The Impact of Hygienic Behavior and Working Methods on the Uptake of Lead and Chromium

Lumens, Mieke E. G. L.; Ulenbelt, Paul; Herber, Robert; Meyman, Theo F.

doi:10.1080/1047322x.1994.10388265

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 6 publications

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“…(21)(22)(23) For example, studies examining the impact of hygienic behavior on external and internal lead and chromium levels, respectively, found that accounting for hygienic behavior together with variation in external measures of exposure nearly doubled the amount of internal dose variation explained in comparison to considering external exposure alone. (24,25) Recognizing the importance of behavior to the assessment of worker dermal exposure, a behavioral survey was developed and validated to semi-quantitatively estimate exposure based on worker task and behavioral observations. (26)(27)(28) This survey methodology, DeRmal Exposure Assessment Methodology (DREAM), was developed and tested in Europe and has seen very limited application within the United States.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Pilot Study of Workplace Dermal Exposures to Cypermethrin at a Chemical Manufacturing Plant

Buckley

Geer

Connor

et al. 2011

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene

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Exposure during the manufacture of pesticides is of particular concern due to their toxicity and because little is known about worker exposure, since most studies have focused on end-use application within agriculture or buildings. Even though dermal exposure can be expected to dominate for pesticides, little is known about workplace dermal exposures or even appropriate methods for their assessment. The current study begins to address this gap by evaluating alternative methods for assessing dermal exposure at a chemical manufacturing plant. For this pilot study, eight workers were recruited from a U.S. plant that produced the pesticide cypermethrin. Exposure was evaluated using three approaches: (1) survey assessment (questionnaire), (2) biological monitoring, and (3) workplace environmental sampling including ancillary measurements of glove contamination (interior and exterior). In each case, cypermethrin was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Environmental measurements identified two potential pathways of cypermethrin exposure: glove and surface contamination. Workplace exposure was also indicated by urine levels (specific gravity adjusted) of the parent compound, which ranged from 35 to 253 μg/L (median of 121 μg/L) with no clear trend in levels from pre- to post-shift. An exploratory analysis intended to guide future studies revealed a positive predictive association (Spearman correlation, p ≤ 0.10) between post-shift urine concentrations and a subset of survey questions evaluating worker knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions (KAP) of workplace dermal hazards, i.e., personal protective equipment self-efficacy, and inverse associations with behavior belief and information belief scales. These findings are valuable in demonstrating a variety of dermal exposure methods (i.e., behavioral attributes, external contamination, and biomarker) showing feasibility and providing measurement ranges and preliminary associations to support future and more complete assessments. Although these pilot data are useful for supporting design and sample size considerations for larger exposure and health studies, there is a need for validation studies of the ELISA assay for quantification of cypermethrin and its metabolites in urine.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Pilot Study of Workplace Dermal Exposures to Cypermethrin at a Chemical Manufacturing Plant

Buckley

Geer

Connor

et al. 2011

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene

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Survey Assessment of Worker Dermal Exposure and Underlying Behavioral Determinants

Geer

Anna

Curbow

et al. 2007

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene

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Within the workplace, there is less reliance on engineering controls for dermal exposure protection and more reliance on the worker's motivation and training in use of personal protective equipment. Behavior thus becomes a significant determinant of dermal exposure, and its assessment paramount in examining and understanding factors influencing exposure. The main objectives of this study were to: (i) assess worker knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions (KAP) of workplace dermal hazards using a self-complete questionnaire and to examine KAP associations with behavior and exposure; (ii) compare worker and manager scores to identify potential gaps in KAP between the two groups; (iii) utilize a semiquantitative observational DeRmal Exposure Assessment Methodology (DREAM) to evaluate worker dermal exposure; and (iv) identify potential behavioral factors underlying exposure using DREAM and KAP. Nineteen industries across the Baltimore, Md. and Lancaster, Pa., regions participated in the study including a total of 89 workers and 17 managers. The scales within the KAP questionnaire that served as the outcome measure included knowledge, training, behavior, behavior beliefs, information beliefs, self-efficacy, and overall beliefs. DREAM scores ranged from 0.15 to 545 with a median of 8 and a mean (SD) of 22 (62.5). Whereas worker self-efficacy with respect to PPE use, and the group "workers with 10-20 years of experience" were marginally positively associated with protective behavior (p < 0.08 and p < 0.06, respectively), a question related to barriers to PPE use was negatively associated with precautionary behavior (p < 0.01). Dermal exposure was positively associated with workers in the age group 40-49 years as compared with those less than 40 years of age (OR = 4.86, 95% CI = 0.93, 25.62). There were no statistically significant associations between KAP and DREAM. This is one of the first studies to begin to elucidate worker knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions that underlie behaviors that lead to occupational dermal exposures. Results of the KAP questionnaire can inform strategies to improve awareness and protective practices in the workplace through factors such as increased worker dermal hazard knowledge, well-informed company PPE selection and availability, and improved worker training.

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Behavioral interventions to reduce nickel exposure in a nickel processing plant

Rumchev

Brown

Wheeler

et al. 2017

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene

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Nickel is a widely-used material in many industries. Although there is enough evidence that occupational exposure to nickel may cause respiratory illnesses, allergies, and even cancer, it is not possible to stop the use of nickel in occupational settings. Nickel exposure, however, can be controlled and reduced significantly in workplaces. The main objective of this study was to assess if educational intervention of hygiene behavior could reduce nickel exposure among Indonesian nickel smelter workers. Participants were randomly assigned to three intervention groups (n = 99). Group one (n = 35) received only an educational booklet about nickel, related potential health effects and preventive measures, group two (n = 35) attended a presentation in addition to the booklet, and group three (n = 29) received personal feedback on their biomarker results in addition to the booklet and presentations. Pre- and post-intervention air sampling was conducted to measure concentrations of dust and nickel in air along with worker's blood and urine nickel concentrations. The study did not measure significant differences in particles and nickel concentrations in the air between pre- and post-interventions. However, we achieved significant reductions in the post intervention urine and blood nickel concentrations which can be attributed to changes in personal hygiene behavior. The median urinary nickel concentration in the pre-intervention period for group one was 52.3 µg/L, for group two 57.4 µg/L, and group three 43.2 µg/L which were significantly higher (p< = 0.010) than those measured in the post-intervention period for each of the groups with 8.5 µg/L, 9.6 µg/L, and 8.2 µg/L, respectively. A similar pattern was recorded for serum nickel with significantly (p < 0.05) higher median concentrations measured in the pre-intervention period for group one 1.7 µg/L, and 2.0 µg/L for group 2 and group 3 compared with the post intervention median serum nickel levels of 0.1 µg/L for all groups. The study showed that educational interventions can significantly reduce personal exposure levels to nickel among Indonesian nickel smelter workers.

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The Impact of Hygienic Behavior and Working Methods on the Uptake of Lead and Chromium

Cited by 3 publications

References 6 publications

A Pilot Study of Workplace Dermal Exposures to Cypermethrin at a Chemical Manufacturing Plant

A Pilot Study of Workplace Dermal Exposures to Cypermethrin at a Chemical Manufacturing Plant

Survey Assessment of Worker Dermal Exposure and Underlying Behavioral Determinants

Behavioral interventions to reduce nickel exposure in a nickel processing plant

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