Laryngeal cancer and occupational exposure to sulfuric acid.

Workers on an ethanol unit which used sulfuric acid in strong concentrations at a large refinery and chemical plant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana were reported, in 1979, at excess risk for upper respiratory cancer. The carcinogen implicated by indirect evidence was diethyl sulfate. However, with the continued use of sulfuric acid in the same plant, and with additional cases not attributable to the ethanol process, the hypothesis of an association between sulfuric acid exposure and upper respiratory cancer was tested. Each of 50 confirmed cases of upper respiratory cancer diagnosed between 1944 and 1980, was matched to at least three controls on sex, race, age, date of initial employment, and duration of employment. Thirty-four of the 50 cases were laryngeal cancers. Data were obtained from existing plant records. Retrospective estimates of exposure were made without regard to case or control status. Findings from conditional logistic regression techniques were supported by other statistical methods. Among workers classified as potentially highly exposed, four-fold relative risks for all upper respiratory cancer sites combined were exceeded by the relative risk for laryngeal cancer specifically. Exposure-response and consistency across various comparisons after controlling statistically for tobacco-use, alcoholism and other previously implicated risk factors, suggest increased cancer risk with higher exposure.

Blood pressure of infants of hypertensive mothers: a two-year follow-up.

This study was designed to determine if the blood pressure (BP) of infants in the first two years of life relates to the presence of maternal hypertension during pregnancy. The BP of infants was measured at birth, and at 9, 18, and 24 months after delivery. Women with elevated BP in pregnancy or labor (n = 190) were enrolled as cases. Two-hundred-and-one normotensive women served as controls. The cases were divided according to the time BP became elevated, i.e., before or after 24 weeks of pregnancy, and intrapartum only. The largest of the case groups was hypertensive intrapartum only. A minority of the case mothers had proteinuria in association with elevated BP. There were no differences in BP between case and control infants at bith or at 9 and 18 months of age. However, by 24 months of age, the systolic BP of the infants of case mothers was higher (p less than .05) than that of the infants of control mothers. No differences in systolic BP could be attributed to the time of onset of maternal hypertension.

A study of volunteer ambulance squads.

A study of all 37 ambulance squads in two Pennsylvania counties (Lehigh and Northampton), an area known to be served largely by volunteer units, was carried out by personal on-site interviews in 1973. The objectives were to determine the structure and functions of the squads and to devise some preliminary estimates of effectiveness as a base for regional planning. Topics examined include population and geographic area served, numbers and training of personnel, vehicles, equipment, record keeping, finances, communications capabilities, and squad organization. The 34 volunteer squads were found to vary greatly in resources and sophistication. The rural squads in particular tended to be underfinanced, to have low call loads and a delayed response to calls. In some squads personnel were inadequate in numbers and training. The advantages and disadvantages of maintaining volunteer services in rural areas are discussed and some possible approaches to the problem of providing high-quality services in rural areas outlined.