Global, Regional, and National Burden of COPD Attributable to Occupational Particulate Matter, Gases, and Fumes, 1990-2019: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019.

Background: A study aimed to estimate the burden of Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) caused by occupational exposure to particulate matter, gases, and fumes in 204 countries from 1990 to 2019. Methods: Data on the deaths number, age-standardized mortality rates (ASMR), and age-standardized disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) rates (ASDR) of COPD attributable to occupational particulate matter, gases, and fumes were collected from the GBD study 2019. We also investigated the association between the ASDR and SDI. Results: There were 517.7 thousand deaths [95% UI: 413.9 to 634.5] in 2019. The number of deaths increased from 1990 to 2019. The ASMR and ASDR were 6.61 (5.24 to 8.17) and 143.02 (118.56 to 168.69) in 2019, respectively, representing a 46% and 44.5% decrease since 1990. China had the highest number of deaths [200,748.4 (151,897.6 to 260,703.9)], while Nepal had the highest ASMR [39 (27.7 to 50)] and ASDR [724.5 (549 to 894.2)]. Males and females 75-79 and 80-84 years old had the highest number of COPD deaths. A negative correlation was observed when SDI > 0.4, whereas a positive correlation was found when SDI < 0.4. Conclusion: From 1990 to 2019, there was an increase in the number of deaths, but a decline in ASMR and ASDR globally. Besides, there was a heterogeneous burden of COPD attributable to occupational particulate matter, gases, and fumes across regions and countries. It is important to develop and implement strategies to prevent and reduce the burden of COPD attributable to occupational particulate matter, gases, and fumes.

Long-term metal fume exposure assessment of workers in a shipbuilding factory.

This study aims to assess the metal fume exposure of welders and to determine exposure rates for similar exposure groups in a shipyard through the use of Near-field/Far-field (NF/FF) mathematical model and Bayesian decision analysis (BDA) technique. Emission rates of various metal fumes (i.e., total chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), and nickel (Ni)) were experimentally determined for the gas metal arc welding and flux cored arc welding processes, which are commonly used in shipyards. Then the NF/FF field model which used the emission rates were further validated by welding simulation experiment, and together with long-term operation condition data obtained from the investigated shipyard, the predicted long-term exposure concentrations of workers was established and used as the prior distribution in the BDA. Along with the field monitoring metal fume concentrations which served as the likelihood distribution, the posterior decision distributions in the BDA were determined and used to assess workers' long-term metal exposures. Results show that the predicted exposure concentrations (Cp) and the field worker's exposure concentrations (Cm) were statistically correlated, and the high R2 (= 0.81-0.94) indicates that the proposed surrogate predicting method by the NF and FF model was adequate for predicting metal fume concentrations. The consistency in both prior and likelihood distributions suggests the resultant posterior would be more feasible to assess workers' long-term exposures. Welders' Fe, Mn and Pb exposures were found to exceed their corresponding action levels with a high probability (= 54%), indicating preventive measures should be taken immediately. The proposed approach provides a universal solution for conducting exposure assessment with usual limited number of personal exposure data.

Modelación de riesgos hacia los trabajadores y comunidad por emisiones de gas licuado de petróleo, utilizando software Slab View en la ciudad de Los Ángeles, Chile / Risks modeling to workers and the community for releases of petroleum liquid gas, using software slab view in los angeles city, Chile

RESUMEN: 21. Con el software SLAB VIEW se realizaron modelaciones para determi nar cuantitativamente los riesgos hacia los trabajadores y comunidad por emisiones accidentales de gas licuado de petróleo, desde fuentes de uso y almacenamiento, dentro del radio urbano de Los Ángeles (Chile). Se modelaron 23 fuentes con categoría de riesgo grave, clase "C" y las 3 fuentes con categoría muy grave, clase "D", identificadas con la meto dología APELL, aplicada en el estudio de Silva et. al (2016). 22. 23. Se evaluó el comportamiento espacial y temporal de las fugas de gas para estanques identificados con capacidades de 2 m3, 4 m3, 11 m3 y 49 m3 utilizando promedios estacionales de variables meteorológicas consideradas en un periodo de evaluación de cinco años. Se utiliza ron variables de tiempo de fuga evaluando su comportamiento en 1, 3 y 5 minutos, con el fin de identificar las condiciones del peor escenario. Como resultado se obtiene que el comportamiento de la nube depende de la estabilidad atmosférica, siendo la condición esta ble donde concentraciones de interés permanecen por más tiempo alcanzando mayores distancias y que el peor escenario para una fuga son las bajas temperaturas y las condiciones atmosféricas estables. Como conclusión, puede establecerse que en la zona de estudio exis ten estanques que son potencialmente peligrosos por deflagración para trabajadores y la comunidad; sin embargo, los tiempos de expo sición no generan peligros por exposición aguda.

