Effect of Chlordimeform on Cardiovascular Function in Occupational Exposures: Zhijun ZHOU, et al. Department of Occupational Health, Shanghai Medical University—To understand the possible effects of an insecticide, chlordimeform, on the human cardiovascular system, this work was carried out. Pre- and postexposure, the medical examinations, especially cardiovascular functions, were meticulously done in farmers spraying 0.125% solution of chlordimeforme for 3 consecutive days and packers packing chlordimeform for one month. The exposure level was measured by means of the urinary excretion of chlordimeform and its main metabolite, 4-chlor-o-tolumidine, as well as the air concentration in the work place and skin contamination by using a regional proportional sampling strategy. The alterations, though mild and diverse, were significant compared to their own pre-exposure background. The changes in heart rate, blood pressure and some EKG parameters, such as T wave, P wave, PR interval and Qt interval were noticed. The cardiovascular functional changes were usual and sensitive findings in the exposed persons, and their importance in health surveillance needs to be emphasized.

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Metabolism of Terbufos in Rat Liver: Jin-Tong Li, et al. Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China, 100850—Biotransformation of terbufos in rat liver revealed four metabolites in the effluent prepared with a C₁₈ cartridge after the rat liver was perfused for one hour in situ. Analysing the spectrogram of GC-IR and GC-MS, metabolite IV appeared to be an oxidative desulfuration product of terbufos with the formula C₉H₂₁O₃PS₂, the recovery of which in the effluent was 2.13%; metabolite I appeared to be an hydrolysate of metabolite IV with the formula C₅H₁₃O₃PS, the recovery of which was 0.13%; metabolite II appeared to be an hydrolysate of terbufos with the formula C₅H₁₃O₂PS₂, the recovery of which was 2.65%; metabolite III appeared to be a methylate of metabolite 11, with the formula C₆H₁₅O₂PS₂, the recovery of which was 1.42%. Relatively the recovery of terbufos was 40.8%. These results were in accord with the regular metabolic pattern in vivo of phosphorothioates with a thioether group.

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The Present Relationship between Japanese Workers'' Health Status and Lifestyle: Ichiro SAKURADA, et al. Department of Hygiene, Chiba University School of Medicine—To clarify the factors of lifestyle which are really relevant to present Japanese industrial workers'' health, the relationship between physical or mental health status and lifestyle among workers of three different companies in Japan (2265 male) was investigated. The indices of physical health status investigated here were as follows: SBP, DBP, GOT, GPT, γ-GTP, T-CHO, TG, RBC, Hb. The index of mental health status was SDS. The explanatory variables were age, nine lifestyle factors, and obesity index. Age and obesity index were statistically significant to physical health status in the three companies. The relationship between health status and the other lifestyle factors differed among the three companies. The lifestyle factors which were significant to the mental health status differed among the three companies. These results suggest that the management of obesity may be the most important issue for present day Japanese industrial workers. But the focus of effective mental health education differed among the three companies.

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Program of Exercise Training as Total Health Promotion Plan and its Evaluation: Masaru FUKAHORI, et al. Department of Public Health and Hygiene, Oita Medical University—As part of a Total Health Promotion Plan (THP) at the workplace, quantitative exercise on the basis of the maximum heart rate (HR_max) on a treadmill was continued for six months and the possible relationship with lipid metabolism was evaluated. Subjects were 108 male workers selected from among 1, 300 employees of a petroleum complex, having two or more risk factors for circulatory disorders including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity and hyperglycemia confirmed by annual health checkups at the workplace in 1996 and being able to take exercise. They were randomly assigned to one exercise group (54 men) and one control group (54 men). The exercise group was instructed to take 20 minutes' walking exercise on a treadmill, three times a week for six months. The speed of the treadmill was set so that the heart rate while walking would be maintained within the range 70-75% of the HR_max. After six months' exercise, decreases in the waist-hip ratio (WHR) and significant increases in HDL- and HDL₂ cholesterol (HDL₂C) were seen in the exercise group. The HDL₂C/HDL₃ cholesterol ratio increased in the exercise group, and decreased in the control group, but no effect in improving total cholesterol was observed, Furthermore, in the exercise group an increase was noted in the adaptive walking speed at which the walking in the 70-75% HR_max range could be continued. In the present study a 6-month exercise program with the heart rate as an index was proposed as a part of THP. As a result, the exercise group were found to have increases in HDLC and HDL₂C, which are known to have an anti-arteriosclerotic action. In addition to these effects on serum lipids, the exercise program proved to be effective in increasing adaptive walking speed and in lowering WHR.

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Recent Trends in Homepages of Occupational Health Journals on the Internet: Yuki KAMIBEPPU, et al. Department of Public and Occupational Health Nursing, School of Health Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health—The usefulness of homepages (HP) of twelve occupational health journals including the Journal of Occupational Health was assessed by using the HP of the British Medical Journal as the “gold standard”. There was a wide range of available information and functions for the HP of the ten occupational health journals with URL addresses. Basic information such as instruction to authors and table of contents was provided in most journals, but few journals provided innovative functions such as access to full texts. There is room for improvement in HPs of most occupational health journals to serve as a convenient tool and source of information for the relevant professionals.

