Effects of Manual Handling,Posture, and Whole Body Vibrations on Low-Back Pain

To determine the effect of occupational stress on low-back pain (LBP), a cross-sectional study has been carried out, by interviews, on workers exposed to 3 stresses: manual handling (MH, 82 women and 264 men), whole body vibrations (WBV, 274 men), and static postures (278 women). Anthropometric data, occupational stress, LBP severity and frequency, and a psychological evaluation of these groups were compared to those of a control population of 208 workers (104 men and 104 women).

The results show that 30% of the population had never suffered from LBP. Age and the body mass index of the workers were the parameters most closely associated with LBP. Women involved in MH had higher frequency and severity of LBP than their reference population. Men involved in MH or exposed to WBV had higher frequency of painful episodes than their reference population. Workers exposed to one of the stresses were on sick leave for LBP more often, and for longer periods, than workers in the reference group. The results show that individual factors are often decisive in the onset of LBP. Nevertheless, in the more serious LBP cases, occupational stress is an aggravating factor for LBP and its consequences.     

Amalgam in Dentistry A Health Hazard for Dental Personnel?

In a cross sectional study done in 1993 among dental personnel in Norrbotten, self-reported prevalence of muscular pain, headache, tremor, insomnia, irritation, impaired memory and depression, as well as information regarding different mercury exposures were collected Mercury exposures were determined as “number of amalgam fillings in teeth,” “years in practice,” “insufficient ventilation at work,” “total number of amalgam removed, produced and polished per day,” and “working in dental clinics.” As controls, physicians and nurses from the same geographical area were selected. The correlation between symptoms and different mercury exposures was calculated using logistic regression. The results suggested a higher prevalence of muscular fatigue and tremor for female dental personnel compared to controls Controls reported a lower prevalence of symptoms with increasing number of amalgam fillings in teeth. There was no correlation between the number of amalgam fillings handled per day and symptoms for dental personnel. Male dental personnel associated muscular fatigue headache, impaired memory, and depression with increased handling of amalgam in the clinic’ whereas the female dental personnel associated the same symptoms with the number of amalgam fillings in teeth. The strongest correlation was found between symptoms and insufficient ventilation at dental clinics for dental personnel.     

Team-Based Risk Assessment and Action Plans as Participatory Methods for Safe Patient Handling in Two Swedish Municipal Care Homes for the Elderly

Objective. We investigated the usefulness of a team-based risk assessment method in patient transfer situations in municipal care homes for the elderly. Methods. Evaluation of risk assessment and action plans carried out in 2009. Focus group interviews with care givers and one-to-one interviews with managers and occupational therapists. Results. The evaluation showed that action plans and interventions were developed for each resident with identified risk connected with movement/transfer in daily life. Twenty-six patients (28%) of a total number of 94 were assigned to the “no risk” category regarding movement/transfer situations in daily life. The other 68 patients (72%) required further interventions, which were documented in action plans. The interviews indicated that the approach of team-based risk assessment and action plans was perceived as a functional participatory method aiming to improve daily life and work. Conclusion. Systematic team-based risk assessment and action plans benefit staff as well as residents at care homes for the elderly.     

The effects of arm posture and holding time on holding capability and muscle activity

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of arm posture and holding time on human holding capability and resulting muscle activity. Fifteen healthy young males were recruited as participants. Maximum holding capacity was examined at 0 (degrees of shoulder forward flexion angle)/90 (degrees of elbow angle), 30/120 and 90/180 arm postures. Maximum acceptable weight of holding was evaluated in three arm postures (0/90, 30/120, 90/180) by three holding times (10?s, 20?s, 30?s). The greatest and lowest maximum holding capacity or maximum acceptable weight of holding occurred at 0/90 and 90/180 arm postures, respectively. Maximum acceptable weight of holding decreased with increasing holding time. While holding maximum acceptable weights, the % of maximum voluntary contraction of brachioradialis, biceps brachii and erector spinae ranged from 14 to 44%, from 14 to 53% and from 25 to 36%, respectively.     

Evaluation of health benefit using BenMAP-CE with an integrated scheme of model and monitor data during Guangzhou Asian Games

Guangzhou is the capital and largest city(land area:7287 km2)of Guangdong province in South China.The air quality in Guangzhou typically worsens in November due to unfavorable meteorological conditions for pollutant dispersion.During the Guangzhou Asian Games in November 2010,the Guangzhou government carried out a number of emission control measures that significantly improved the air quality.In this paper,we estimated the acute health outcome changes related to the air quality improvement during the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games using a next-generation,fully-integrated assessment system for air quality and health benefits.This advanced system generates air quality data by fusing model and monitoring data instead of using monitoring data alone,which provides more reliable results.The air quality estimates retain the spatial distribution of model results while calibrating the value with observations.The results show that the mean PM_2.5concentration in November 2010 decreased by 3.5μg/m~3 compared to that in 2009 due to the emission control measures.From the analysis,we estimate that the air quality improvement avoided 106 premature deaths,1869 cases of hospital admission,and 20,026 cases of outpatient visits.The overall cost benefit of the improved air quality is estimated to be 165 million CNY,with the avoided premature death contributing 90%of this figure.The research demonstrates that Ben MAP-CE is capable of assessing the health and cost benefits of air pollution control for sound policy making.     

