Journal of Occupational Health
Online ISSN : 1348-9585
Print ISSN : 1341-9145
ISSN-L : 1341-9145
Volume 41, Issue 1
Displaying 1-11 of 11 articles from this issue
  • Wenyuan ZHAO, Kazuo AOKI, Tonxing XIE, Junichi MISUMI
    1999 Volume 41 Issue 1 Pages 1-7
    Published: 1999
    Released on J-STAGE: April 07, 2006
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Electrophysiological Changes Induced by Different Doses of 1-Bromopropane and 2-Bromopropane: Wenyuan ZHAO, et al. Department of Public Health and Hygiene, Oita Medical University—To ascertain the neurotoxicity of 2-bromopropane and 1-bromopropane, three doses of 2-bromopropane (1.1, 3.7 and 11.0 mmol/kg), two doses of 1-bromopropane (3.7 and 11.0 mmol/kg), and a dose of 2, 5-hexanedione (2, 5-HD) as a positive reference (2.6 mmol/kg) dissolved in olive oil were subcutaneously injected into rats once a day, 5 d/wk for 4 weeks. A control group were injected with olive oil alone. The maximum motor conduction velocity (MCV) and the motor latency (ML) in rat tail nerve, as indexes of the electrophysiological changes, were investigated for 4 weeks. From 2 weeks after the injections, the MCV in the 1-bromopropane and 2-bromopropane-treated groups began to decrease in a dose-dependent fashion. These dose-related decreases continued, and the MCV in the groups injected with 1-bromopropane (11.0 mmol/kg) and 2-bromopropane (3.7 and 11.0 mmol/kg) decreased significantly compared with that in the control group. The ML in the 1-bromopropane and 2-bromopropanetreated groups increased in reverse correlation with the MCV decreases. The changes in ML occurred earlier than the MCV changes in the 1-bromopropane and 2-bromopropane-treated groups. The potency of the peripheral neurotoxic changes induced by 1-bromopropane and 2-bromopropane at the doses used in the present study was weaker than that observed in the positive reference 2, 5-HD (2.6 mmol/kg) group. (J Occup Health 1999; 41: 1-7)
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  • Ken TAKAHASHI, Matti S HUUSKONEN, Antti TOSSAVAINEN, Toshiaki HIGASHI, ...
    1999 Volume 41 Issue 1 Pages 8-11
    Published: 1999
    Released on J-STAGE: April 07, 2006
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Ecological Relationship between Mesothelioma Incidence/Mortality and Asbestos Consumption in Ten Western Countries and Japan: Ken TAKAHASHI, et al. Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health—The objective of the present study was to evaluate the ecological relationship between mesothelioma incidence/mortality and per capita asbestos consumption in ten Western countries and Japan. The two national indices used to assess the geographical correlation were the most recent incidence/mortality rate of mesothelioma for the population over 15 years of age, and the per capita asbestos consumption rate of approximately 10-25 years ago for the population of all ages at that time. Among the ten Western countries, a clear linear relationship was shown between the mesothelioma incidence/mortality rate and the preceding per capita asbestos consumption rate with the Spearman correlation coefficient at 0.70 (p=0.03), and R2-value at 66%. However, the data-point for Japan was situated apart from the linear relationship due to the lower mesothelioma mortality rate, and when combined with other Western countries, the significant relationship diminished. It is possible that the asbestos consumption curve for Japan in past years lagged behind that for the Western countries and the cumulative exposure effect has not yet reached the level that can be expected from other Western countries. (J Occup Health 1999; 41: 8-11)
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  • Takahiko KATOH, Masahiro NAKANO, Makoto YOSHIOKA, Hisato INATOMI, Tets ...