ABSTRACT: 28. With the SLAB VIEW software, modeling wasperformed to determine quantitatively the risks to workers and the community from acciden tal releases of liquefied petroleum gas, from sources use and storage, within the urban radius of Los Angeles (Chile). 23 sources with a severe risk category class "C" and the 3 very severe risk category class "D" identified with the APELL methodology, applied in the study by Silva et al. (2016), were modeled. 29. 30. The spatial and temporal behavior of the gas leaking for tanks iden tified with capacities of 2m3, 4m3, 11m3 and 49m3 were evaluated using seasonal averages of meteorological variables considered in a five - year evaluation period. Leakage time variables were used evaluating their behavior in 1, 3 and 5 minutes in order to identify worst-case conditions. As a result it is obtained that the behavior of the cloud depends on the atmospheric stability, being the stable condition where concentrations of interest remain longer reaching greater distances and that the worst scenario for a leak is the low temperatures and the stable atmospheric conditions. As a conclusion, it can be established that in the study area, there are ponds that are potentially dangerous due to deflagration for workers and the com munity, however, exposure times do not generate hazards due to acute exposure.

Assessment of dermal hazard from acid burns with fire retardant garments in a full-size simulation of an engulfment flash fire.

There have been concerns that fire-derived acid gases could aggravate thermal burns for individuals wearing synthetic flame retardant garments. A comparative risk assessment was performed on three commercial flame retardant materials with regard to relative hazards associated with acidic combustion gases to skin during a full engulfment flash fire event. The tests were performed in accordance with ASTM F1930 and ISO 13506: Standard Test Method for Evaluation of Flame Resistant Clothing for Protection against Fire Simulations Using an Instrumented Manikin. Three fire retardant textiles were tested: an FR treated cotton/nylon blend, a low Protex(®) modacrylic blend, and a medium Protex(®) modacrylic blend. The materials, in the form of whole body coveralls, were subjected to propane-fired flash conditions of 84kW/m(2) in a full sized simulator for a duration of either 3 or 4s. Ion traps consisting of wetted sodium carbonate-impregnated cellulose in Teflon holders were placed on the chest and back both above and under the standard undergarments. The ion traps remained in position from the time of ignition until 5min post ignition. Results indicated that acid deposition did increase with modacrylic content from 0.9µmol/cm(2) for the cotton/nylon, to 12µmol/cm(2) for the medium modacrylic blend. The source of the acidity was dominated by hydrogen chloride. Discoloration was inversely proportional to the amount of acid collected on the traps. A risk assessment was performed on the potential adverse impact of acid gases on both the skin and open wounds. The results indicated that the deposition and dissolution of the acid gases in surficial fluid media (perspiration and blood plasma) resulted in an increase in acidity, but not sufficient to induce irritation/skin corrosion or to cause necrosis in open third degree burns.

Scenario analysis and path selection of low-carbon transformation in China based on a modified IPAT model.

This paper presents a forecast and analysis of population, economic development, energy consumption and CO2 emissions variation in China in the short- and long-term steps before 2020 with 2007 as the base year. The widely applied IPAT model, which is the basis for calculations, projections, and scenarios of greenhouse gases (GHGs) reformulated as the Kaya equation, is extended to analyze and predict the relations between human activities and the environment. Four scenarios of CO2 emissions are used including business as usual (BAU), energy efficiency improvement scenario (EEI), low carbon scenario (LC) and enhanced low carbon scenario (ELC). The results show that carbon intensity will be reduced by 40-45% as scheduled and economic growth rate will be 6% in China under LC scenario by 2020. The LC scenario, as the most appropriate and the most feasible scheme for China's low-carbon development in the future, can maximize the harmonious development of economy, society, energy and environmental systems. Assuming China's development follows the LC scenario, the paper further gives four paths of low-carbon transformation in China: technological innovation, industrial structure optimization, energy structure optimization and policy guidance.

Biological monitoring as proficient assessment method in chronic exposure to irritating gases and vapors.