The unintended impact of helmet use on bicyclists’ risk-taking behaviors

Introduction: Safety is a critical factor in promoting sustainable urban non-motorized travel modes like bicycles. Helmets have shown to be effective in reducing injury severity in bicycle crashes, however, their effects on bicyclists’ behaviors still requires deeper understanding, especially amid the emerging trend of using shared bicycles. Risk compensation effects suggest that bicyclists may offset perceived gains in safety from wearing a helmet by increasing risk-taking behaviors. A better understanding of these compensation effects can be useful in assessing various bicycle safety related programs. Method: Using a sample of 131 bicyclists from the San Francisco Bay area, this research studies how bicyclists respond with respect to risk-taking behaviors under various urban-street conditions, as a function of helmet use. Study participants were each shown 12 videos, shot in Berkeley, California, from the perspective of a bicyclist riding behind another bicyclist. A fractional factorial experiment design was used to systematically vary contextual attributes (e.g., speed, bike lane facilities, on-street parking, passing vehicles) across the videos. After each video, participants were asked to indicate if they would overtake the bicyclist in the video. With the help of data adaptive estimation techniques, targeted maximum likelihood estimation (TMLE) was applied to estimate the average risk difference between helmeted users and non-users, controlling for self-selection effects. Individual-based nonparametric bootstrap was performed to assess the uncertainty associated with the estimator. Results: Our findings suggest, on average, individuals more likely to wear a helmet are 15.6% more likely to undertake a risky overtaking maneuver. Practical Applications: This study doesn’t try to oppose mandatory helmet laws, but rather serves as a cautionary warning that road safety programs may need to consider strategies in which unintended impact of bicycle helmet use can be mitigated. Moreover, our findings also provide additional evaluation component when it comes to the cost-benefit assessment of helmet-related laws.     

Decision factors for e-waste in Northern Mexico: To waste or trade

Currently, around the globe, environmental and social problems derive from the inappropriate recycling of electronic products. Moreover, improper recycling is not the only issue to address in electronic products. Others include: energy intensity in their manufacture, employment generation related to the international trade in used electronics, and access to technology by low-income communities. Nevertheless, policies and controls created to provide socially and environmentally sound management of used electronics do not match the complexity of the system. In order to understand the e-waste system, particularly used computers, as a whole, a field study was done between 2010 and 2011 in ten Mexican cities. Ninety-five diverse stakeholders were interviewed to uncover factors regarding the decision to waste or trade still-usable computers. Structured analysis was used to create Data Flow Diagrams (DFDs) to describe the critical parts of the system. The results show that perceived value and geographical location determine the rate in which computers are disposed and the opportunities to waste or trade them, including the trade of their materials. Among businesses and other organizations, legislation has a stronger effect. Technological change is another important factor, largely driving the change in materials and new products. Designing policies responding to this diversity may prevent unforeseen problems and stimulate solutions.     

活性氧化铝吸附在水体砷污染应急处置中的应用

近年来,我国境内相继发生多起水体砷污染环境安全事件。为了将水体砷污染对其周边地区的危害降至最小,如何快速、高效、安全的处理含砷污水就成了处置此类水体污染的关键。现以活性氧化铝吸附技术在山东临沂含砷工业废水跨省污染下游江苏邳州邳苍分洪道事件中的实际应用为例．阐明该技术在快速处置大水量合砷污水中的实际效果与技术特点。     

关中东部地区农村生活源水污染物产排污系数测算

通过调查问卷与实地监测等手段,以陕西关中东部地区的4镇8村为例研究农村居民生活污水排放特点,并分析其影响因素及机理。结果表明：关中东部地区与陕西其他地区（陕南、陕北）相比,农村生活源水污染物排放量关中最高,陕南、陕北次之。SPSS相关性检测显示：河流水期、农耕规律、收入水平、文化程度及年龄结构等因素与TN、TP、NH3〖ＦＫ（W。*9〗〖CD*2〗〖ＦＫ）〗N污染物产排系数显著相关。     

环境监测数据审核体系的回顾与展望

回顾了中国环境监测数据审核体系发展历程,指出了当前环境监测数据审核在国家、运作和研究层面上存在的问题。提出,在国家层面上,应建立健全环境监测数据QA/QC法律体系;在运作层面上,环境监测机构应建立健全环境监测数据审核管理机制;在研究层面上,应开展监测数据合理性、相关性审核研究。