Last data update: May 06, 2024. (Total: 46732 publications since 2009)
Records 1-7 (of 7 Records) |
Query Trace: Anderson HA[original query] |
---|
Lead exposure among workers at a shipyard - Wisconsin, 2015-2016
Weiss D , Baertlein LA , Yendell SJ , Christensen KY , Tomasallo CD , Creswell PD , Camponeschi JL , Meiman JG , Anderson HA . J Occup Environ Med 2018 60 (10) 928-935 OBJECTIVE: In March 2016, the state health departments of Wisconsin and Minnesota learned of three shipyard workers with blood lead levels (BLLs) >40 mug/dL. An investigation was conducted to determine the extent of and risk factors for the exposure. METHODS: We defined a case as an elevated BLL >/=5 mug/dL in a shipyard worker. Workers were interviewed regarding their symptoms and personal protective equipment (PPE) use. RESULTS: Of 357 workers, 65.0% had received >/=1 BLL test. Among tested workers, 171 (73.7%) had BLLmax >/=5 mug/dL. Workers who received respirator training or fit testing had a median BLLmax of 18.0 mug/dL, similar to the median BLLmax of workers who did not receive such training (22.6 mug/dL, P = 0.20). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings emphasize the importance of adequate provision and use of PPE to prevent occupational lead exposure. |
Elevated blood lead levels associated with retained bullet fragments - United States, 2003-2012
Weiss D , Tomasallo CD , Meiman JG , Alarcon W , Graber NM , Bisgard KM , Anderson HA . MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2017 66 (5) 130-133 An estimated 115,000 firearm injuries occur annually in the United States, and approximately 70% are nonfatal. Retained bullet fragments (RBFs) are an infrequently reported, but important, cause of lead toxicity; symptoms are often nonspecific and can appear years after suffering a gunshot wound. Adult blood lead level (BLL) screening is most commonly indicated for monitoring of occupational lead exposure; routine testing of adults with RBFs is infrequent. States collaborate with CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to monitor elevated BLLs through the Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance (ABLES) program. To help assess the public health burden of RBFs, data for persons with BLLs ≥10 mug/dL reported to ABLES during 2003-2012 were analyzed. An RBF-associated case was defined as a BLL ≥10 mug/dL in a person with an RBF. A non-RBF-associated case was defined as a BLL ≥10 mug/dL without an RBF. During 2003-2012, a total of 145,811 persons aged ≥16 years with BLLs ≥10 mug/dL were reported to ABLES in 41 states. Among these, 457 RBF-associated cases were identified with a maximum RBF-associated BLL of 306 mug/dL. RBF-associated cases accounted for 0.3% of all BLLs ≥10 mug/dL and 4.9% of BLLs ≥80 mug/dL. Elevated BLLs associated with RBFs occurred primarily among young adult males in nonoccupational settings. Low levels of suspicion of lead toxicity from RBFs by medical providers might cause a delay in diagnosis. Health care providers should inquire about an RBF as the potential cause for lead toxicity in an adult with an elevated BLL whose lead exposure is undetermined. |
Electronic cigarette exposure: Calls to Wisconsin Poison Control Centers, 2010–2015
Weiss D , Tomasallo CD , Meiman JG , Creswell PD , Melstrom PC , Gummin DD , Patel DJ , Michaud NT , Sebero HA , Anderson HA . WMJ 2016 115 (6) 306-310 Background: E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that deliver nicotine and flavorings by aerosol and have been marketed in the United States since 2007. Because e-cigarettes have increased in popularity, toxicity potential from device misuse and malfunction also has increased. National data indicate that during 2010–2014, exposure calls to US poison control centers increased only 0.3% for conventional cigarette exposures, whereas calls increased 41.7% for e-cigarette exposures. Methods: We characterized cigarette and e-cigarette exposure calls to the Wisconsin Poison Center January 1, 2010 through October 10, 2015. We compared cigarette and e-cigarette exposure calls by exposure year, demographic characteristics, caller site, exposure site, exposure route, exposure reason, medical outcome, management site, and level of care at a health care facility. Results: During January 2010 to October 2015, a total of 98 e-cigarette exposure calls were reported, and annual exposure calls increased approximately 17-fold, from 2 to 35. During the same period, 671 single-exposure cigarette calls with stable annual call volumes were reported. E-cigarette exposure calls were associated with children aged ≤5 years (57/98, 58.2%) and adults aged ≥20 years (30/98, 30.6%). Cigarette exposure calls predominated among children aged ≤5 years (643/671, 95.8%). Conclusion: The frequency of e-cigarette exposure calls to the Wisconsin Poison Center has increased and is highest among children aged ≤5 years and adults. Strategies are warranted to prevent future poisonings from these devices, including nicotine warning labels and public advisories to keep e-cigarettes away from children. |
