Archives Of Occupational Health
Volume:3 Issue: 3, July 2019

Different chemical materials especially inks are used in printing industry and lead is one of the ingredients that make up its pigments. Therefore, the objectives of present study were to examine blood lead levels and determine the correlation between hygiene behaviors and blood lead levels among workers in one of the printing industry located in the west of Tehran province. In this cross-sectional study that conducted in 2018, 80 workers of a printing house were selected. Blood samples were collected according NIOSH 8003 method and analyzed using a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometer GF 5000 model. Data were analyzed by Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis and Spearman correlation test using SPSS 20. The significance level of 0.05 considered for results. The range of blood lead levels was 0.0094 to 0.1968 ppb. Individuals who worked in printing patterns process on cardboard sheets had blood lead levels higher than those working in other processes in this printing house (P < 0.001). The workers who did not use masks (P = 0.034) and gloves (P < 0.001) had higher mean lead atomic absorption than the others. The lack of using personal protective equipment could potentially increase the blood lead levels in printing industry workers.

People working in industrial environments may be exposed to respirable dust. Crystalline silica dust is known as a respiratory risk. The cement industry is among the most important manufacturing industries whose workers are exposed to dust. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate workers' exposure to respirable dust and crystalline silica in a cement plant. According to a sample size calculation formula, 50 dust samples were collected from workers’ respiratory zones in different parts of the plant. Respirable dust concentrations exposed were calculated using NIOSH-0600 method. Concentrations of crystalline silica in dust samples were determined according to NIOSH-7601 method and using visible absorption spectrophotometry. The highest time weighted average of respirable dust concentration (6.12 mg/m3) was obtained in crusher unit. The minimum and maximum concentrations of respirable dust were 1.6 mg/m3 and 12.1 mg/m3, respectively. The highest concentration of crystalline silica (0.044 mg/m3) was obtained in raw material grinding unit. The minimum and maximum concentrations of crystalline silica were obtained in cement grinding unit and packaging and loading unit (0.001 mg/m3 and 0.16 mg/m3), respectively. The concentrations of respirable crystalline silica and dust in most units are higher than the threshold limit value which has the potential to harm workers in these units.

One of the most common hazards among the nurses is exposure to harmful chemicals. Cytotoxic drugs are among highly hazardous substances in the healthcare centers that can lead to DNA damage and cancer development. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the knowledge and attitude of nurses working in the oncology departments of Tehran hospitals regarding the risks and safety measures related to handling of cytotoxic drugs. In this cross-sectional study to develop an instrument, a questionnaire on knowledge and attitude regarding exposure to cytotoxic drugs was translated into Persian language and its validity and reliability evaluated and confirmed. The questionnaire was administered to 111 nurses working in 10 oncology departments (eight hospitals of Tehran) selected by random multistage sampling. For instrument validation, CVI and Cronbach's alpha were used. Descriptive analyses were done to analyze field work data. In this study, 22 men (19.8%) and 89 women (80.2%) participated. The mean age of participants was 33.6 (SD 8.6) years. Only 45% of participants constantly used gloves when handling drugs. Results indicated that 54.1% of participants had accidental exposure to cytotoxic drugs, 22.5% of who reported their exposure as being acute. Only 12.6% of participants reported that their efforts to reduce the risks of exposure as effective. At least 84.4% of the nurses had been trained in the handling of cytotoxic drugs, 54% of whom reported that the training was not effective. While confirming the reliability and validity of the instrument, this study showed that the training on improving the safety of the personnel is ineffective and insufficient, and most staff are at risk of direct and indirect exposure to cytotoxic drugs. Further the immunization of the workplace and the preparation and proclamation of safety and health protocols for handling of these drugs or attending their storage places can be beneficial.

Emotional intelligence is a mixed complex of emotional self-knowledge, skill, and other characteristics that affect an individual's success in facing with pressures and environmental forces. It is also considered as a stress controller that reduces the negative consequences of anxiety. The current study was conducted to assess the relationship of emotional intelligence with exam anxiety and sleep quality among the senior high school girls in Qom, Iran. In this cross-sectional study, 263 female senior high school students were selected by multistage sampling method in Qom in 2015. Data collection was conducted using four questionnaires including demographic information, Shot emotional intelligence, Petersburg sleep quality, and Exam anxiety. Data were analyzed by Pearson correlation coefficient, T-test, and analysis of Variance in SPSS. Poor sleep quality was observed in 49.4% of the participants and the mean score of emotional intelligence was 144.8(18.46). Among four factors of the emotional intelligence, optimistic/ emotions adjustment had a negative significant correlation with exam anxiety and sleep quality (P<0.05). Furthermore, a direct significant correlation was observed between emotional intelligence and exam anxiety (P<0.05). Nevertheless, emotional intelligence had no significant relationship with exam anxiety and sleep quality (P>0.05). The prevalence of poor sleep quality in senior high school girls was high due to exam anxiety. In addition, the mean score of emotional intelligence was at a high level, which could help the adolescents in dealing with the environmental stress and emotions.

