Cancer incidence and mortality among temporary maintenance workers in a refinery/petrochemical complex in Korea

Koh, Dong-Hee; Chung, Eun-Kyo; Jang, Jae-Kil; Lee, Hye-Eun; Ryu, Hyang-Woo; Yoo, Kye-mook; Kim, Eun-A; Kim, KyooSang

doi:10.1179/2049396714y.0000000059

Cited by 18 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Many studies have also assessed the relationship between alcohol and fatal and non-fatal injuries. The results are in favour of a better prognosis and lower mortality rates among people with isolated head injuries [8][9][10][11][12][13] sustained after the consumption of ethanol, compared to sober people, although the severity of such injuries tended to be higher. However, this "neuroprotective"effect of ethanol is observed only in single doses of ethanol, which This is can be explained by the inhibition of glutamatergic NMDA receptor activity in the CNS [14,15].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethanol as a stimulus to risky and auto-aggressive behaviour

Lasota¹,

Pawłowski²,

Mirowska‐Guzel³

et al. 2021

Ann Agric Environ Med.

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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), ethyl alcohol occupies the third place among health risks for the general population, causing damage to health as well as social damage. Ethanol is also considered the greatest risk factor in injuries. Both alcohol and its main metabolite, acetaldehyde, are directly toxic to tissues and lead to several systemic pathologies. Alcohol abuse may also lead to mental health disorders. Although one-in-eight adult Poles abstains from drinking alkohol, 10-20% of adult Poles drink alcohol regularly. It is estimated that this group includes about 900,000 addicts, and over 2,000,000 people who drink alcohol at a risky or harmful level. It affects their occurrence and their consequences Drinkdriving is one of the problems most often raised, although alcohol is a documented risk factor in pedestrian accidents. It is also an important risk factor for suicidal behaviour with people under the influence of alcohol choosing more radical and effective methods of committing suicide, such as hanging or 'throwing themselves under a moving vehicle.' Only properly selected and consistently taken preventive actions can improve the tragic statistics related to ethanol stimulating risky and auto-aggressive behaviours. It is also necessary to improve the system for reporting such events because only reliable statistics enable proper assessment of the scale of the problem, and the effectiveness of these activities.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethanol as a stimulus to risky and auto-aggressive behaviour

Lasota¹,

Pawłowski²,

Mirowska‐Guzel³

et al. 2021

Ann Agric Environ Med.

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“…The study subjects can be largely classified into temporary maintenance workers and employees of petrochemical plants. Temporary maintenance workers were hired on fixed-term contracts and engaged in petrochemical plant maintenance operations 16 ) . Jobs of temporary maintenance workers were categorized into eight jobs: insulation fitter, plumber, mechanical engineer, scaffold worker, drain fitter, construction craftsman, electrical fitter, welder, painter, and tank fitter.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of personal air benzene and urine <i>t,t</i>-muconic acid as a benzene exposure surrogate during turnaround maintenance in petrochemical plants

et al. 2018

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Previous studies have shown that biomarkers of chemicals with long half-lives may be better surrogates of exposure for epidemiological analyses, leading to less attenuation of the exposure-disease association, than personal air samples. However, chemicals with short half-lives have shown inconsistent results. In the present study, we compared pairs of personal air benzene and its short-half-life urinary metabolite trans,trans-muconic acid (t,t-MA), and predicted attenuation bias of theoretical exposure-disease association. Total 669 pairs of personal air benzene and urine t,t-MA samples were taken from 474 male workers during turnaround maintenance operations held in seven petrochemical plants. Maintenance jobs were classified into 13 groups. Variance components were calculated for personal air benzene and urine t,t-MA separately to estimate the attenuation of the theoretical exposure-disease association. Personal air benzene and urine t,t-MA showed similar attenuation of the theoretical exposure-disease association. Analyses for repeated measurements showed similar results, while in analyses for values above the limits of detection (LODs), urine t,t-MA showed less attenuation of the theoretical exposure-disease association than personal air benzene. Our findings suggest that there may be no significant difference in attenuation bias when personal air benzene or urine t,t-MA is used as a surrogate for benzene exposure.

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“…The health consequences of occupational or accidental inhalation of oil-derived volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been studied in various settings (Hauser et al 1995;Koh et al 2014;Raabe et al 1998;Singhal et al 2007;Uzma et al 2008;Woodin et al 1998). Particularly, the exposure of cleanup workers and volunteers to oil spills has raised special concern and achieved extensive media coverage due to the repetitiveness of large environmental catastrophes caused by petroleum tanker and marine oil rig disasters (Jernelöv 2010;Zock et al 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Airway Hyperresponsiveness, Inflammation, and Pulmonary Emphysema in Rodent Models Designed to Mimic Exposure to Fuel Oil–Derived Volatile Organic Compounds Encountered during an Experimental Oil Spill

Amor-Carro

White

Fraga-Iriso

et al. 2020

Environ Health Perspect

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BACKGROUND: Fuel oil-derived volatile organic compounds (VOCs) inhalation is associated with accidental marine spills. After the Prestige petroleum tanker sank off northern Spain in 2002 and the Deepwater Horizon oil rig catastrophe in 2009, subjects involved in environmental decontamination showed signs of ongoing or residual lung disease up to 5 y after the exposure. OBJECTIVES: We aimed at investigating mechanisms driving persistent respiratory disease by developing an animal model of inhalational exposure to fuel oil-derived VOCs. METHODS: Female Wistar and Brown Norway (BN) rats and C57BL mice were exposed to VOCs produced from fuel oil mimicking the Prestige spill. Exposed animals inhaled the VOCs 2 h daily, 5 d per week, for 3 wk. Airway responsiveness to methacholine (MCh) was assessed, and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and lung tissues were analyzed after the exposure and following a 2-wk washout. RESULTS: Consistent with data from human studies, both strains of rats that inhaled fuel oil-derived VOCs developed airway hyperresponsiveness that persisted after the washout period, in the absence of detectable inflammation in any lung compartment. Histopathology and quantitative morphology revealed the development of peripherally distributed pulmonary emphysema, which persisted after the washout period, associated with increased alveolar septal cell apoptosis, microvascular endothelial damage of the lung parenchyma, and inhibited expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). DISCUSSION: In this rat model, fuel oil VOCs inhalation elicited alveolar septal cell apoptosis, likely due to DNA damage. In turn, the development of a peculiar pulmonary emphysema pattern altered lung mechanics and caused persistent noninflammatory airway hyperresponsiveness. Such findings suggest to us that humans might also respond to VOCs through physiopathological pathways different from those chiefly involved in typical cigarette smoke-driven emphysema in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). If so, this study could form the basis for a novel disease mechanism for lasting respiratory disease following inhalational exposure to catastrophic fuel oil spills.

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Cancer incidence and mortality among temporary maintenance workers in a refinery/petrochemical complex in Korea

Abstract: Our findings may suggest a potential association between oral and pharyngeal cancers and temporary maintenance jobs in the petrochemical industry. Future studies should include a longer follow-up period and a quantitative exposure assessment.

Cited by 18 publications

References 46 publications

Ethanol as a stimulus to risky and auto-aggressive behaviour

Ethanol as a stimulus to risky and auto-aggressive behaviour

Comparison of personal air benzene and urine <i>t,t</i>-muconic acid as a benzene exposure surrogate during turnaround maintenance in petrochemical plants

Airway Hyperresponsiveness, Inflammation, and Pulmonary Emphysema in Rodent Models Designed to Mimic Exposure to Fuel Oil–Derived Volatile Organic Compounds Encountered during an Experimental Oil Spill

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