    1999 Volume 41 Issue 1 Pages 12-18
    Published: 1999
    Released on J-STAGE: April 07, 2006
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Urothelial Cancer Risk in Relation to Genotypes of Glutathione S-Transferase (GST) M1, T1, P1 and N-Acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2), and Tobacco Smoking: Takahiko KATOH, et al. Department of Health Information Science, School of Health Sciences—Both genetic and environmental factors are involved in the development of cancer. Molecular epidemiological studies were performed in order to elucidate the relationship between four polymorphic metabolic enzymes and susceptibility to urothelial cancer (bladder, renal pelvis and ureter) and cigarette-smoking. The polymorphisms of glutathione S-transferase (GST) M1, T1 and P1, and N-acetyltransf erase (NAT) 2 were analyzed by PCR, and a history of cigarette smoking was obtained through an interview with 102 cancer cases and with 100 controls. GSTM1 null genotype was a risk factor (odds ratio (OR), 2.12; 95% confidence interval (Cl), 1.17—3.90), especially in smokers (OR, 3.70; 95%Cl, 1.16—12.79). GSTT1 null genotype and the polymorphism of GSTP1 at nucleotide 313 were not associated with the cancer risk. Slow acetylation genotype of NAT2 was a significant risk factor (OR, 4.75; 95%Cl, 1.64—15.90) in overall samples and the greatest risk for smokers (OR, 10.05; 95% Cl, 1.08—240.6). To investigate the relationship between the cancer and the amount of smoking, we performed regression analysis for the relative risk of cancer as a function of the amount of smoking. The regression analysis shows that the susceptibility of people who have the GSTM1 null genotype or NAT2 intermediate acetylator genotype is easily raised by a little smoking compared to the GSTM1 positive genotype or NAT2 rapid acetylation genotype, respectively. These results imply that polymorphisms in the GSTM1 and NAT2 gene are a genetic determinant of urothelial cancer among Japanese, and the interaction between genes and cigarette smoking may be important in the development of urothelial cancer. (J Occup Health 1999; 41: 12-18)
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  • Katsuya FURUKI, Sumihisa HONDA, Doosub JAHNG, Masayuki IKEDA, Toshiter ...
    1999 Volume 41 Issue 1 Pages 19-26
    Published: 1999
    Released on J-STAGE: April 07, 2006
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The Effects of a Health Promotion Program on Body Mass Index: Katsuya FURUKI, et al. Department of Occupational Health, Kyoto Industrial Health Association—The objectives of the study were to clarify the effects of a health promotion program approved by the “Total Health Promotion Plan (THP)” sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Labour on body mass index (BMI) and to identify the potential value of BMI. A group of 392 men and 115 women aged 26-55 years who had taken part in THP for four years were the subjects of this follow-up study. Longitudinal change in BMI and other medical parameters (including systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol) were analyzed in the THP group in comparison with those of a control group (matched by sex, age and term of follow-up). No significant difference in medical parameters was detected between the THP group and the control group, but major findings indicate that change in BMI is closely related to change in other medical parameters and that lifestyle deterioration of overweight workers increases BMI and lifestyle improvement (especially dietary habits) reduces BMI. The present study suggests that lifestyle improvement results in a decrease in BMI followed by improvement in medical parameters. Both BMI and change in BMI appear to be comprehensive indicators of the health status of overweight workers. (J Occup Health 1999; 41: 19-26)
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  • Srdjan S. BORJANOVIC, Srdjan V. DJORDJEVIC, Marianne Dj. VUKOVIC-PAL
    1999 Volume 41 Issue 1 Pages 27-32
    Published: 1999
    Released on J-STAGE: April 07, 2006
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    A Method for Evaluating Exposure to Nitrous Oxides by Application of Lognormal Distribution: S.S. BoRJANOVic, et al. Department of Work Physiology, Institute of Occupational Health “Dr Dragomir Karajovic”—A lognormal distribution adequately describes exposure to nitrous oxides in a work environment. The aim of this paper was to assign to the measured data a certain degree of variability which defines the interval in which real concentrations can be found with a given probability. Exposures may be evaluated by using estimates of the geometric mean (GM) and the geometric standard deviation (GSD), i.e. central value and dispersion index, to calculate the confidence interval (Cl) around the mean exposure and compare this interval to the occupational exposure limit. The concentration of nitrous oxides (114 random temporal measurements covering all three shifts, during 6 consecutive days) on coated electrode welding in a car manufacturing plant, was determined with colourimetric direct reading method. Statistical analysis (chi-square and Kolmogorov-Smirnov goodness of fit tests, lognormal and Gaussian distribution fitting and Q-Q plots) was performed. The distribution of the nitrous oxides concentration in the work environment studied closely resembled that of lognormal distribution. The geometric mean was 4.098 mg/m3, median 4.00 Mg/mm3, geometric standard deviation 1.829 and 95% confidence interval 3.66—4.58 mg/mm3. It is possible to apply the computed GSD for evaluation of exposure limits to nitrous oxides in any other work environment, even with only a few measurements. (J Occup Health 1999; 41: 27-32)
