A multiple and comprehensive approach to assess health risk in amalgam-exposed Chinese workers
Fluorescent lamp manufacturing workers have been extensively exposed to mercury (Hg). Our aim was to assess their health risks using several approved occupational health risk assessment methods, and to find out which method was more suitable for identification of occupational health risks. Work loca...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.999095/full |
| _version_ | 1818020729185107968 |
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| author | Xiao-ying Ruan Si-wei Tan Lin Zhu Yan-peng Shi Jia-mian Yu Mei-bian Zhang Tong-shuai Wang Hong Fu |
| author_facet | Xiao-ying Ruan Si-wei Tan Lin Zhu Yan-peng Shi Jia-mian Yu Mei-bian Zhang Tong-shuai Wang Hong Fu |
| author_sort | Xiao-ying Ruan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Fluorescent lamp manufacturing workers have been extensively exposed to mercury (Hg). Our aim was to assess their health risks using several approved occupational health risk assessment methods, and to find out which method was more suitable for identification of occupational health risks. Work locations, and air and urine samples were collected from 530 exposed workers in Zhejiang, China. Based on the calculated exposure doses, health risks and risk ratios (RRs) as health risk indices, were evaluated using: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Australian, Romanian, Singaporean, International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), and Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) methods. Among the workers, 86.0% had higher Hg levels than the Chinese occupational exposure limits of 0.02 mg/m3, and 16.7% urine samples were higher than the biological exposure limits of 35.0 μg/g·creatinine. Among workers at the injection, etc. locations, their average RRs, evaluated by the EPA, COSHH and Singaporean methods were 0.97, 0.76, and 0.60, respectively, and were significantly higher than the ICMM (0.39), Australian (0.30) and Romanian (0.29) methods. The RRs from the Singaporean method showed significant correlations with the urinary Hg levels (P < 0.01). In conclusion, the Singaporean method was more appropriate than the others for health risk evaluation because the excessive risks were significantly associated with urinary Hg levels among the workers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T08:09:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e02bb781e69f447ba5bb3e2561f901f7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T08:09:27Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-e02bb781e69f447ba5bb3e2561f901f72022-12-22T02:04:37ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652022-09-011010.3389/fpubh.2022.999095999095A multiple and comprehensive approach to assess health risk in amalgam-exposed Chinese workersXiao-ying Ruan0Si-wei Tan1Lin Zhu2Yan-peng Shi3Jia-mian Yu4Mei-bian Zhang5Tong-shuai Wang6Hong Fu7Department of Occupational Health, Hangzhou Hospital for Prevention and Treatment of Occupational Disease, Hangzhou, ChinaDepartment of Occupational Health, Hangzhou Hospital for Prevention and Treatment of Occupational Disease, Hangzhou, ChinaDepartment of Occupational Health, Hangzhou Hospital for Prevention and Treatment of Occupational Disease, Hangzhou, ChinaDepartment of Occupational Health, Hangzhou Hospital for Prevention and Treatment of Occupational Disease, Hangzhou, ChinaDepartment of Occupational Health, Hangzhou Hospital for Prevention and Treatment of Occupational Disease, Hangzhou, ChinaDepartment of Occupational Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, ChinaShanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, ChinaDepartment of Occupational Health, Hangzhou Hospital for Prevention and Treatment of Occupational Disease, Hangzhou, ChinaFluorescent lamp manufacturing workers have been extensively exposed to mercury (Hg). Our aim was to assess their health risks using several approved occupational health risk assessment methods, and to find out which method was more suitable for identification of occupational health risks. Work locations, and air and urine samples were collected from 530 exposed workers in Zhejiang, China. Based on the calculated exposure doses, health risks and risk ratios (RRs) as health risk indices, were evaluated using: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Australian, Romanian, Singaporean, International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), and Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) methods. Among the workers, 86.0% had higher Hg levels than the Chinese occupational exposure limits of 0.02 mg/m3, and 16.7% urine samples were higher than the biological exposure limits of 35.0 μg/g·creatinine. Among workers at the injection, etc. locations, their average RRs, evaluated by the EPA, COSHH and Singaporean methods were 0.97, 0.76, and 0.60, respectively, and were significantly higher than the ICMM (0.39), Australian (0.30) and Romanian (0.29) methods. The RRs from the Singaporean method showed significant correlations with the urinary Hg levels (P < 0.01). In conclusion, the Singaporean method was more appropriate than the others for health risk evaluation because the excessive risks were significantly associated with urinary Hg levels among the workers.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.999095/fulloccupational health risk assessmentmercuryamalgamfluorescent bulb manufacturingmultiple comprehensive methods analyze |
| spellingShingle | Xiao-ying Ruan Si-wei Tan Lin Zhu Yan-peng Shi Jia-mian Yu Mei-bian Zhang Tong-shuai Wang Hong Fu A multiple and comprehensive approach to assess health risk in amalgam-exposed Chinese workers Frontiers in Public Health occupational health risk assessment mercury amalgam fluorescent bulb manufacturing multiple comprehensive methods analyze |
| title | A multiple and comprehensive approach to assess health risk in amalgam-exposed Chinese workers |
| title_full | A multiple and comprehensive approach to assess health risk in amalgam-exposed Chinese workers |
| title_fullStr | A multiple and comprehensive approach to assess health risk in amalgam-exposed Chinese workers |
| title_full_unstemmed | A multiple and comprehensive approach to assess health risk in amalgam-exposed Chinese workers |
| title_short | A multiple and comprehensive approach to assess health risk in amalgam-exposed Chinese workers |
| title_sort | multiple and comprehensive approach to assess health risk in amalgam exposed chinese workers |
| topic | occupational health risk assessment mercury amalgam fluorescent bulb manufacturing multiple comprehensive methods analyze |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.999095/full |
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