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Self-Reported Asthma and Respiratory Symptoms in Sewage Workers: Lennart FRIIs, et al. Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden—To investigate whether Swedish sewage workers have an increased risk of respiratory symptoms or diseases. In a cross-sectional study, 149 sewage workers and 138 referents, selected from among other municipal workers, were given a self-administered questionnaire about asthma, atopy, smoking and symptoms from the airways, skin and eyes. Two-by-two statistics was used to compare proportions and logistic regression was used for multivariable analyses. The sewage workers reported significantly more adult asthma than the referents. The adjusted odds ratio for asthma during adulthood was 5.3 (95% confidence interval 1.1-26) as determined from a multivariable logistic regression analysis when controlling for age, gender, atopic disposition and tobacco smoking. They also had increased risk, but not statistically significant, of some possibly asthma related symptoms and chronic bronchitis. There was no difference in atopic disposition based on a history of allergic diseases in childhood or in parents. Neither were there any differences in symptoms in the eyes or skin. Self-reported asthma was more common among the sewage workers than other municipal workers. This might be caused by occupational exposure to irritant or inflammatory substances.

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Positron Emission Tomography (PET) in Differentiating Manganism from Idiopathic Parkinsonism: Yangho KIM, et al. Industrial Health Research Institute, Korea Industrial Safety Corporation (KISCO)—It is difficult to distinguish manganism and idiopathic parkinsonism from each other, especially in the settings where an isolated patient with parkinsonism has spent time in a manganese (Mn)-exposed working environment. We performed clinical examinations and laboratory studies including mangetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) in two Mnexposed workers (cases 1 and 2) who had parkinsonian features. The clinical features of case 1, however, were rather different from those of case 2, although both of them have some common parkinsonian features such as bradykinesia, tremor and rigidity. MRI in case 1 showed no abonormaities, but in case 2 showed symmetrical high signal intensities in the globus pallidus on a T1 weighted image. On PET findings, Ki values in the striatum were within the normal range in case 1, but reduced ¹⁸F-6-fluorodopa uptake in the left putamen was seen in case 2. PET provides information of considerable value in discriminating between idiopathic parkinsonism and mangnism.

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Toxicokinetic Modeling of the Combined Exposure to Toluene and n-Hexane in Rats and Humans: Nabeel ALI, et al. Département de médecine du travail et d''hygiène du milieu, Faculté de médecine, Université de Montréal—We studied the toxicokinetic fate of toluene (TOL) and n-hexane (HEX) in rats exposed to mixtures of these solvents by inhalation during 4 hours. We developed and validated a physiologically based toxicokinetic (PBTK) model for this binary mixture in the rat, which after proper scaling, was used to predict the impact of combined exposure to TOL and HEX in humans. Simultaneous exposure to TOL (125-300 ppm) did not affect the kinetics of HEX (100 or 800 ppm) in blood in rats. Coexposure to HEX, however, increased the concentration of TOL in blood. Coexposure strongly reduced the urinary excretion of 2, 5-hexanedione (HD) (up to 75% reduction for TOL 300 ppm + HEX 100 ppm) whereas the urinary excretion of HA and o-CR were reduced to a lesser extent (up to 28% reduction for TOL 200 ppm + HEX 100 ppm). Simulations of exposure to various TOL-HEX mixtures with the human PBTK model suggested that at concentration corresponding to their respective exposure limit values (TOL: 50 ppm; HEX: 50 ppm) coexposure during 7 hours would result in only slight effects on their respective kinetics. This study showed 1) that exposure indicators such as the blood concentration of unchanged TOL and HEX or the amount of their respective urinary metabolite(s) are not equally sensitive to the occurrence of a metabolic interaction and, 2) that such difference of sensitivity can be predicted a priori using a PBTK modeling approach.

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Analytical Study on Gender Differences in Self-Reported Oral Health Care and Problems of Japanese Employees: Makoto KAWAMURA, et al. Department of Preventive Dentistry, Hiroshima University School of Dentistry—The purpose of this survey was to clarify gender differences in self-reported oral health care and problems of Japanese employees. A 60-item questionnaire named Dental Checker® was used in a project on oral health in the working place. Subjects were 77, 845 Japanese employees (males, 52, 345; females, 25, 500). The Mantel-Haenszel chi-square test was used to clarify gender differences among respondents. Of great significance was a finding that 81.8% of females felt uncomfortable when they slept without brushing their teeth, as contrast with 58.8% of males (P<0.001, OR=3.22). Nearly one half of male employees answered that they were too busy to go to the dentist, while 36.8% of females answered in this way (P<0.001, OR=1.83). Only a minority reported occasional use of dental floss (males; 13.2%, females; 24.9%, P<0.001, OR=2.04). Significant gender differences were found for all 18 behavioral items, and in each case, females generally reported ‘healthier’ behavior than males. Although differences between genders were small with respect to their assessment of the risk factors of periodontal disease, male employees were more likely to report bad breath, enlarged spaces between teeth, food impaction, chewing restriction, and tooth mobility than females (P<0.001, OR=1.26-1.78). Findings suggest that gender as well as age remains an important consideration when planning dental health education or other interventions at the workplace.

