Occupational Risks of Podologists: A Combined Assessment of VOCs, Vibration, Noise Levels and Health Complaints.

Podologists are exposed to many occupational hazards, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from insole manufacturing and noise/vibration during nail or tissue grinding. In this study, VOCs, noise, and vibration were measured in five podiatry clinics and three offices. Questionnaires were administered to 23 podologists and 19 office workers to inquire about their pain, ocular, skin and respiratory complaints. The results showed that the podologists' exposure to the total VOC concentrations was approximately twice as high as that of the office workers. The podologists' complaints regarding pain were found to be correlated with ambient noise and hand-arm vibration levels. Ocular, skin, and respiratory complaints were also found to be correlated with total VOC concentrations. These results suggest that VOCs, noise and vibration in the working environment may impair podologists' health and that they have an intensifying effect on each other, increasing the severity of health issues.

Erythrocyte morphology and fatigue levels in podologists.

Aesthetic and clinical care of the feet includes reducing nail thickness and removing calluses which are perfomed by high-speed nail drill machines. These micromotors diffuse skin material, nail dust, and pathogenic fungi into the air, some of which are then inhaled and causes an occupational risk to workers. This study examines occupational risks of inhaling organic dust in the working environment of Podologists (PDL) through their erythrocyte morphologies. Chalder Fatigue Scale was used to determine fatigue symptoms of the participants related to occupational exposures. 25 PDL and 26 control subjects were compared. Peripheral smear technique was used to identify erythrocyte morphologies. The results demonstrated that physical, mental, total fatigue levels, and erythrocyte anomaly amounts of the individuals in the PDL group were higher (p < .05). Findings also revealed that fatigue effectively formed Hypochromic, Stomatocytes, Dacrocytes, Elliptocytes, Spherocytes, and Ovalocytes. This study aims to increase awareness of podologists' occupational risks..

Determination of cytogenetic abnormalities in buccal mucosa of dental laboratory technicians.

This study aims to investigate the toxic effects of metals, which dental technicians are exposed to, on the oral mucosa cells in dental prosthesis laboratories (DPL). To monitor cytotoxic effects, mutations of pyknosis, Karyolysis Karyorrhexis, binucleus, micronucleus, and broken-egg were evaluated. Experimental group comprised of a total of 30 volunteer DPL employees from various DPLs, and 30 teachers and office workers were volunteered to be a part of the control group. Age range of DPL employees and whether they consume alcohol or smoke cigarettes were also considered as sub-variables. Peripheral smear technique was applied by taking samples from the oral mucosa of the experimental group and the control group. Anomalies determined between technicians and control group were statistically significant (p < .05). However, our findings revealed that the sub-variables (ie, age range, alcohol, and smoking) did not significantly affect the anomalies.

Assessment of occupational exposure to fine particulate matter in dental prosthesis laboratories in Kocaeli, Turkey.

Dental prosthesis laboratories (DPLs) are among the workplaces where predominantly manual production takes place. In such working environments, during the manual manufacturing process, which involves fine smoothing and polishing of dental prostheses, fine particulate matter is released into the ambient air. In this study, the particulate matter (PM) concentrations and elemental content of the fine particles in the working ambient air were identified in six DPLs in Kocaeli, Turkey. PM2.5 mass concentrations, measured in all the DPLs, ranged between 80.8 and 1645 µg/m3 (mean 414 ± 406). As a result of the analyses performed with an ICP-MS device (Perkin Elmer Elan®DRC-e), trace elements of Be, Cd, Hg, and, notably, Co, Cr, Mo, and Ni were found. The researchers calculated the excess lifetime cancer risks and total hazard indexes. The average total cancer risk for all the DPLs was 8 × 10-3, which is higher than the acceptable limit of 1.0 × 10-6, and the total hazard index was 187, which is greater than the acceptable limit of 1.0. Considering these high-level risks, the study concluded that there is a need for new production methods, and strict application of occupational health and safety measures, to reduce the fine particle exposure of the workers in the laboratories. In addition, there are prescribed limit values for particulate matter only for respirable particles in working environments. The establishment of limit values, especially for PM2.5 concentrations, is important for the protection of the health of the employees.