Hairdressing is associated with exposure to a variety of harmful agents which have been linked to respiratory and musculoskeletal disorders in hairdressers. This study aimed to identify respiratory and musculoskeletal disorders in hairdressers compared to office workers. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 80 female hairdressers and 50 matched controls. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information on personal and occupational data, hairdressing activities, the presence of respiratory symptoms and the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in the past 12 months. Reported symptoms were compared between hairdressers and controls. The associations between self-reported symptoms and hairdressing activities were investigated. Hairdressers were more likely to report symptoms than controls particularly for those who were older, with higher body mass index and longer duration of work as hairdresser. There were significant associations between frequent hair treatments (bleaching, dye and wave) and hand dermatitis (P < 0.001), running nose (P < 0.05), eye irritation (P < 0.01) and phlegm (P < 0.05). Elbow pain and shoulder and back pain were the most prevalent musculoskeletal pains in the past 12 months (13.8 and 12.5% respectively), back and knee pains were the most frequent chronic pain (7.5%), hand and wrist pain led 12.5% of hairdressers to visit a doctor and shoulder pain and back pain indicated a period of sickness absence in 13.8% of hairdressers. Musculoskeletal disorders were associated with manual handling, prolonged standing, strenuous shoulder movements and awkward body posture. Hairdressing is associated with increased risk to respiratory and musculoskeletal disorders due to adverse work conditions.

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Introduction: Operating room nurses (ORN) are exposed to various hazards in operating rooms (ORs) which can affect their health. Aim of work: To identify potential occupational hazards in the OR , to assess the risk of adverse health effects among (ORN) related to these hazards and to recommend prevention and control measures to protect them .Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study targeted all nurses staff working in ORs in Benha University Hospitals, Qualubeyia Governorate, Egypt. Data were collected using an interview questionnaire included demographic data and occupational history with special emphasis on occupational hazards in ORs based on the International Hazard Datasheet on Operating room nurse. Data on attitude towards OR hazards and their impacts on ORN were also obtained Their mean age was. Results: The study recruited 167 female nurses. 32.77±8.42 years old. More than 90% were acquainted with the concept of OR occupational hazards. Eighty four percent of the studied nurses reported that they were adversely affected by OR occupational hazards. The risk of exposure was high for radiation, blood borne diseases and contracting nosocomial diseases. The risk was significant for exposure to anesthetic drugs and gases, latex allergy and muscle pain due to awkward body positions.Conclusion: The complex structure of operating rooms lead to increased occupational hazards which affect operating room nurses' health.

Background: In rural Egypt, one of the main activities of men is agricultural work, where pesticides are used to control insects and weeds. Pesticides have been classified as endocrine disrupting chemicals, which may lead to alterations in male reproductive and thyroid hormonal levels. Aim: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of chronic occupational pesticide exposure on thyroid and male reproductive hormones among agricultural workers. Methods: The study included eighty male agricultural workers from El-Shomoot village, Qalubia governorate. Forty non exposed males work at Banha Faculty of Medicine were selected as a control group. All participating workers were interviewed using a precomposed questionnaire and investigated by measuring the blood level of male reproductive hormones (LH, FSH, testosterone & estradiol) and thyroid hormones (TSH, T 3 & T 4) according to standard procedures. Results: The studied groups were matched as regard age, gender, marital status and smoking habits. In comparing the exposed and control groups according to the blood levels of studied hormones, the exposed group had significantly lower values of testosterone, T 3 , T 4 , and LH compared to the control group (p<0.05). Moreover, there were higher statistically significant values of TSH, FSH and Estradiol among exposed group compared to control group (p<0.05),such blood levels of studied hormones among exposed group were affected by many factors as type of job, duration of exposure and wearing protective clothes all differences were statistically significant (P<0.005). Conclusion & Recommendations: Chronic exposure to pesticides may cause endocrine disrupting effects on male reproductive and thyroid hormones. So we recommended, improving working condition, restriction of unlimited use of pesticides especially in agricultural purposes. Further researches are needed to evaluate pesticides effect on large sample to obtain detailed information about the exposure routes, pathways, other mechanisms of toxicity and other health hazards.

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