Journal of Occupational Health
Online ISSN : 1348-9585
Print ISSN : 1341-9145
ISSN-L : 1341-9145
Volume 48, Issue 4
Displaying 1-11 of 11 articles from this issue
Original
  • Takafumi Maeda, Shin-ya Kaneko, Mitsuhiro Ohta, Kazuko Tanaka, Akihiko ...
    2006 Volume 48 Issue 4 Pages 223-229
    Published: 2006
    Released on J-STAGE: August 11, 2006
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    We examined the risk factors for heatstroke among forestry workers in Japan during the summer. We distributed a questionnaire to 124 forestry workers to determine heatstroke symptoms, degree of sweating and hydration, as well as perceived hotness and amount of sunlight at work sites. Forty of the workers (32.3%) reported experiencing heatstroke symptoms. Thirteen and 21 of them reported such symptoms during July and August, respectively. Eleven workers experienced heatstroke at around 14:00; 5 and 4 developed symptoms at around 11:00 and 10:00, respectively. Groups with and without heatstroke symptoms significantly differed in terms of perceived hotness (p<0.05), sunlight (p<0.05), degree of sweating (p<0.01) and frequency of hydration (p<0.05) while working. Heatstroke symptoms developed in 60.6% of workers aged up to 50 yr, but in only 22.0% of those over the age of 51 (p<0.01). Multiple regression analysis selected the following key variables associated with the development of heatstroke symptoms (R2=0.236 and p=0.006): frequency of urination, hotness, BMI and years of forestry work (standard coefficients: +0.229, +0.194, +0.280 and -0.162, respectively). The results of the present study showed that one third of forestry workers developed some symptoms of early heatstroke during summer forestry work. Furthermore, the results indicate that a short duration of forestry service was one of the risk factors contributing to the onset of heatstroke, in addition to heat stress, loss of body water and electrolytes, and obesity.
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  • Kenji Fukasawa, Hiroyuki Aikawa, Isao Okazaki, Takashi Haratani, Masay ...
    2006 Volume 48 Issue 4 Pages 230-238
    Published: 2006
    Released on J-STAGE: August 11, 2006
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Increased sleepiness at work is increasingly being focused on as a safety and health issue. However, research on workers' sleepiness is very limited in scope and the characteristics of work organization, including the impact of job stress, have not been fully addressed. A questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate the prevalence of daytime sleepiness and its associated factors among non-shift working men at two manufacturing businesses: Company A, having a rapid rate of development and growth, with 564 workers (19-61 yr old, mean age: 32.7, response rate: 81.4%); and Company B, long established, possessing a huge production facility, with 1,654 workers (20-63 yr old, mean age: 37.1, response rate: 78.2%). The prevalence of daytime sleepiness was 11.3% in company A and 16.8% in company B. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that, in company A, perceived sleepiness was associated with long sleep duration on non-working days and high cognitive demands and, in company B, with insufficient daily sleep, single, and depression. Psychosomatic exhaustion resulting from jobs requiring high adaptivity due to rapid frequency of operational change as in company A may have the potential to become an important factor in perceived sleepiness. However, in a comparatively stable work organization, as in company B, increased sleepiness may be mainly linked to factors outside work. It is suggested that not only lifestyle and sleep habits, but also the characteristics and dynamics of a work organization should be a focus of attention when planning measures to prevent sleepiness at work.
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  • Ikuno Araki, Hideki Hashimoto, Keiko Kono, Hideaki Matsuki, Eiji Yano
    2006 Volume 48 Issue 4 Pages 239-245
    Published: 2006
    Released on J-STAGE: August 11, 2006
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    This study examined the effectiveness of a traditional face-to-face health education and e-mail health education on alcohol usage among male workers in comparison with a control group. Male workers at a manufacturing plant (N=36) who had abnormal serum γ-GTP were stratified by age and job types, then randomized into three groups: face-to-face education, e-mail education, and the control. The subjects were assessed on their knowledge about and attitude towards drinking, reported alcohol consumption, and serum γ-GTP before the start of education and 2 months later after comparison of the education. Paired t-test and repeated ANOVA were conducted to test the significance of changes pre and post the intervention and across groups. In the face-to-face group, knowledge (p=0.001), attitude (p=0.026), alcohol consumption (p=0.003) and serum γ-GTP showed significant improvement. In the e-mail group, only alcohol consumption showed marginal improvement (p=0.077). In the control group, no variables remarkably changed. These results indicate that the face-to-face health education was more effective than the e-mail program. We discuss why the face-to-face approach was superior to the e-mail approach in this study by referring to self-monitoring, goal setting processes and timely feedback. We concluded that further studies are warranted to identify the effect of health education using e-mails and other network tools in consideration of the above three factors.
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  • Gabriel Chodick, Shai Ashkenazi, Gilat Livni, Yehuda Lerman
    2006 Volume 48 Issue 4 Pages 246-252
    Published: 2006
    Released on J-STAGE: August 11, 2006
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Nosocomial transmission of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is recognized as a significant cause of morbidity in health care workers as well as in high-risk patients. The current study aimed to investigate the presence of VZV antibodies among physicians and nurses, to assess the variables affecting it, and to compare it with previous international studies. Data were obtained by a questionnaire regarding sociodemographic and occupational characteristics and by determination of serum antibodies to varicella-zoster. The seroprevalence of varicella-zoster among the 335 study participants was 94.8% (95%CI: 91.9%-96.9%), with no significant difference between nurses (94%) and physicians (97%). Decreased risk for the virus was observed in workers who immigrated to Israel from the Asia or Africa (OR=0.15; 95% CI: 0.04-0.51). Reduced immunity among these workers remained significant in a multivariate model, which also included age, gender, years of education, number of siblings, and crowding at childhood. Our data suggest that in spite of the high immunity among Israeli physicians and nurses in general, the implementation of small-scale vaccination programs aimed at workers from warmer and tropical areas, should be seriously considered.