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  • Wei ZHOU, Shun-hua YE
    1999 Volume 41 Issue 1 Pages 33-38
    Published: 1999
    Released on J-STAGE: April 07, 2006
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Subchronic Oral Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) Exposure in Male Sprague-Dawley Rats and Effects on Health of MTBE Exposed Workers: Wei ZHOU, et al. Department of Environmental Health, Shanghai Medical University—Methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) is used to reduce carbon monoxide and ozone in urban air and to boost fuel octane. There are yet no data on the toxicity and health effects of MTBE in China. To evaluate the possible toxicity of domestic MTBE, 40 male, 8-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing 180-200 g, were gavaged with different concentrations of MTBE. MTBE, dissolved in soybean oil, was administered at doses of 1000, 600 or 200 mg/kg b.w., and a control group with soybean oil, once daily, five days per week, for 90 days. There were no marked differences in body weight growth and food intake among the 4 groups. The results showed that MTBE significantly increased the weights of liver and kidneys, but the levels of serum enzymes and proteins were not greatly changed. No apparent pathological changes in the main organs (liver, kidneys, testes, and lungs) were found by light microscopy, but electron microscopy analysis showed significant changes in liver cells of all treatment groups, including cell nuclear condensation, fat drops and lysosomes in cells, and smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) dispersion. The effects on the health of 96 MTBE occupationally exposed workers and 102 controls were also investigated by a questionnaire, and we found that workers who reported health complaints in MTBE exposed group (62 cases, 64.6%) were significantly more numerous (P<.001) than those in the control group (16 cases, 16.7%), and the OR value was 9.80(95% C. l. is 4.74—20.53). The most frequently reported symptoms in the exposed group were eye irritation (19.8%), dizziness (18.8%), burning sensation in the nose or throat (17.7%), insomnia (13.5%), nausea or vomiting (13.5%), headache (12.5%), fatigue (12.5%), poor memory (12.5%), irritability (6.3%) and skin irritation or redness (5.2%). The data suggested that MTBE may be toxic to male SD rats at high doses, and MTBE may have harmful effects on exposed workers. (J Occup Health 1999; 41: 33-38)
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  • Su-yun RUAN, Zu-wei Gu
    1999 Volume 41 Issue 1 Pages 39-42
    Published: 1999
    Released on J-STAGE: April 07, 2006
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Toxic Effects of Low Level Lead on the Blood-Brain Barrier in Rats: Su-yun RUAN, et al. Shanghai Institute of Labour Hygiene and Occupational Diseases—This study was designed to investigate damage to the permeability and ultrastructure of the blood-brain barrier caused by low level lead by using Lanthanum nitrate tracing and to explore the blood and the brain lead threshold level which induced such damage. The results showed that there was no obvious damage to the blood-brain barrier in the 10 mg/L lead exposure group when the blood lead level reached 1.67 times as high as that in the control group, and the brain lead level was not much higher than that in the control group. But in the 30 mg/ L lead exposure group, when the blood and brain lead levels reached 2.46 and 1.34 times that in the control group, respectively, lanthanum granules seeped into the base membrane and pericytes through the space between neighbouring endotheliocytes. The results suggested that the damage in close junctions between endotheliocytes was an early and easily observable brain marker of exposure to low level lead. In animal experimentals the lanthanum nitrate tracing technique with cardiac flush fixation is a sensitive and effective method for revealing changes in the permeability of the blood-brain barrier. It can be used in experiments on lead or other toxic environmental pollutants affecting the blood-brain barrier, and also in observing the effects of new preventive and therapeutic medicaments. (J Occup Health 1999; 41: 39-42)
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  • Xueyun FAN, Boyang ZHAO, Xiangwu HAN, Lin YAO
    1999 Volume 41 Issue 1 Pages 43-44
    Published: 1999
    Released on J-STAGE: April 07, 2006
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
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  • Yasushi JOHYAMA, Kozo YOKOTA, Kyohei YAMAGUCHI, Yukio FUJIKI, Tatsuya ...
