity is the cause of bagassosis. Inhalation of extracts of Thermoactinomyces vulgaris also produced typical, late reactions in 1 2 out of 15 subjects, whereas extracts of Micropolyspora faeni failed to produce reactions in any of 16 subjects. The specific reactions to inhalation tests with Thermoactinomyces vulgaris were typical of a precipitin-mediated type of hypersensitivity reaction and support the view that this actinomycete may be important in the aetiology of bagassosis. --Authors' abst. 7 3 Pleural Eibrocalcific Plaques and Asbestos Exposure. L. O. Meurman. Environ. Research 1. 30-46 (Sept. , l68). In a number of serial investigations an association has been demonstrated between the devel opment of benign calcific pleural plaques or malignant diffuse mesothelioma and slight inhala tion of asbestos dust, often some 20 or 30 years previously. As the industrial use of asbestos .2ut has increased enormously during the last tew decades, a rise in the frequency of mesothelioma -- which has hitherto been rare -- is anticipated in the near future (Thomson, iq62). From the standpoint of epidemiological research concerning asbestos exposure, the demonstration of calcific plaques on roentgenograms has proved a useful criterion. So far, only an association has been disclosed, however, not an obvious causai relationship. Other pathogenetic factors, still unknown, have to be taken into account either as a contributory or the sole cause. The occurrence of bilateral calcific piacues does not yet imply the presence of asbestosis-pr.ev.m.o- coniosis. In the majority of subjects who have not been occupationally exposed to asbestos, oleural calcification, is not com.bined with pulmor.arv changes or signs of pneumoconiosis. There are 43 references. --Author's abst. Mortality From Lur.z Cancer and Other Causes Among '-Vorkers in J. F. Knox, et al. 5rit. J. Ind. Med. 25, 2a3-3G3 (Oct. , i 963). Asbestos Textile Factor1- An account is given of work in an as.oestos textile factory and of the steps taker, to reduce exposure to dust since the introduction of the Asbestos Ir.dustrv Regulations in 1331. Measure ments of the amour.: of dust to vr.ich v.sre exoosed in the seneduted areas have been :-j hv various me mod s :-.r.co . -5.. - '.eta o ttair.ed oy tr.ese methods are r.oc timet.v o ar Ir.dust c r.t ao.e. Me-as u rem.e r :s m-auc .-tuco . - ? . <5. v r. . constant iron: year tyear ar.d has varn- ~:r. place ir c.&ce* between i ar.d paruci.es * 5 tc 1 00 microns long and at leas: tnree time: lore as the*v wewime' oc-r e.c. cf a-.r. Chrys--- tile was used predomir.antiv in tm-. factor r-r sm.ai1 arr.cur.cs oi crccidclit-: v'"ere also pro- cessed at ail relevant periens. Deatr. rates nave oc-en recc rrUid ior all the 15c :r.e-r who were employed for at least 20 years ir. the scr.edulec areas since the first man ct m.o:e:ed 20 vears " exposure in 1916, and for tne 55c men and 220 women wh? were employed ior at least 10 years in the scheduled areas but were never employed in these areas before 1~55. The results show a substantially increased mortality icr rr.er. who were exposed ior 10 or more years before i*?: (48 deaths from all causes against !" 1 expected). The increased morta.i:-. am one these men can be accounted ior by an increased mortality from cancer the iur.s i.2 deaths against 1- 2 expected! and from diseases cf the respiratory and circulatory systems associated with asbes- tosis. Men employed before 1-33, but for less than 10 years, showed an increased mortality from lung cancer (5 deaths against ! z expected), but no significant increase from other causes. Men and women who were exposed cr..y since January 1, - `55, have had a mortality experience close to the national average. Analysis oi the trends ir. mortality shows fit a decrease ir. mortality from lung car.cer and other deaths associated with asbestosis with reduction in length of employment before !a33. and (2) an increase in mortality from lung cancer and other deaths without asbestosis with age. Twenty-three cases of lung cancer occurred in men who had been employed in the scheduled areas for at least 20 years. One was regarded as a pleural mesothelioma and the rest (approximately 18 in excess of expected) appear to have been ordinary bronchial carcinomas. Four other mesotheliomas have been diagnosed since 1963, all in men and women with less than 10 years' exposure, one with only seven months' exposure, and one in a man who had been employed in the scheduled areas only since 137. The results provide grounds for believing that the occupational hazard of bronchial carcinoma has been Largely eliminated, but the data are insufficient to estimate the extent of the risk which may remain. --Authors' abst. 80 Fibrous and Mineral Content of Cosmetic Talcum Products. L. J. CraLley, et a!. Am. Ind. Hyg. Assn. J. 29, 350-554 (July-Aug. , 1968). With the exception of 4 of the 22 cosmetic talcum products analyzed, the levels of free silica, cobalt, nickel, chromium, and manganese were generally of a low magnitude and within a narrow range. It is not known whether the four products represent a significant proportion of sales in the industry or to what extent the sources of the talc ir. these four formulations are the same as sources of talc specified for use in other talcum products in the competitive market. The levels of silica, chromium, and nickel in these four products are sufficiently high, however, to be of concern in their potential to cause disease. All of the 22 talcum products analyzed have an appreciable fiber content, ranging from 8 to 30^. by count of the total talcum particulates, ar.d averaging 19*0. The fibrous material was predominantly talc but probably contained n-.inor amounts of tremolite, anthophyllite, and chrysotile as these are often present in fibrous talc mineral deposits. Cosmetic talcum products should be included as a source of the fibers, from which may be derived ferruginous bodies observed in the lungs of humans. The meaning of the presence of these ferruginous bodies, however, is uncertain. Industry has the know-how to safely handle fibrous material as well as toxic metals such as nickel, chromium, cobalt, ar.c manganese once adequate criteria have beer, established. Unknown significant amounts of such materials in products that may be used without precautions may create ar. unsuspected problem- For this reason continued research ar.d investigations ar.d communication of findings are neces sary in this area. There are 24 references. --Authors' conclusions 31 Ferruginous Bodies ir. Human lu-r.gs. rrevaler.ee at Far.com. Autopsies, D ar., ?. Gross, ar.c R. T. ru ce _ r s'-vi, ,e, nrc.:. runviromertta. Hea.tr. *, u - 5 2 u i'Sept. , Reprints available :r:m. Industrial Hygiene Foundation, 5231 Centre Ave Pittsburgh, Pa. . .52.'- re 0 c:n m-res The vourcost s urec: bodies \v&.s a 24-ye ar-o.d vir.ar.. 7 ,-.<r bodies v.vre j e * * era.lv more ab-rbar; :n tr.c .ur.js tr.r rr.er.. Thirtv-r*o patients ir. this series had some :hr*' r.a.ior.dr.: zist-as-v rtr- r-; /a* r. arsarer.t assrciaticr. between ;::e ma.irrarci*:-s ar.d the restive? aruraar.ce c.-c r.v* cs