Age Factors ; Environmental Exposure ; Humans ; Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; Research

Environmental Exposure ; prevention & control ; Environmental Monitoring ; Humans ; Occupational Health Services ; organization & administration

China ; Environmental Exposure ; prevention & control ; standards ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Occupational Exposure ; standards ; Seasons ; Temperature ; Workplace ; legislation & jurisprudence ; standards

Benzene ; isolation & purification ; Environmental Monitoring ; Occupational Exposure ; prevention & control ; Recycling ; Toluene ; isolation & purification ; Xylenes ; isolation & purification

China ; Environmental Exposure ; Heat Stress Disorders ; prevention & control ; Industry ; Occupational Health ; Temperature ; Workplace

Animals ; Decompression Sickness ; prevention & control ; Environmental Exposure ; Hyperbaric Oxygenation ; Incidence ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

The United Nations Environmental Program Governing Council has regulated mercury as a global pollutant since 2001 and has been preparing the mercury convention, which will have a strongly binding force through Global Mercury Assessment, Global Mercury Partnership Activities, and establishment of the Open-Ended Working Group on Mercury. The European Union maintains an inclusive strategy on risks and contamination of mercury, and has executed the Mercury Export Ban Act since December in 2010. The US Environmental Protection Agency established the Mercury Action Plan (1998) and the Mercury Roadmap (2006) and has proposed systematic mercury management methods to reduce the health risks posed by mercury exposure. Japan, which experienced Minamata disease, aims vigorously at perfection in mercury management in several ways. In Korea, the Ministry of Environment established the Comprehensive Plan and Countermeasures for Mercury Management to prepare for the mercury convention and to reduce risks of mercury to protect public health.
Environmental Exposure ; Environmental Monitoring ; Environmental Pollution/*prevention & control ; European Union ; Humans ; Japan ; *Mercury ; Policy Making ; Public Health ; United Nations ; United States

The main behavioural and environmental risk factors for cancer mortality in the world are related to diet and physical inactivity, use of addictive substances, sexual and reproductive health, exposure to air pollution and use of contaminated needles. The population attributable fraction for all cancer sites worldwide considering the joint effect of these factors is about 35% (34 % for low-and middle-income countries and 37% for high-income countries). Seventy-one percent(71%) of lung cancer deaths are caused by tobacco use (lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death globally). The combined effects of tobacco use, low fruit and vegetable intake, urban air pollution, and indoor smoke from household use of solid fuels cause 76% of lung cancer deaths. Exposure to these behavioural and environmental factors is preventable; modifications in lifestyle could have a large impact in reducing the cancer burden worldwide (WHO, 2009). The evidence of association between lifestyle factors and cancer, as well as the main international recommendations for prevention are briefly reviewed and commented upon here.
Environmental Exposure/adverse effects ; Humans ; *Life Style ; Neoplasms/*etiology/mortality/prevention & control ; Primary Prevention/methods ; Risk Factors ; World Health

OBJECTIVETo study the source of noise in level III NICU in Beijing region, evaluate preliminary intervention measures, and improve the NICU environment by reducing the noise.

METHODNoise measurements were performed in level III NICU of three hospitals (A, B and C) in Beijing region by dosimeter (B&K 2231, Denmark), during loud hours and quiet hours. In addition, the loud hours were divided into shift time, nursing time and operating time. "Quiet hours" represents the intervals among shift, nursing and operating time. The noise inside/outside incubator was recorded, measures to reduce the noise, including putting plastic foam in incubator, covering sheet and blanket outside incubator were taken, and an educational program was implemented for the staff to decrease noise in the NICU environment.

RESULTSAmong the three hospitals, the average noise of was (62.60 +/- 2.33) dB during the loud time, and (55.80 +/- 2.61) dB during the quiet time, with a difference of 7 dB (P < 0.05). There was a significant decrease of 2.7 - 3.3 dB during shift time with the averages of A hospital (62.3 +/- 1.5) dB, B hospital (65.10 +/- 2.44) dB and C hospital (61.80 +/- 1.91) dB (F = 9.57, P < 0.05 and P < 0.01), separately. There was a significant decrease of 3 dB during nursing time with the averages of A hospital (62.0 +/- 2.4) dB, B hospital (64.90 +/- 1.06) dB (P < 0.01), respectively, and 2.5 - 3.0 dB during treatment time with the averages of A hospital (60.7 +/- 2.2) dB, B hospital (63.30 +/- 1.19) dB (P < 0.05), separately. After educating the staff in hospital A, there was a significant decrease of 4.7 dB from (61.70 +/- 2.12) dB to (56.90 +/- 2.49) dB in the loud time (P < 0.01), no significant difference during quiet time from (55.0 +/- 1.7) dB to (53.90 +/- 0.88) dB (P > 0.05). There was a significant decrease of 10 dB (P < 0.01) between the averages of inside of incubator (58.60 +/- 3.43) dB and outside of incubator (67.10 +/- 1.87) dB; After installing foam material inside incubator with the average of (56.20 +/- 1.83) dB, there was a significant decrease of 2.8 dB (P < 0.01); covering sheet (in front and back) with the averages of (57.00 +/- 1.47) dB and (55.3 +/- 1.3) dB, respectively, and single or double blanket outside incubator (in the front and the back) noise value (54.50 +/- 1.33) dB, (54.10 +/- 1.15) dB and (54.70 +/- 0.63) dB and (54.10 +/- 1.14) dB, separately, there was a decrease of 1 - 4 dB (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe noise in level III NICU in Beijing region is much higher than that allowed by regulations in Europe and the USA. Staff behavior and the acoustical characteristics of the facility determine the level of noise; herein to staff behavior is the main cause. The level of noise can be lowered considerably by simply making the staff aware of the problem. At the same time, covering incubator and installing plastic foam material also significantly decreased the noise, the methods are simple, feasible and should be applied constantly.

China ; Environmental Exposure ; prevention & control ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal ; Noise ; prevention & control

OBJECTIVETo analyze the urinary cadmium, blood cadmium and urinary beta2-MG of workers in a zinc powder processing plant before and after the cadmium dust control, and to explore the effects of dust control on the prevention and treatment of cadmium hazards.

METHODSThe on-site occupational hazard survey was used to investigate the changes of urine cadmium, blood cadmium and beta3-MG of 84 workers exposed to cadmium before and after the treatment by self-control analysis for evaluating the effects of dust control measures in a zinc powder processing plant.

RESULTSAfter treatment of the cadmium dust, the geometric mean of zinc dust in the workplace significantly decreased from 3.38 mg/m3 to 2.22 mg/m3 (P < 0.01). The geometric mean concentration of blood cadmium [(2.19 +/- 1.19) microg/L] and urine cadmium [(1.96 +/- 0.74) microg/g Cr] before treatment were significantly higher than those of one year [(1.63 +/- 0.83) microg/L] and [(1.25 +/- 0.83) microg/g Cr] and two years [(1.36 +/- 0.95) microg/L] and [(0.94 +/- 0.72) microg/g Cr] after the cadmium dust control (P < 0.01), respectively. The positive correlations analysis between urine cadmium and blood cadmium concentration of one and two years before and after the cadmium dust treatment implied that there was significant difference (r = 0.466, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONDust treatment could reduce the impact of low concentration cadmium on the urine cadmium and blood cadmium concentrations of the workers exposed to cadmium, and effectively prevent the cadmium poisoning.

Adult ; Cadmium ; blood ; urine ; Dust ; prevention & control ; Environmental Monitoring ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Exposure ; prevention & control