    1999 Volume 41 Issue 1 Pages 45-46
    Published: 1999
    Released on J-STAGE: April 07, 2006
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
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  • Moon-Hee JUNG
    1999 Volume 41 Issue 1 Pages 47-50
    Published: 1999
    Released on J-STAGE: April 07, 2006
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The Prospect for Occupational Health Nursing Activities in Small and Medium Sized Workplaces: Moon-Hee JUNG. Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, Hanyang University—In Korea, nurses perform their services in different ways according to the scale of the workplace: In large workplaces they work as full-timers and in small and medium ones they work as visiting nurses, placed by health management agencies. Regardless of their ways of service, occupational health nurses conduct a large part of health management affairs. Health management affairs have so far aimed at decreasing occupational diseases, but when working conditions are improved and occupational diseases decrease, their goals will be changed, aiming at the health promotion and the prevention of general diseases which have been steadily increasing. As occupational health nursing activities are expected to be changed to accomplish such goals, the roles of nurses are also expected to be expanded. The expected role of nurses is to provide high quality professional services suitable for the scale of the workplace, the nursing activity methods and the goals of health management. In practice, however, there are not a few restraints on them to adequately perform such roles. Most of all, because of poor working conditions, their turnover is high and their term of service is short. In relation to this, the tendency to replace them with less experienced nurses may give rise to quite a few problems in maintaining reliable relationships with workplaces as well as providing professional services. Therefore, in order to produce high-quality professional services, it is necessary to improve the working conditions of nurses so as to secure nurses who can work for a long time. What is most important is to allow occupational health nurses to perform standard services by function. (J Occup Health 1999; 41: 47-50)
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  • Jungsun PARK, Yangho Kim
    1999 Volume 41 Issue 1 Pages 51-56
    Published: 1999
    Released on J-STAGE: April 07, 2006
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The Present and the Future of Occupational Health in Korea: Jungsun PARK, et al. Industrial Health Research Institute, Korea Industrial Safety Corporation, S. Korea—Generally the industrial development of Korea has accompanied increasing tendency of industrial injury and occupational disease. As the economy began to develop in the 1970s and the development of the heavy metal and petrochemical industries accompanied this economic growth, industrial injuries and occupational diseases have emerged as serious social problems. In the 1980s, the rapid introduction of new industries and technological innovations have further aggravated the work environments. The Industrial Safety and Health Law mandates employers to provide periodic medical examination, work environment measurement, and health management with the employment of a health supervisor to regulate industrial accidents and occupational diseases. These programs are important tools of protecting workers'' health and, having been developed along with Korea''s industrial health care system, has a historical meaning of its own. However, these programs can also be negatively criticized because of ritualistic and unproductive execution. Recently, the Government introduced new approaches to supplement the shortage of the mandatory occupational health services by law. The new approaches are reforming of occupational medical examination program, conducting the government funded subsidiary occupational health program for smallsized enterprises, and the expansion of the workers''right to know and right to participate etc. While there have been a shift from uniformity and compulsory execution to autonomy, locality, and expansion of the workers'' right to participate, the issue of necessary conditions for these new approaches to become effective in a developing nation such as Korea will grow in importance. (J Occup Health 1999; 41: 51-56)
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