My choice of interesting articles in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (OEM), the issues of May and Jun 2008:
June 2008
Meta-analysis of benzene exposure and non-Hodgkin lymphoma: biases could mask an important association
C Steinmaus, A H Smith, R M Jones, and M T Smith
Conclusions: The finding of elevated relative risks in studies of both benzene exposure and refinery work provides further evidence that benzene exposure causes NHL. In addition, the finding of increased relative risks after removing studies that included unexposed or lesser exposed workers in “exposed” cohorts, and increased relative risk estimates after adjusting for the healthy worker effect, suggest that effects of benzene on NHL might be missed in occupational studies if these biases are not accounted for.
Genetic susceptibility to occupational exposures
D C Christiani, A J Mehta, and C-L Yu
May 2008
Work stress and health in primary health care physicians and hospital physicians
P Virtanen, T Oksanen, M Kivimäki, M Virtanen, J Pentti, and J Vahtera
Conclusions: In relation to the current recruitment crisis in primary health care and the studied working conditions, job strain and heavy workload outweigh the attractiveness of a good working climate and low organisational injustice. The non-significant differences in health may indicate that there are no differences in total work stress between GPs and consultants. In tackling the recruitment problems in the field of health care, it is of particular importance to be aware of the sector specific difficulties in working conditions.
Occupation and bladder cancer in a hospital-based case–control study in Spain
C M Samanic, M Kogevinas, D T Silverman, A Tardón, C Serra, N Malats, F X Real, A Carrato, R García-Closas, M Sala, J Lloreta, N Rothman, and M Dosemeci
Conclusions: We did not observe excess bladder cancer risk for many of the occupations identified as being a priori at high risk. Examination of more detailed job exposure information should help clarify these associations.
How common is repetitive strain injury?
K T Palmer, I Reading, M Calnan, and D Coggon
Conclusions: Counting people with arm pain which they believe to be work-related can overestimate the number of cases attributable to work substantially. This casts doubt on the validity of a major source of information used by European governments to evaluate their occupational health strategies.
Explanations for gender differences in sickness absence: evidence from middle-aged municipal employees from Finland
M Laaksonen, P Martikainen, O Rahkonen, and E Lahelma
Conclusions: The overall gender differences in sickness absence are due to relatively short absence spells being more common among women. In longer sickness absence spells the female excess is mainly explained by heavier burden of ill-health and to a lesser extent by higher physical work demands among women. The authors found no support for greater vulnerability to health- and work-related problems among women as reasons for sickness absence.
A randomised controlled trial evaluating an alternative mouse and forearm support on upper body discomfort and musculoskeletal disorders among engineers
C F Conlon, N Krause, and D M Rempel
Conclusions: In engineers who use a computer for more than 20 h per week, a forearm support board may reduce right upper extremity discomfort attributed to computer use.
Filed under: Occupational medicine | Tagged: Occupational cancer, RSI, Sickness absence, Stress
