This study identified a wide range of job demands and living conditions/lifestyle which predicted injury. Preventive measures should be conducted to reduce job demands and to help workers to be aware of the risk and to improve their living conditions/lifestyle.

The respective contribution of occupational and behavioural factors to social disparities in all-cause mortality has been studied very seldom. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of occupational and behavioural factors in explaining social inequalities in premature and total mortality in the French working population. The study population consisted of a sample of 2,189 and 1,929 French working men and women, who responded to a self-administered questionnaire in mid-1996, and were followed up until the end of 2008. Mortality was derived from register-based information and linked to the baseline data. Socioeconomic status was measured using occupation. Occupational factors included biomechanical and physical exposures, temporary contract, psychological demands, and social support, and behavioural factors, smoking, alcohol abuse, and body mass index. Significant social differences were observed for premature and total mortality. Occupational factors reduced the hazard ratios of mortality for manual workers compared to managers/professionals by 72 and 41%, from 1.88 (95% CI: 1.17-3.01) to 1.25 (95% CI: 0.74-2.12) for premature mortality, and from 1.71 (95% CI: 1.18-2.47) to 1.42 (95% CI: 0.95-2.13) for total mortality. The biggest contributions were found for biomechanical and physical exposures, and job insecurity. The role of behavioural factors was very low. Occupational factors played a substantial role in explaining social disparities in mortality, especially for premature mortality and men. Improving working conditions amongst the lowest social groups may help to reduce social inequalities in mortality.

Exposure to metallic compounds is ubiquitous, with its widespread use in industry and its presence, mostly in trace amounts, in the environment. This paper reviews the epidemiologic evidence of the relation between lung cancer and exposure to metallic compounds by building on and updating the corresponding International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) assessments. Given that most of the well-identified human populations with given metal exposure are in occupational settings, this review is mostly based on results in occupational epidemiology. The epidemiological evidence is shortly reviewed for accepted carcinogens: chromium, nickel, beryllium, cadmium, arsenic, and silicon, highlighting what is still unclear. We then review in more detail metals for which the evidence is less clear: lead, titanium, iron, and cobalt. There is scarce evidence for the human carcinogenicity of titanium. Exposure to titanium dioxide is associated with lung cancer excesses in one large study, but this excess may be due to confounders. The evidence for lead is contradictory. The lung cancer risk is presented as a function of a post hoc exposure ranking but no dose-response relationship is found. A weak but consistent lung cancer excess in many populations exposed to iron oxides but it is not possible to state on causality. Finally the evidence in the hard metal industry is presented, which suggests a possible carcinogenic effect of cobalt in presence of tungsten carbide. A short discussion presents the limitations of epidemiology in assessing the carcinogenicity of metals.

F Fo or rc ce ed d o os sc ci il ll la at ti io on n t te ec ch hn ni iq qu ue e ( (F FO OT T) ):: a a n ne ew w t to oo ol l f fo or r e ep pi id de em mi io ol lo og gy y o of f o oc cc cu up pa at ti io on na al l l lu un ng g d di is se ea as se es s? ? The first control group, was made up of face-workers having normal chest radiographs, whilst the second comprised underground non-face-workers with normal chest radiographs. Spirometric, plethysmographic and transfer factor of the lungs for carbon monoxide single-breath (TL,CO,sb) indices revealed no significant differences between the three groups. As regards the forced oscillation technique, a higher value of resistance/frequency slope (Pa·L -1 ·s 2 ) was found in the G group compared with the control groups; 2.11 vs 1.06 in the face-workers, and 1.58 in the underground workers. In all three groups, the forced oscillation technique indices (mean resistance (R), resistance at zero frequency (R0), resistance/frequency slope (S), and resonant frequency (f0)) were found to be higher in subjects having a decreased forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) (≤90% predicted) or a mildly obstructive pattern of ventilatory function, even though this did not reach statistical significance in each of the groups.These findings together with the feasibility and acceptability of the forced oscillation technique would suggest that it may be a suitable tool for epidemiological studies of occupational respiratory diseases. Eur Respir J., 1995Respir J., , 8, 1307Respir J., -1313 Lung function tests provide objective evidence of respiratory disability, particularly that due to occupational exposure. Spirometry is the most frequently used technique but requires a high degree of collaboration on the part of the subject. Furthermore, forced inspiratory and expiratory manoeuvres may change bronchial tone and modify airway patency. Currently, body plethysmography is used less often in respiratory epidemiology. It measures intrathoracic gas volume and airway resistance. Again these measurements require a high degree of understanding and co-operation on the part of the subject.As a result of on-line digital processing [1-5], respiratory impedance measurements by the forced oscillation technique (FOT), have been used increasingly in recent years [6][7][8][9][10]. This technique was first proposed by DUBOIS et al. [11] in 1956, and is based on the relationship between the sinusoidal pressure variations applied to the respiratory system via the mouth [7], by means of an external generator, and the induced flow oscillations. It assesses resistive, elastic and inertial properties of the respiratory system. Data collection takes place over a few respiratory cycles of quiet breathing, enabling serial measurements to be carried out, and requiring minimum co-operation on the part of the subject. Furthermore, the simplicity of the apparatus makes the FOT a potentially useful technique for epidemiological studies.This study compares FOT and conventional lung function tests (spirometry, p...

This study did not detect any relationship between exposure to iron oxides and lung cancer mortality. An excess of mortality from bladder cancer was found among workers exposed to oil mist.

, smoking, and alcohol abuse, with premature mortality before age 70 (PM-70) among the working or inactive population. The sample included 4,268 subjects aged 15 or more randomly selected in northeastern France. They completed a mailed questionnaire (birth date, sex, weight, height, job, PJD, smoking habit, alcohol abuse (Deta questionnaire)) in 1996 and were followed for mortality until 2004 (9 yr). PJD score was defined by the cumulative number of the following high job demands at work: hammer, vibrating platform, pneumatic tools, other vibrating hand tools, screwdriver, handling objects, awkward posture, tasks at heights, machine tools, pace, working on a production line, standing about and walking. The data were analyzed using the Poisson regression model. Those with PM-70 were 126 (3.81 per 1,000 personyears). The leading causes of death were cancers (46.4% in men, 57.1% in women), cardiovascular diseases (20.2% and 11.9%), suicide (9.5% and 7.1%), respiratory diseases (6.0% and 4.8%), and digestive diseases (2.4% and 4.8%). PJD≥3, smoker, and alcohol abuse had adjusted risk ratios of 1.71 (95% CI 1.02-2.88), 1.76 (1.08-2.88), and 2.07 (1. 31-3.26) respectively for all-cause mortality. Manual workers had a risk ratio of 1.84 (1.00-3.37) compared to the higher socio-economic classes. The men had a twofold higher mortality rate than the women; this difference became non-significant when controlling for job, PJD, smoker and alcohol abuse. For cancer mortality the factors PJD≥3, smoker, and alcohol abuse had adjusted risk ratios of 2

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Asbestos-exposure estimates based on the TBQ were consistent with the REFERENCE expertise and yielded a steeper dose-response relationship than the JEM. For PAHs, results were less clear.