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Drinking and Smoking Habits and Urinary Level of Hippuric Acid in Adults not Exposed to Toluene: Edna Maria ALVAREZ-LEITE, et al. Department of Clinical Chemistry and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Minas Gerais-UFMG, Brazil—Hippuric acid (HA) is still the biomarker most used for monitoring exposure to toluene, but it is produced by the body even in the absence of this solvent, and has the disadvantage of showing significant variation in and between individuals, depending on environmental factors and individual characteristics. A number of studies have reported the influence of individual drinking and smoking habits on toluene metabolism, but the effect on urinary excretion of HA is still controversial. This study was conducted in an attempt to examine whether these individual habits also affect HA excretion in individuals not exposed to toluene. Urine sample from 195 people (99 women and 96 men), ranging in age from 17 to 46 years old, were collected. The individuals were classified in groups according their drinking and smoking habits. The data from the current study indicate that these two social habits, either separately or combined, do not influence basal urinary HA levels in this study group.

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Analysis of Japanese Occupational Health Services for Small- and Medium-scale Enterprises in Comparison with the Finnish System: Tetsuya MIZOUE, et al. Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health—The importance of establishing effective occupational health services (OHSs) for small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) has long been stressed. This study aims to characterize the Japanese OHSs for SMEs through comparison with the Finnish services in terms of relevant legislation, frontline providers, supporting organizations, service contents, personnel and subsidiary or special programs. In Finland the Occupational Health Services Act requires all employers to organize OHSs irrespective of the size of the enterprise, and municipal health centers and private medical centers are the two most common service models for SMEs. In Japan the law requires employers with 50 or more employees to appoint one or more occupational health physicians for advisory services, whereas small-scale enterprises (SSEs) with fewer than 50 employees have available the services of the Regional Occupational Health Center. Expert supportive services are available in Finland from the Institute of Occupational Health, and in Japan they are available from the Occupational Health Promotion Center and several other organizations. Subsidiary programs have been developed for occupational health activities in SMEs in Japan. A nationwide action program on SSEs has begun to provide comprehensive services in Finland. In summary, Finland has attained higher coverage of OHSs for SMEs than Japan, not only through legislation but also by using flexible OHS models. Moreover, in Finland the content of the services is determined according to a risk assessment of each workplace and emphasis is placed on prevention, whereas in Japan health management based on a general health examination is the major type of OHS.

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Acute and Repeated Inhalation Toxicity of 1-Bromopropane in SD Rats: Hyeon-Yeong KIM et al. Industrial Chemicals Research Center, Industrial Health Research Institute, Korea—The acute and repeated inhalation toxicity of 1-bromopropane (1-BP) in SD rats were investigated. LC₅₀ for four-hour exposure was 14, 374 ppm (95% confidence limit: 13, 624-15, 596 ppm). It was revealed to be irritating to the eyes with lacrimation in all four-hour exposure rats. No other abnormal clinical signs and gross findings related to the 1-BP exposure were observed. An experiment on repeated exposure to 0, 50, 300, and 1, 800 ppm for six hrs/day, five days/week, for eight weeks was conducted. A decrease in body weights and increase in relative liver weight in both male and female rats were observed in the 1, 800 ppm exposure group (p<0.001 vs. control group). No other significant changes in feed consumption, urinanalysis, hematology and serum biochemistry were observed. Histopathological examinations did not reveal any 1-BP-related changes.

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Improvement of Sickle Quality Through Ergonomic Participatory Approach at Batunya Village Tabanan Regency: SUTJANA D.P., et al. Dept. of Physiology, Udayana University, School of Medicine—Sickles are the most common hand tools used by farmers, but nowadays farmers are complaining that the sickles being used are of low quality in term of sharpness, comfort and durability. In view of this problem, a participatory ergonomics study has been carried out at Batunya village for one year (from April 1995 to March 1996). A sample of 119 farmers participated in this study. Through interviews and seminars at the local meeting hall and at the University of Udayana, opinions were gathered from the farmers regarding the sickles used concerning their sharpness, shape, weight and handle design. During the seminar the ergonomic application was also discussed with the farmers. All information was given to the blacksmiths to improve the quality of the sickle. The new sickles with a JBS mark are being sold to the farmers through the local KUD as a trial, and the farmers have been asked to comment on the new design. There is no significant difference (p>0.05) between the old and the new sickles from the point of view of productivity, but according to the farmers the new design JBS sickles perform better than the old ones. KUD officials reported that the sale of JBS sickles was better than that of the old design. By continuing this procedure a sickle can be designed ergonomically.

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