Incident chronic obstructive pulmonary disease associated with occupation, industry, and workplace exposures in the Health and Retirement Study

[Pesticide exposure and chronic respiratory diseases]

INTRODUCTION

Pesticides are used worldwide, mainly in agriculture as a means of controlling pests and protecting crops. That said, the entire world population is ultimately subject to pesticide exposure (consumption of fruits and vegetables, living near treated fields…), with varying degrees of toxicity involved.

STATE OF THE ART

In recent decades, epidemiological studies have contributed to the identification of chemical pesticide families with detrimental effects on human health: cognitive disorders, Parkinson's disease, prostate cancer… and impairment in respiratory functioning. Current scientific evidence points to the implication of the active substances in insecticides, herbicides and fungicides in chronic respiratory diseases, two examples being chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in exposed workers, and asthmatic wheezing in children during prenatal or postnatal exposure.

PERSPECTIVES

The safety of individuals exposed to pesticides is of key importance in public health. Further epidemiological investigations are needed to identify the chemical families affecting certain populations.

CONCLUSIONS

The scientific literature suggests strong links between pesticide exposure and respiratory health. Whether it be environmental or occupational, pesticide exposure can lead to respiratory disorders and symptoms of varying severity.

Risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a large cohort of Ontario, Canada workers

Although several occupational exposures have been linked to the risk of COPD; limited data exists on sex-specific differences. This study aimed to identify at-risk occupations and sex differences for COPD risk. Cases were identified in a large surveillance system established through the linkage of former compensation claimants' data (non-COPD claims) to physician visits, ambulatory care data, and hospital inpatient data (1983-2020). Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) for occupation groups (occupation at time of claim), stratified by sex. HRs were indirectly adjusted for cigarette smoking using another population dataset. A total of 29,445 male and 14,693 female incident cases of COPD were identified. Increased risks were observed in both sexes for construction (HRmale 1.15, 95% CI 1.12-1.19; HRfemale 1.54, 95% CI 1.29-1.83) transport/equipment operating (HRmale 1.32, 95% CI 1.28-1.37; HRfemale 1.53, 95% CI 1.40-1.68) farming (HRmale 1.23, 95% CI 1.15-1.32; HRfemale 1.19, 95% CI 1.04-1.37) and janitors/cleaners (HRmale 1.31, 95% CI 1.24-1.37; HRfemale 1.40, 95% CI 1.31-1.49). Increased risks were observed for females employed as chefs and cooks (HR 1.44, 95% CI 1.31-1.58), bartenders (HR 1.38, 95% CI 1.05-1.81), and those working in food/beverage preparation (HR 1.34, 95% CI 1.24-1.45) among other occupations. This study demonstrates elevated risk of COPD among both male and female workers potentially exposed to vapours, gases, dusts, and fumes, highlighting the need for occupational surveillance of COPD.

Association between occupational exposure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and respiratory symptoms in the Spanish population

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of occupational exposure on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and respiratory symptoms in the general Spanish population.

METHODS

This was a study nested in the Spanish EPISCAN II cross-sectional epidemiological study that included participants who had completed a structured questionnaire on their occupational history, a questionnaire on respiratory symptoms, and forced spirometry. The data were analyzed using Chi-square and Student's t tests and adjusted models of multiple linear regression and logistic regression.

RESULTS

We studied 7502 subjects, 51.1% women, with a mean age of 60±11 years. Overall, 53.2% reported some respiratory symptoms, 7.9% had respiratory symptoms during their work activity, 54.2% were or had been smokers, and 11.3% (851 subjects) met COPD criteria on spirometry. A total of 3056 subjects (40.7%) reported exposure to vapors, gases, dust or fumes (VGDF); occupational exposure to VGDF was independently associated with the presence of COPD (OR 1.22, 95% CI: 1.03-1.44), respiratory symptoms (OR 1.45, 95%: CI 1.30-1.61), and respiratory symptoms at work (OR 4.69, 95% CI: 3.82-5.77), with a population attributable fraction for COPD of 8.2%.

CONCLUSIONS

Occupational exposure is associated with a higher risk of COPD and respiratory symptoms in the Spanish population. These results highlight the need to follow strict prevention measures to protect the respiratory health of workers.

Environmental hazards posed by mine dust, and monitoring method of mine dust pollution using remote sensing technologies: An overview

