Prevalence and risk factors of occupational asthma among hairdressers in Turkey

This study was designed to evaluate the questionnaire-based prevalence and possible risk factors of occupational asthma among hairdressers in Turkey. We investigated occupational history and respiratory, ocular, dermal, and nasal symptoms using a standardized questionnaire, evaluated worksite pulmonary function tests, and performed allergen skin testing. We then determined asthma risk factors using age and gender-adjusted logistic regression models. The prevalence of occupational asthma in hairdressers was 14.6%. The odds ratio for hairdressers in a high work intensity group was 3.6 (95% confidence interval, 1.2 to 10.9) with a significant dose-response trend (chi(2) trend = 4.875; P = 0.027). The odds ratio for occupational asthma among workers with atopy was 4.5 (95% confidence interval, 1.2 to 17.2). We also observed an excess risk of occupational asthma with allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis. Occupational asthma did not differ among subgroups of hairdressers. We observed an important risk of occupational asthma among hairdressers. The most prominent risk factors were work intensity and atopy

Risk factors for depression in postnatal first year, in eastern Turkey

Background There are few studies reporting depression in the postnatal period in developing countries. In this study our objective was to evaluate women from eastern Turkey in the postnatal one-year period in order to analyse the risk factors for depression

Cancer incidence and mortality among firefighters

Firefighters are exposed to both known and suspected carcinogens. This study aims to systematically review the literature on the association of firefighting occupation and cancer incidence and mortality, overall and for specific cancer sites. A systematic review using PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science was performed up to January 1, 2018. We extracted risk estimates of cancers and calculated summary incidence risk estimates (SIRE), summary mortality risk estimates (SMRE), and their 95% confidence intervals (CI). Publication bias and risk of bias in individual studies were assessed using Begg's and Egger's tests and the Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS), respectively. We included 50 papers in the review and 48 in the meta-analysis. We found significantly elevated SIREs for cancer of the colon (1.14; CI 1.06 to 1.21), rectum (1.09; CI 1.00 to 1.20), prostate (1.15; CI 1.05 to 1.27), testis (1.34; CI 1.08 to 1.68), bladder (1.12; CI 1.04 to 1.21), thyroid (1.22; CI 1.01 to 1.48), pleura (1.60; CI 1.09 to 2.34), and for malignant melanoma (1.21; CI 1.02 to 1.45). We found significant SMREs of 1.36 (1.18 to 1.57) and 1.42 (1.05 to 1.90) for rectal cancer and Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, respectively. Considering the significantly elevated risk of some cancers in this occupational group, we suggest improving preventive measures and securing adequate and relevant medical attention for this group. Further studies with more accurate and in-depth exposure assessments are indicated

Occupational exposure to petroleum-based and oxygenated solvents and hypopharyngeal and laryngeal cancer in France the ICARE study

International audienceBACKGROUND:To examine associations between occupational exposure to petroleum-based and oxygenated solvents and the risk of hypopharyngeal and laryngeal cancer.METHODS:ICARE is a large, frequency-matched population-based case-control study conducted in France. Lifetime occupational history, tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption were collected. Analyses were restricted to men and included 383 cases of hypopharyngeal cancer, 454 cases of laryngeal cancer, and 2780 controls. Job-exposure matrices were used to assess exposure to five petroleum-based solvents (benzene; gasoline; white spirits; diesel, fuels and kerosene; special petroleum products) and to five oxygenated solvents (alcohols; ketones and esters; ethylene glycol; diethyl ether; tetrahydrofuran). Odds ratios (ORs) adjusted for smoking, alcohol drinking and other potential confounders and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated with unconditional logistic models.RESULTS:No significant association was found between hypopharyngeal or laryngeal cancer risk and exposure to the solvents under study. Non-significantly elevated risks of hypopharyngeal cancer were found in men exposed to high cumulative levels of white spirits (OR = 1.46; 95% CI: 0.88-2.43) and tetrahydrofuran (OR = 2.63; 95CI%: 0.55-12.65), with some indication of a dose-response relationship (p for trend: 0.09 and 0.07 respectively).CONCLUSION:This study provides weak evidence for an association between hypopharyngeal cancer and exposure to white spirits and tetrahydrofuran, and overall does not suggest a substantial role of exposure to petroleum-based or oxygenated solvents in hypopharyngeal or laryngeal cancer risk