Diseases which occurred during three years since 1962 at the women's dormitory of Hakodate Fishing Net Manufacturing Company were inspected taking into consideration occupants' daily way of life. A high incidence of appendicitis and other gastro-intestinal disorders was noticed, and an investigation into factors leading to such a high incidence revealed the following facts. (1) Eighty per cent of the occupants were those who came from farming or fishing villages, adhering to their native habits of taking foods. (2) Those aged 15 to 18 years were yet in the unstable stage of physical and mental development, including those before menarche. (3) Forty five girls underwent surgical operations for appendicitis and other gastro-intestinal disorders after they had been admitted into the dormitory, while ten girls were appendectomized prior to the admission. This may suggest that the psychic and somatic disturbances associated with a sudden change of the environment might have caused such diseases. The prevention of such diseases, therefore, depends upon the improvements in dormitory feeding and in their eating habits between meals. To prevent the diseases becoming chronic, X ray and gastro-camera investigations are recommended. As for appendicitis, clinical-pathological examinations and early consultation with surgeons are necessary. This insures early operations, avoiding post-operative complaints or complications. In order to realize the above recommendations, continuous co-operation between supervising staff of the dormitory and the occupants is necessary.

View full abstract

Air in a working place like workshops contains thin solvent vapours, often as mixtures. It is rather difficult to analyze them quantitatively. It seems, however, to be necessary from the stand-point of occupational health to isolate and quantitatively determine each constituent, because injuriousness varies in each solvent. This paper deals with the determination of such solvent vapours by means of gas chromatography. 1. Sampling and preserving. Industrial air is sampled by a 100 ml glass injector, when piston in operated with the injector by stirring up its inner part so as to gain the possible uniform gas. The needle-attached pipe is capped with a small rubber cap, and carbowax 1500 is applied to it against gas leakage. Then the injector filled with sampled gas is being kept horizontally, until it is taken out for gas chromatography. 2. Gas chromatographic technique. First, a survey is made on the method of quantitative determination of aromatic hydrocarbons and others in the solvent. Then, the best result is obtained with gas chromatography under the following conditions. Stationary phase: 2% squalane/diasolid M (40∼60 mesh) 2 m packed column Column temperature: 80°C∼100°C Carrier gas: Nitrogen Gas flow rate: 20∼30 ml/min Detector: Hydrogen flame ionization detector 3. Determination. After performing gas chromatography with the sampled gas, the detector response peak is measured. And then the concentration of the sampled gas is determined by reading the value of the response peak against the standard calibration curve of its equivalent gas.

View full abstract

Most of pottery manufacture is done on a small scale. And men are working in dusty environment of which the concentration of quartz reaches 20∼50%, resulting in high morbidity of silicosis. Except fire-proof pottery making, potter's silicosis is, in general, caused by long exposure to low concentrations of silica dusts. It shows mainly granular shadows of the size less than 1.5mm in diameter without complication of tuberculosis. We observed 238 cases of in-patients of simple silicosis as well as of silico-tuberculosis with treatment extending for several years. In cases of simple silicosis, as for subjective symptoms and cardio-pulmonary functions, we found 14% improved, 63% unchanged, and 23% becoming worse. As silicotic granular shadows developed, proportion of worse cases increased. As for treatments, aerosol inhalation with IPPB, and administration of steroid hormones and cardio-tonics were tried. The aerosol inhalation with IPPB seemed to be especially effective in cases of silicosis which were liable to be complicated with bronchial asthma or emphysema. Against silico-tuberculosis, antituberculotic chemicals were used in necessary and sufficient doses case by case. Discharge of tubercular bacilli was found to become more negative and X-ray findings improved. Surgical operations brought about the following results: improved 59%, unchanged 30%, and becoming worse 11%. However, indication of the surgical operations must be decided very carefully.

View full abstract