The over-exploitation of mineral resources has led to increasingly serious dust pollution in mines, resulting in a series of negative impacts on the environment, mine workers (occupational health) and nearby residents (public health). For the environment, mine dust pollution is considered a major threat on surface vegetation, landscapes, weather conditions and air quality, leading to serious environmental damage such as vegetation reduction and air pollution; for occupational health, mine dust from the mining process is also regarded as a major threat to mine workers' health, leading to occupational diseases such as pneumoconiosis and silicosis; for public health, the pollutants contained in mine dust may pollute surrounding rivers, farmlands and crops, which poses a serious risk to the domestic water and food security of nearby residents who are also susceptible to respiratory diseases from exposure to mine dust. Therefore, the second section of this paper combines literature research, statistical studies, and meta analysis to introduce the public mainly to the severity of mine dust pollution and its hazards to the environment, mine workers (occupational health), and residents (public health), as well as to present an outlook on the management of mine dust pollution. At the same time, in order to propose a method for monitoring mine dust pollution on a regional scale, based on the Dense Dark Vegetation (DDV) algorithm, the third section of this paper analysed the aerosol optical depth (AOD) change in Dexing City of China using the data of 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2021 from the NASA MCD19A2 Dataset to explore the mine dust pollution situation and the progress of pollution treatment in Dexing City from 2010 to 2021. As a discussion article, this paper aims to review the environmental and health risks caused by mine dust pollution, to remind the public to take mine dust pollution seriously, and to propose the use of remote sensing technologies to monitor mine dust pollution, providing suggestions for local governments as well as mines on mine dust monitoring measures.

Pulmonary Function Tests of Workers at the State Company of Petrochemicals Factory in Basrah City, South of Iraq

BACKGROUND: Workers who are exposed to chemical and physical elements at work on a regular or continuous basis are more likely to acquire various occupational diseases, particularly respiratory problems. AIM: This observational study was carried out to determine the impact of exposure to specific industrial pollutants, such as petroleum products, on the pulmonary function tests of workers at a facility in Iraq’s south. METHODS: The study involved two groups of people: Exposed workers (G1) and non-exposed workers (G2) (G2). Asthmatics, healthy smokers, and healthy nonsmokers were split into three subgroups. All individuals had their pulmonary function tests (PFTs) performed using a medical spirometer. RESULTS: There were substantial decreases (p0.05) in PFTs of exposed workers, as well as a significant rise in estimated lung age. The effects of exposure were most noticeable in asthmatics and healthy smokers, while healthy nonsmokers were unaffected. In addition, the exposed group had a considerably higher percentage of obstructive and mixed respiratory illnesses. CONCLUSION: Workplace exposure to some industrial compounds, such as petrochemical products, may impair PFTs, with the impairment being more pronounced in the presence of other risk factors such as smoking or asthma. Asthmatics and smokers should be cautioned against working in industrial settings for more than five years. In general, all workers should be aware of the risks of working at such a location for more than 5 years, and all workers should adhere to occupational safety regulations.

Effects of Serving as a State Functionary on Self-Rated Health: Empirical Evidence From China

Purpose

There is a strong link between occupation and self-rated health. Existing research has revealed the effects of occupation on self-rated health outcomes and the corresponding mechanisms. However, there is a lack of research on the effects of state services on self-rated health in China. Therefore, this study focuses on exploring the effects of serving as a state functionary in China on self-rated health to enrich research in related fields.

Method

Based on the data of 14,138 individuals collected from the 2016 China Labour-Force Dynamics Survey, the logit model was used to investigate the effects of serving as a state functionary on self-rated health and the difference in the effects across different populations.

Results

The results show that (1) serving as a state functionary has a significant positive effect on self-rated health; (2) self-rated health of elderly state functionaries is higher than that of younger state functionaries; (3) self-rated health of state functionaries in non-eastern regions is higher than that of state functionaries in eastern regions; and (4) state functionaries with lower education have higher self-rated health than highly-educated state functionaries; (5) Higher self-rated health of state functionaries is achieved primarily through better work time, better work environment and lower relative deprivation.

Conclusion

Serving as a state functionary in China has a significant positive correlation with self-rated health, with differences across populations of state functionaries. This study expands the current literature on the effects of occupation on self-rated health in the context of China.

The effect of serving as a danwei leader before retirement on self-rated post-retirement health: empirical evidence from China

BACKGROUND

Worker health is often influenced by their occupation type, and the accumulative effect of occupation has a significant impact on their health after retirement. Studies show that the type and level of occupation before retirement directly impact workers' self-rated post-retirement health. However, there is little research on the self-rated post-retirement health of danwei leaders in China. This study seeks to examine the self-rated health level of Chinese danwei leaders after retirement. Furthermore, the differences between their self-rated health level and that of retirees from other occupations are explored by examining the accumulative effect of occupation and the mechanism underlying these differences.

METHODS

Based on 5,910 samples' data from the 2018 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey, ordinary least squares, logit, and propensity score matching models are used to investigate the self-rated health level of Chinese danwei leaders after retirement, their differences with other occupations, and the corresponding mechanism.

RESULTS

The results show that retired danwei leaders have higher self-rated health levels than retirees in other occupations. This was mainly found among female, non-eastern, married, not living with children, and highly educated respondents. The difference in self-rated health between retired danwei leaders and other retired groups was influenced by their post-retirement income and social status.

CONCLUSIONS

In China, retired danwei leaders rated their health higher than retirees from other occupations. Danwei leaders have high socioeconomic status due to their occupation. Compared with other groups, their advantages are significant and enjoyed for a long time. Additionally, most danwei leaders have high social influence even after retirement and their higher income and social status have a positive impact on their self-rated health compared with other employees. This study provides empirical evidence from China and extends current literature on the effects of occupational type and level on self-rated health after retirement.