Vibration syndrome in Foresty Commission chain saw operators

Taylor, W., Pearson, J., Kell, R. L., and Keighley, G. D. (1971). Brit. J. industr. Med., 28, 83-89. Vibration syndrome in Forestry Commission chain saw operators. A preliminary investigation has been made into the prevalence of the vibration syndrome in the employees of the Forestry Commission (Britain). A questionnaire covered 20 randomly selected employees for each of 40 forests chosen at random, giving a total sample of 800 out of 9 600 employees. Of the 756 employees still with the Forestry Commission, 732 responded (97%). The analyses were confined to the 711 male employees, of whom 142 were chain saw operators. In this number, the prevalence of the vibration syndrome was 44% whereas in men who did not handle the chain saw the prevalence was significantly lower at 18% (0·005 level of significance). A regional difference was found. South England showed the highest rate at 69% compared with North England at 31% and Scotland at 33%. An increase in prevalence with years of chain saw usage was found, starting at around two years with a marked increase (73%) at over eight years. In part, this effect explains the regional differences. Men with the syndrome were significantly more affected by chilling at work, during rest periods, and while sheltering from bad weather, with blanching of the fingers (89%) most affected by the weather, followed by sensory loss (84%). During the survey vibration levels were measured on 18 chain saws. The major vibration component from each saw fell within the 125 Hz octave band and the vibration levels considerably exceeded the criterion of Axelsson (1968). In 16 of the saws the amplitudes were greater on the lower (trigger) handle.

Anaemia in an island population

A haematological investigation was carried out on the population of the Island of Westray situated in the Orkney Isles, North Scotland. The response rate was 98.8 per cent and 291 males and 289 females over the age of 15 years had a blood examination.

Anaemia in the male population (defined as 12.5 g. haemoglobin per 100 ml. of blood or less) was 4.1 per cent and in the female population (defined as 12 g. haemoglobin per 100 ml. of blood or less) was 14.5 per cent. In the male population, the prevalence was found to increase with age, from 2 to 3 per cent in the younger age groups to 8 per cent at 55 years and over. In the female population, the highest prevalence was in the 35 to 44 years age group (25%) and in women over 75 years (23%).

There was a statistically significant reduction of mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (M.C.H.C.) with age in all the male age groups studied. There was a similar significant association between age and M.C.H.C. in the female population under 75 years of age. Reduction in the M.C.H.C. with a normal haemoglobin level was found in 13.4 per cent of the males and in 18.7 per cent of the female population.

Binding characteristics of transcortin in human plasma in normal individuals, pregnancy and liver disease

The binding characteristics of transcortin have been measured in 16 normal individuals, 10 pregnant women, five subjects taking oral contraceptives or on oestrogen therapy and in six patients with advanced liver disease. The affinity of transcortin for cortisol as measured by its equilibrium constant was found not to differ significantly between the normal individuals and the rest. The transcortin capacity was greatly increased in pregnancy and by oestrogen therapy but was normal in the cirrhotics studied.

Despite the increase in total plasma cortisol in pregnancy, the unbound plasma cortisol concentration was only slightly raised and no increase was noted in the oestrogen-treated group.

One of the 'normal' group was found to be transcortin deficient with low total plasma cortisol but the concentration of unbound cortisol and the rate of cortisol secretion were normal.

The production of 11-deoxycortisol (Reichstein's substance S) in patients with adrenocortical hyperfunction

Using an isotope dilution technique, secretion rates of both 11-deoxycortisol and cortisol were measured simultaneously in a group of control subjects and in 13 patients with adrenocortical hyperplasia or tumour. The rate of 11-deoxycortisol secretion was 3·0% of the combined cortisol and 11-deoxycortisol secretions in the control patients, and 2·5% in most cases of Cushing's syndrome due to adrenocortical hyperplasia. This implied a normal efficiency of the 11β-hydroxylase system in most of these patients. In four patients with adrenocortical tumour there was evidence of reduction of the efficiency of the 11β-hydroxylase system below the normal range.

Hearing thresholds of a non-noise-exposed population in Dundee

In order to provide a control population for a previous investigation of noise-induced hearing loss in a population of female jute weavers (Taylor, Pearson, Mair, and Burns, 1965) a survey was conducted on the hearing thresholds of 296 school teachers in Dundee, Scotland, by pure tone earphone listening. This population, although not exposed to industrial noise, is subjected to city noise and differs, therefore, from the rural population of Hinchcliffe (1959), whose presbycusis data have been used in previous studies. The results show that Dundee female school teachers do not conform to British Standard in the age group 18-24 years. The presbycusis data (18-65 years age group), however, show close agreement with those of Hinchcliffe (1959) and Corso (1963). The distributions of hearing threshold observed were normal.