UNLABELLED: Air pollution and its adverse health effect represent a global issue. Long term or permanent exposure at low doses of toxic material may increase the number of new appeared severe respiratory diseases and may aggravate most of the existing chronic cases. AIM OF STUDY: In the present study, the main toxic aerosols released by the greatest chemical factory in Transylvania were analyzed and their health impacts were measured. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We have used in our trial biologic monitoring 1786 employees from a chemical factory in a transversal descriptive study. In the same time, we have noticed environmental determination of air quality and also, we have checked the health status and other 90 cases from a nonchemical factory. In this factory there are also pneumotrop harms. Results of our study give useful information regarding workers health status, with possibility to make pollution-medical condition association: there was no significant association between occurrence of decreased lung function tests and exposure of chemical irritants compared to the second investigated factory. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to pneumotrope hazards imposes safeguards to protect health and biological monitoring has proven absolutely necessary to do so. Last but not least, lifestyle monitoring is to be effective.

Evaluating greenhouse gas impacts of organic waste management options using life cycle assessment.

Efforts to divert organics away from landfills are viewed by many as an important measure to significantly reduce the climate change impacts of municipal solid waste management. However, the actual greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts of organics diversion from landfills have yet to be thoroughly evaluated and whether such a diversion provides significant environmental benefits in terms of GHG impacts must be answered. This study, using California-specific information, aimed to analyse the GHG impacts of organics diversion through a life-cycle assessment (LCA). This LCA considered all aspects of organics management including transportation, materials handling, GHG emissions, landfill gas capture/utilization, energy impacts, and carbon sequestration. The LCA study evaluated overall GHG impacts of landfilling, and alternative management options such as composting and anaerobic digestion for diverted organic waste. The LCA analysis resulted in net GHG reductions of 0.093, 0.048, 0.065 and 0.073 tonnes carbon equivalent per tonne organic waste for landfilling, windrow composting, aerated static pile composting, and anaerobic digestion, respectively. This study confirms that all three options for organics management result in net reductions of GHG emissions, but it also shows that organics landfilling, when well-managed, generates greater GHG reductions. The LCA provides scientific insight with regards to the environmental impacts of organics management options, which should be considered in decision and policy-making. The study also highlights the importance of how site and case-specific conditions influence project outcomes when considering organic waste management options.

Decision analysis of emergency ventilation and evacuation strategies against suddenly released contaminant indoors by considering the uncertainty of source locations.

In case hazardous contaminants are suddenly released indoors, the prompt and proper emergency responses are critical to protect occupants. This paper aims to provide a framework for determining the optimal combination of ventilation and evacuation strategies by considering the uncertainty of source locations. The certainty of source locations is classified as complete certainty, incomplete certainty, and complete uncertainty to cover all the possible situations. According to this classification, three types of decision analysis models are presented. A new concept, efficiency factor of contaminant source (EFCS), is incorporated in these models to evaluate the payoffs of the ventilation and evacuation strategies. A procedure of decision-making based on these models is proposed and demonstrated by numerical studies of one hundred scenarios with ten ventilation modes, two evacuation modes, and five source locations. The results show that the models can be useful to direct the decision analysis of both the ventilation and evacuation strategies. In addition, the certainty of the source locations has an important effect on the outcomes of the decision-making.

Assessment of DNA damage in WBCs of workers occupationally exposed to fumes and aerosols of bitumen.

We conducted a cross-shift study with 66 bitumen-exposed mastic asphalt workers and 49 construction workers without exposure to bitumen. Exposure was assessed using personal monitoring of airborne bitumen exposure, urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP), and the sum of 1-, 2 + 9-,3-,4-hydroxyphenanthrene (OHPH). Genotoxic effects in WBC were determined with nonspecific DNA adduct levels of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodGuo) and the formation of DNA strand breaks and alkali-labile sites. Concentration of fumes and aerosols of bitumen correlated significantly with the concentrations of 1-OHP and OHPH after shift (r(s) = 0.27; P = 0.03 and r(s) = 0.55; P < 0.0001, respectively). Bitumen-exposed workers had more DNA strand breaks than the reference group (P < 0.0001) at both time points and a significant correlation with 1-OHP and OHPH in the postshift urines (r(s) = 0.32; P = 0.001 and r(s) = 0.27; P = 0.004, respectively). Paradoxically, we measured higher levels of DNA strand breaks, although not significant, in both study groups before shift. 8-OxodGuo adduct levels did not correlate with DNA strand breaks. Further, 8-oxodGuo levels were associated neither with personal exposure to bitumen nor with urinary metabolite concentrations. Significantly more DNA adducts were observed after shift not only in bitumen-exposed workers but also in the reference group. Only low-exposed workers had significantly elevated 8-oxodGuo adduct levels before as well as after shift (P = 0.0002 and P = 0.02, respectively). Our results show that exposure to fumes and aerosols of bitumen may contribute to an increased DNA damage assessed with strand breaks.

Non-invasive assessment of airway inflammation in occupational lung diseases.