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  • Francesco Tomei, Manuela Ciarrocca, Emilia Cherubini, Maria V. Rosati, ...
    2006 Volume 48 Issue 4 Pages 253-260
    Published: 2006
    Released on J-STAGE: August 11, 2006
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The aim of this study was to evaluate whether traffic police officers exposed to chemical, physical and psycho-social stressors, are at risk for alterations in plasma levels of prolactin (PRL) compared to a control group. Plasma PRL levels were evaluated in 92 male and 51 female, non-smoker, traffic police officers exposed to urban stressors and in 92 male and 51 female controls, matched by sex, age and working life (mean, SD and distribution), after excluding workers with the principal extra-occupational confounding factors. Mean PRL levels were significantly higher than controls in non-smoker, male and female traffic police officers (respectively, p=0.000 and p=0.013). The number of non-smoker, male and female traffic police officers with PRL values outside the upper normal limit for our laboratory was higher than, but not significantly different from controls. Mean PRL levels were not significantly higher than controls in smoker, male and female traffic police officers. The number of smoker, male and female traffic police officers with PRL values outside the normal limit for our laboratory was not significantly different from controls. The results suggest that exposure to urban chemical and physical stressors, interacting with psychosocial factors, may have an influence on PRL levels in traffic police officers. The level of plasma PRL might be a useful early biological marker for workers exposed to urban stressors.
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  • Shibiao Su, Yali Jin, Wei Zhang, Lujing Yang, Yueping Shen, Yi Cao, Ji ...
    2006 Volume 48 Issue 4 Pages 261-266
    Published: 2006
    Released on J-STAGE: August 11, 2006
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    To find the possible association of gene methylation of p16INK4a and O6-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase (O6-MGMT) with occupational exposure to radon, 91 male miners from a uranium mine in China were divided into 4 groups according to the cumulative doses of radon exposure from 2 to 425 WLM (working-level months), and aberrant promoter methylation of p16INK4a and O6-MGMT genes in sputum samples was determined by a specific PCR assay. The results revealed that the methylated rates of 16INK4a gene (z=2.844, P=0.005) and O6-MGMT gene (z=3.034, P=0.002), and the total methylated rate of these two genes (z=3.859, P=0.0001) increased significantly with the cumulative doses of radon among the miners. This methylation could be applied as a potential marker for the detection of early DNA damage induced by occupational radon exposure.
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Short Communication
Case Study
Field Study
  • Jiro Takaki, Eiji Yano
    2006 Volume 48 Issue 4 Pages 276-283
    Published: 2006
    Released on J-STAGE: August 11, 2006
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The goal of this study was to assess the relationship between emotion- and task-oriented coping (EOC/TOC) with stress and employment in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis. Individuals aged 18 to 64 yr who had uremia and had been undergoing hemodialysis regularly for at least three months were evaluated according to sociodemographic and clinical factors. Work status was defined using the most recent International Labour Organization definitions. Patients were requested to complete the following questionnaires: the Japanese version of the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations, the Short Form-36 Health Survey, an item on itchiness, the Self-Efficacy on Health-Related Behavior Scale, the Japanese version of the Health Locus of Control Scale, the Social Support Scale, and the Japanese version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. A total of 317 individuals participated in this study. Among men, age, physical functioning, EOC, and depression differed significantly (p<0.05) depending on employment. Among women, marital status, household composition, EOC, depression, and anxiety differed significantly (p<0.05) depending on employment. TOC was not significantly associated with employment in either sex. Multiple logistic regression analyses, including possible confounders, indicated that when EOC increased by 10 points, the associated adjusted odds ratio of an unemployed or economically inactive status changed by 1.48 (95% confidence interval, 1.04-2.11; p=0.030) in men and by 1.88 (95% confidence interval, 1.02-3.46; p=0.042) in women. These results suggest that EOC is associated with employment in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis.
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Occupational Health/Safety in the World
  • Shih-Bin Su, Kuen-Huei Lin, Ho-Yuan Chang, Chai-Wei Lee, Chih-Wei Lu, ...
    2006 Volume 48 Issue 4 Pages 284-289
    Published: 2006
    Released on J-STAGE: August 11, 2006
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    In environments with ultra-low humidity, workers may have excessive body water loss due to evaporation through the skin, which can lead to dehydration. Before the development of clinical symptoms and signs, concentrated urine may be applied as an early indicator of dehydration. We used urine specific gravity (USG) as a biomarker to evaluate the hydration status of workers working in such an environment. We collected the urine samples from workers at a lithium battery plant during their annual health examination, and the relative humidity of some working areas called "dry rooms" in the plant was 1.5 ± 1%. We recruited workers in those dry rooms as the exposure group (N=50) and defined the remaining workers, including administration office workers, as the comparison group (N=122). The prevalence of abnormally concentrated urine (USG>1.030) and related factors were compared between these two groups. While the exposure group were younger and had shorter employment durations compared to the comparison group (p<0.05), they had a higher prevalence of abnormally concentrated urine (p<0.01). After adjusting for age, gender, employment duration, and body surface area, we found that working in the dry rooms was associated with an odds ratio of 11.9 (95% confidence interval: 2.5 to 56.9) of having abnormally concentrated urine. Therefore, USG is a good biomarker for evaluating the hydration status of workers working in ultra-low humidity environments, who need proper protection and adequate fluid supply to prevent excess water loss and its adverse health effects.
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