Exposure to heat stress can result in lipid parameters alterations as well as immunological responses. This study was aimed to investigate these alterations and responses at different humidity and temperatures levels under controlled laboratory conditions in adult male Sprague–Dawley rats. A total 15 adult male Sprague–Dawley rats, weighing between 200 and 250 g, 10-11 weeks of age, were used in the evaluation. After one week, animals were randomly divided into three equal groups of 5 animals each. Reference group (group1) was housed in the cage under WBGT of 20(1) according to experimental design. Also, animals were subjected to mild (WBGT of 29 ( 1)) and hotter (WBGT of 33(1)) conditions (8 hr/day for one day) in the exposure chamber as group2 and group3, respectively. At the end of exposure to heat stress, blood samples were collected from the heart of rats and different parameters were determined. Based on results, acute heat exposure significantly caused a decrease in serum IgG, IgM, IgA of rats in the case group compared to control group (P<0.05). Conversely, acute heat exposure resulted in a significant increase in the levels of IgE (P<0.05). There was no statistical difference for the lipid parameters after exposure to acute heat stress compared with the control group (P > 0.05). Acute heat stress may affect immune responses depending on the intensity of the exposure. Higher environmental temperatures (WBGT≥32°C) cause more severe changes in plasma immunoglobulins.

One of the most harmful agents in hospital settings is ionizing radiation such as X-rays that physicians and other staff expose in surgeries and diagnostic tests. Therefore, the aim of this study was to measure X-ray dose in the diagnostic radiology units of hospitals affiliated to North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences. This is a descriptive-analytical, cross-sectional study, in which all of the hospitals' diagnostic radiology units including CT scan, mammography, fluoroscopy and radiography were studied. X-ray dose was measured by a dosimeter-radiometer device (MKS-05 Terra-P). The International Radiation Protection Association (IAEA) checklist was used to check the observance of the Radiation Protection Principles. The results of this study showed that the X-ray doses in the CT scan, mammography, and fluoroscopy units of Bojnord Imam Ali Hospital were 0.16, 0.08 and 0.01 μSv/h, respectively. The doses of X-ray in the radiology units of Imam Ali (PBUH), Imam Reza (PBUH), Esfarayen and Shirvan Hospitals were 0.12, 0.12, 0.11, and 0.11 μSv/h, respectively. According to the results, the X-ray doses in the diagnostic radiology units of hospitals were lower than the standard limit proposed by the International Radiation Protection Association. However, it is proposed to use appropriate protective lead aprons to further protect the exposed staff in the units in question.

Noise pollution is considered as a major threat to human society that may affect life quality, efficiency, physical and mental health. Therefore, the present study was aimed to investigate the effects of noise exposure and noise sensitivity on psychological distress in an automobile parts manufacturer's employees. In this descriptive-analytical study, 325 employees of an automobile parts manufacturer who were exposed to different noise levels in seven groups were investigated. Daily personal noise exposure for each group was measured using calibrated sound level meter (SVANTEK-971) based on ISO-9612 standards. Then employees' mental disorder and noise sensitivity were determined using Kessler Psychological Distress Scale and Weinstein's Noise Sensitivity Scale (WNSS), respectively, and data was analyzed using SPSS v. 23. Mean psychological distress was significantly different between noise sensitivity and noise exposure groups (P-value <0.05). Based on the results of multiple regression analysis among four variables including age, work experience, noise exposure and noise sensitivity, noise exposure and noise sensitivity had significant effect on psychological distress and could explain 0.36 and 0.25 of variance of response variable, respectively. Age and work experience at the level of 5% error had no significant effect on psychological distress status. It can be argued that the worsening of psychological distress in these employees is often due to noise exposure and noise sensitivity. As an individual variable, noise exposure has the greatest effect on increase of psychological distress compared to noise sensitivity level and demographic characteristics studied.

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is one of the most common but absolutely preventable occupational diseases.  One of the measures to prevent and control noise's harmful effects in the workplaces is the use of hearing protection devices (HPDs) that workers do not often accept to use or do not use throughout the entire work shift.  Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of delegating the right to choose HPD to workers on the increase of the duration of using them. This interventional study was conducted on 60 male workers divided into two groups, intervention (n: 30) and control (n: 30), who were exposed to non-permissible sound levels during sampling. A questionnaire including BASNEF constructs was completed by both groups in two stages, ie, before intervention and 3 months after completion of the intervention delegating the right to choose HPD to workers. Durations of using HPD were recorded in two stages in intervention and control groups and compared. Data analysis was conducted by SPSS 22. In intervention group, the number of workers who used HPDs full time was 0 (0%) before intervention and 16 (53.33%) after intervention. The duration of using HPDs significantly increased after intervention in intervention group than in control group. The intervention based on providing HPDs that are appropriate for the needs and wishes of workers and available as well as promoting their use in the work environment can persuade them to use such devices continuously.