Loud noise exposure related to acoustic neuroma

To investigate possible associations between risk of acoustic neuroma and exposure to loud noise in leisure and occupational settings a case-control study was conducted 108 subjects diagnosed with acoustic neuroma between 1 June 2000 and 31 August 2003. Two controls per case were selected from the electoral rolls and individually matched for gender, age (5 years) and area (local authority district) of residence at the time of the case diagnosis.

Acoustic neuroma was found to be associated with loud noise exposure (odds ratio (OR) = 2.55; 95% CI 1.35 to 4.82), both in leisure settings, particularly when listening to loud music (OR = 3.88; 95% CI 1.48 to 10.17) and at work (OR = 2.26; 95% CI 1.08 to 4.72).

This risk increased with exposure duration (>6 years’ leisure exposure: OR = 3.15; 95% CI 1.07 to 9.24). Risk varied according to the type of noise (continuous or explosive vs intermittent).

Can loud noise cause acoustic neuroma? Analysis of the INTERPHONE study in France
Hours, M, Bernard, M, Arslan, M, Montestrucq, L, Richardson, L, Deltour, I, Cardis, E. Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2009;66:480-486

Occupational exposures and sino-nasal cancer

Sino-nasal cancer has been consistently associated with exposure to wood dust, leather dust, nickel and chromium compounds; for other occupational hazards, the findings are somewhat mixed. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk of sino-nasal epithelial cancer (SNEC) by histological type with prior exposure to suspected occupational risk factors and, in particular, those in metalworking.

Some occupational risk factors were confirmed: wood dust, leather dust and organic solvents for adenocarcinoma and welding fumes and arsenic in squamous cell carcinoma. Treating cumulative exposure on a continuous scale, a significant effect of textile dusts was also observed for adenocarcinoma.

A case-control study on occupational risk factors for sino-nasal cancer
d’Errico, A, Pasian, S, Baratti, A, Zanelli, R, Alfonzo, S, Gilardi, L, Beatrice, F, Bena, A, Costa, G Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2009;66:448-455

Not only in HCWs; latex allergy by rubber trees

Potential health effects related to wood dust from the rubber tree, which produces natural rubber latex, have not been previously investigated. The main aim of this study was to investigate the relations of rubber tree dust exposure to respiratory and skin symptoms, asthma and lung function among employess of 4 rubber tree furniture factories in Thailand.

The study provides new evidence that workers exposed to wood dust from the rubber tree experience increased risk of nasal symptoms, wheeze, asthma and skin symptoms and have reduced spirometric lung function.

Respiratory and skin effects of exposure to wood dust from the rubber tree Hevea brasiliensis
Sripaiboonkij, P, Phanprasit, W, Jaakkola, M S
Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2009;66:442-447

Health care workers and H1N1

Information on transmission of H1N1 among Health Care Personnel by CDC, reported in MMWR weekly June 19, 2009 / 58(23);641-645:

Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infections Among Health-Care Personnel — United States, April–May 2009

This report was commented on at the very interesting blog “Effect Measure” in a recent post: Swine flu in health care workers: a first look

Another interesting source of information is Science Roll. It has this post that I like to share: H1N1 Pandemic Maps and Science

The Dutch government ordered 34 million vaccins against this flu yesterday. Let’s hope they will be ready in time.

Recognizing and preventing occupational asthma and lung diseases

If you want to learn more about recognizing and preventing occupational asthma and lung diseases, have a look at the powerpoint presentation by

Moira Chan Yeung ENG PTT

Uploaded on authorSTREAM by Susett | Upload your own presentation

Allergic to chlorhexidine?

Chlorhexidine is an effective antimicrobial agent commonly used, but it has been widely reported to cause IgE-mediated allergic reactions (from urticaria and angioedema to anaphylaxis) among patients undergoing surgery/invasive procedures. Until now there were no reports of clinically confirmed occupational IgE-mediated chlorhexidine allergy, but researchers identified 4 cases of occupational IgE-mediated allergy to chlorhexidine were  in the UK. They suggest that chlorhexidine allergy be included in the differential diagnosis of HCWs presenting with work-related allergic symptoms.

IgE-mediated chlorhexidine allergy: a new occupational hazard?
Nagendran, V., Wicking, J., Ekbote, A., Onyekwe, T., Heise Garvey, L. Occupational Medicine 2009 59(4):270-272

Work-related asthma in paper recycling

Occupational disease linked to the paper recycling industry has not been well documented. The researchers assessed and performed occupational assessment of eight workers involved in this industry. Two of these were later diagnosed with Occupational Asthma (OA). Both workers developed their respiratory symptoms within 2 years of the first use of the chemical hydroxylamine as part of the ‘de-inking’ process. These may be the first two confirmed cases of OA caused by hydroxylamine in the paper recycling industry

Occupational asthma and the paper recycling industry
 Tran, S., Francis, H., Hoyle, J., Niven, R. Occupational Medicine 2009 59(4):277-279

New HSE review on HAVS

HSE published an extensive review on Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) recently. They introduce it like this:

“Health surveillance for those exposed to hand-arm vibration, and the diagnosis of hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) is heavily dependent upon self-reporting of symptoms. However, this self-reporting may not be accurate for a number of reasons including the ability of individuals to recall symptoms, misunderstanding or misidentification of symptoms and fears regarding an individual’s job, or ongoing litigation. Therefore techniques that could be used to obtain better information, or tests that could be applied to obtain a more accurate diagnosis may be useful in this area.”

Click here to download the review

Work-related factors in carpal tunnel syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common nerve entrapment syndrome. Studies on selected occupational populations suggest an association of CTS with forceful repetitive work and vibration. The aim of this study was to investigate the relations between exposures to a single or a combination of physical work load factors and CTS. The researchers conclude that work tasks demanding handgrip with high forces or the use of vibrating tools are associated with CTS. The association is stronger if these work tasks are accompanied by repetitive movements of the hand or wrist.

Physical work load factors and carpal tunnel syndrome: a population-based study
Shiri, R, Miranda, H, Heliovaara, M, Viikari-Juntura, E Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2009;66:368-373;

Hunters, bush meat and the search for new viruses

TED talk on virus hunting in Africa and other parts of the world.

A project by virus hunter Nathan Wolfe. He is outwitting the next pandemic by staying two steps ahead: discovering deadly new viruses where they first emerge — passing from animals to humans among poor subsistence hunters in Africa — before they claim millions of lives.

More information on this project on

Global Viral Forecasting Initiative GVFI.org