The burden of occupational injury attributable to high temperatures in Australia, 2014-19: a retrospective observational study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the population health impact of high temperatures on workplace health and safety by estimating the burden of heat-attributable occupational injury in Australia. STUDY DESIGN, SETTING: Retrospective observational study; estimation of burden of occupational injury in Australia attributable to high temperatures during 2014-19, based on Safe Work Australia (work-related traumatic injury fatalities and workers' compensation databases) and Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data (Australian Burden of Disease Study and National Hospital Morbidity databases), and a meta-analysis of climate zone-specific risk data. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Burden of heat-attributable occupational injuries as disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), comprising the numbers of years of life lived with disability (YLDs) and years of life lost (YLLs), nationally, by Köppen-Geiger climate zone, and by state and territory. RESULTS: During 2014-19, an estimated 42 884 years of healthy life were lost to occupational injury, comprising 39 485 YLLs (92.1%) and 3399 YLDs (7.9%), at a rate of 0.80 DALYs per 1000 workers per year. A total of 967 occupational injury-related DALYs were attributable to heat (2.3% of occupational injury-related DALYs), comprising 890 YLLs (92%) and 77 YLDs (8%). By climate zone, the heat-attributable proportion was largest in the tropical Am (12 DALYs; 3.5%) and Aw zones (34 DALYs; 3.5%); by state and territory, the proportion was largest in New South Wales and Queensland (each 2.9%), which also included the largest numbers of heat-attributable occupational injury-related DALYs (NSW: 379 DALYs, 39% of national total; Queensland: 308 DALYs; 32%). CONCLUSION: An estimated 2.3% of the occupational injury burden in Australia is attributable to high ambient temperatures. To prevent this burden increasing with global warming, adaptive measures and industry-based policies are needed to safeguard workplace health and safety, particularly in heat-exposed industries, such as agriculture, transport, and construction.

The impact of COVID-19 on acute psychiatric admissions for first and repeated episode psychosis.

BACKGROUND: There is limited evidence of the longer-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on acute admissions for psychosis in the UK. AIMS: We examined the impact of COVID-19 on rates of admissions for first and repeated episode psychosis, and changes in patient profile and seasonal patterns, over a period of 12 months. METHOD: We conducted a retrospective case note review of all patients admitted with a primary psychosis (F20-29 ICD 10 diagnosis) to an NHS psychiatric inpatient unit. We compared the 12 months pre-COVID-19 period between 1 March 2019 and 28 February 2020, and the 12 months post-COVID-19 period between 1 March 2020 and 28 February 2021. RESULTS: The results showed increase rates of admissions post-COVID-19 in both first and repeated episode psychosis, the patient profile had more females and older age in the repeated episode group, with increased employment rates. Combined group data for both pre- and post-COVID-19 periods showed an increased trend in spring and summer admissions, and even though not statistically significant, more pronounced post-COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on acute psychosis admissions over a 12-month period. The results provide evidence for the 'stress-pathogenesis' in the context of genetic vulnerability in psychosis. Preventative strategies in the context of the 'stress-pathogenesis model', improved access to and responsiveness within NHS transformation efforts needs to be adjusted to fit local need and environmental changes.

Improved pressurized Marinelli beaker measurements of radioactive xenon in air.

INL has shown that a Marinelli beaker geometry can be used for the measurement of radioactive xenon in air using an aluminum Marinelli. A carbon fiber Marinelli was designed and constructed to improve overall performance. This composite Marinelli can withstand sample pressures of 276bar and achieve approximately a 4x performance improvement in the minimum detectable concentrations (MDCs) and concentration uncertainties. The MDCs obtained during a 24h assay for 133Xe, 131mXe, and 135Xe are: 1.4, 13, and 0.35Bq/m3.

Radioxenon spiked air.

Four of the radioactive xenon isotopes ((131m)Xe, (133m)Xe, (133)Xe and (135)Xe) with half-lives ranging from 9 h to 12 days are produced from nuclear fission and can be detected from days to weeks following their production and release. Being inert gases, they are readily transported through the atmosphere. Sources for release of radioactive xenon isotopes include operating nuclear reactors via leaks in fuel rods, medical isotope production facilities, and nuclear weapons' detonations. They are not normally released from fuel reprocessing due to the short half-lives. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty has led to creation of the International Monitoring System. The International Monitoring System, when fully implemented, will consist of one component with 40 stations monitoring radioactive xenon around the globe. Monitoring these radioactive xenon isotopes is important to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty in determining whether a seismically detected event is or is not a nuclear detonation. A variety of radioactive xenon quality control check standards, quantitatively spiked into various gas matrices, could be used to demonstrate that these stations are operating on the same basis in order to bolster defensibility of data across the International Monitoring System. This paper focuses on Idaho National Laboratory's capability to produce three of the xenon isotopes in pure form and the use of the four xenon isotopes in various combinations to produce radioactive xenon spiked air samples that could be subsequently distributed to participating facilities.

Radioactive cesium isotope ratios as a tool for determining dispersal and re-dispersal mechanisms downwind from the Nevada Nuclear Security Site.

Fractionation of the two longer-lived radioactive cesium isotopes ((135)Cs and (137)Cs) produced by above ground nuclear tests have been measured and used to clarify the dispersal mechanisms of cesium deposited in the area between the Nevada Nuclear Security Site and Lake Mead in the southwestern United States. Fractionation of these isotopes is due to the 135-decay chain requiring several days to completely decay to (135)Cs, and the 137-decay chain less than one hour decay to (137)Cs. Since the Cs precursors are gases, iodine and xenon, the (135)Cs plume was deposited farther downwind than the (137)Cs plume. Sediment core samples were obtained from the Las Vegas arm of Lake Mead, sub-sampled and analyzed for (135)Cs/(137)Cs ratios by thermal ionization mass spectrometry. The layers proved to have nearly identical highly fractionated isotope ratios. This information is consistent with a model where the cesium was initially deposited onto the land area draining into Lake Mead and the composite from all of the above ground shots subsequently washed onto Lake Mead by high intensity rain and wind storms producing a layering of Cs activity, where each layer is a portion of the composite.