The clinical investigation of occupational asthma is currently based on the demonstration of functional changes after exposure to occupational agents, but it does not yet include any monitoring of airway inflammation, one of the hallmarks of this disease. Methods permitting a non-invasive assessment of airway inflammation, such as induced sputum and exhaled nitric oxide, are currently under investigation for research purposes in occupational asthma. Their role in clinical practice has not yet been established. The advantages and limitations of these methods for occupational airway diseases, and more particularly occupational asthma, are discussed in this review.

[Influence of gas and dust air pollutants on development of asthma in children]. / Wplyw gazowych i pylowych zanieczyszczen powietrza atmosferycznego na indukcje astmy u dzieci.

Bronchial asthma belongs to a large group of illnesses of allergic and inflammatory origin. Despite long-term studies still not much is known about the factors inducing children's bronchial asthma. This fact influenced the line of the research. The research included 5945 children of 10-11 from 86 primary schools of the Katowice province (presently Silesian province). The factor evaluated was the influence of the exposure to air pollution on asthma induction. The data concerning the exposure was obtained from questionnaires, reports of the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management and medical examinations. The dependence analyses were conducted with the use of statistical packets Statistica and BUGS. The analysis proved that long-term exposure to SO2 caused an increased number of cases of children's asthma (correlation R = 0.95 with p < 0.05), whereas the current concentration of Sos did not correlate with the number of asthmatic children (p > 0.05). The concentration of dust did not correlate with occurrence of asthma (p > 0.05). The exposure to NO2 caused a significant increase in incidence of asthma (R = 0.98 with p < 0.05). Previous exposure to CO did not influence the occurrence of asthma (p < 0.05) whereas its present concentration correlated with the number of cases of children's bronchial asthma (R = 0.918 with p = 0.001). The results obtained point to significant influence of long-term exposure to nitrogen and sulphur oxides on later development of asthma (a comparison between the concentration of these gases in the past and the present state of health). As far as evaluation of the influence of the present pollution concentrations is concerned the results were not so unequivocal (perhaps the duration of exposure has been too short to allow for the development of the illness). The fact that the results of the research are unequivocal points to the necessity to change the evaluation method of the children's exposure to environmental factors. This concerns especially the estimation of gas pollution in the air by measuring the blocmarkers in the organic liquids, and not only by evaluation of the exposure to the factors in the air.

[Low-flow anesthesia systems]. / Lav-flow-anaestesisystemer.

At present, when economy and environment receive high priority, the ideal anaesthesia system with inhalation anaesthetics is a closed circle system in which only the gases which the patient consumes or produces are replaced or eliminated. Low-flow (LF) anaesthesia in which the fresh gas flow which is employed in a closed system, provides a stable system compares with closed anaesthesia systems. Compared with open systems and circler systems with considerable fresh gas flow, the LF system provides advantages as regards economy, environment and exposure of staff to inhalation anaesthetics. The special conditions involved in LF anaesthesia are described in detail with the hope that the method will obtain more widespread distribution than is the case in Denmark today. If greater safety under anaesthesia is desired, eg by monitoring the concentrations of CO2, O2 and inhalation anaesthetics which the patients inspire and expire, this monitoring equipment can be financed by introduction of LF anaesthesia.

Current assessment practices for noncancer end points.

The need for assessing noncancer risks for agents to which humans are routinely exposed indoors arises from the large amount of time spent indoors (i.e., employed persons spend about 60% of their time at home indoors, 30% at work indoors, and 5% in transit). Sources of air pollutants include heating and cooling systems, combustion appliances, personal use products, furnishings, tobacco products, pesticides, bioeffluents from humans and animals, and other microbial contamination such as toxins from molds. The purpose of this paper is to describe current dose-response assessment methods applicable to assessing risk following exposure to indoor air pollutants. The role of structure-activity relationships in hazard identification is also described. Risk assessments from exposure to indoor air pollutants require exposure assessments and dose-response assessments. Dose-response assessment methodologies include the inhalation reference concentration (RfC), structure-activity relationships, dose-response models, and the decision analytic approach. The RfC is an estimate (with uncertainty spanning perhaps an order of magnitude) of a daily exposure to the human population (including sensitive subgroups) that is likely to be without an appreciable risk of deleterious effects during a lifetime. The current RfC method provides guidelines for making the necessary dosimetric adjustments for gases and aerosols. Human equivalent concentrations for no-observed-adverse-effect levels in animals are determined by using mathematical relationships that adjust for regional deposition, solubility, ventilation rate, and blood:air partition coefficients. The RfC methodology exists as an interim methodology. Future scientific advancements are expected to further refine the approach.