Notes from the field: Occupational lead exposures at a shipyard - Douglas County, Wisconsin, 2016
Weiss D , Yendell SJ , Baertlein LA , Christensen KY , Tomasallo CD , Creswell PD , Camponeschi JL , Meiman JG , Anderson HA . MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2017 66 (1) 34 On March 28, 2016, the Minnesota Poison Control System was consulted by an emergency department provider regarding clinical management of a shipyard worker with a blood lead level (BLL) >60 μg/dL; the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health defines elevated BLLs as ≥5 μg/dL (1). The Minnesota Poison Control System notified the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Concurrently, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (WDHS) received laboratory reports concerning two workers from the same shipyard with BLLs >40 μg/dL. These three workers had been retrofitting the engine room of a 690-foot vessel since January 4, 2016. | Work was suspended during March 29–April 4 in the vessel’s engine room, the presumptive primary source of lead exposure. On March 29, the shipyard partnered with a local occupational health clinic to provide testing for workers. Employees and their household members were also tested by general practitioners and local laboratories. The shipyard hired sanitation crews for lead clean-up and abatement and provided personal protective equipment for its employees. On April 1, WDHS and MDH issued advisories to alert regional health care organizations, local public health agencies, and tribal health departments to the situation and launched a joint investigation on April 4. Subsequently, WDHS activated its Incident Command System and worked with MDH to compile a list of potentially exposed workers. By August 31, a total of 357 workers who might have been employed at the shipyard during December 2015–March 2016 had been identified. | During April–July 2016, WDHS and MDH attempted telephone interviews with workers. The goal of the interviews was to gather information regarding employment history, work tasks, personal exposure prevention, symptoms commonly associated with lead exposures, and take-home contamination prevention and household composition and to convey health messages. |
High-precision (MC-ICPMS) isotope ratio analysis reveals contrasting sources of elevated blood lead levels of an adult with retained bullet fragments, and of his child, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Smith KE , Shafer MM , Weiss D , Anderson HA , Gorski PR . Biol Trace Elem Res 2016 177 (1) 33-42 Exposure to the neurotoxic element lead (Pb) continues to be a major human health concern, particularly for children in US urban settings, and the need for robust tools for assessment of exposure sources has never been greater. The latest generation of multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS) instrumentation offers the capability of using Pb isotopic signatures as a tool for environmental source tracking in public health. We present a case where MC-ICPMS was applied to isotopically resolve Pb sources in human clinical samples. An adult male and his child residing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, presented to care in August 2015 with elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) (>200 mug/dL for the adult and 10 mug/dL for the child). The adult subject is a gunshot victim who had multiple bullet fragments embedded in soft tissue of his thigh for approximately 10 years. This study compared the high-precision isotopic fingerprints (<1 per thousand 2sigma external precision) of Pb in the adult's and child's whole blood (WB) to the following possible Pb sources: a surgically extracted bullet fragment, household paint samples and tap water, and a Pb water-distribution pipe removed from servicing a house in the same neighborhood. Pb in the bullet and adult WB were nearly isotopically indistinguishable (matching within 0.05-0.56 per thousand), indicating that bullet fragments embedded in soft tissue could be the cause of both acute and chronic elevated blood Pb levels. Among other sources investigated, no single source dominated the child's exposure profile as reflected in the elevated BLL. |
The role of applied epidemiology methods in the disaster management cycle
Malilay J , Heumann M , Perrotta D , Wolkin AF , Schnall AH , Podgornik MN , Cruz MA , Horney JA , Zane D , Roisman R , Greenspan JR , Thoroughman D , Anderson HA , Wells EV , Simms EF . Am J Public Health 2014 104 (11) e1-e11 Disaster epidemiology (i.e., applied epidemiology in disaster settings) presents a source of reliable and actionable information for decision-makers and stakeholders in the disaster management cycle. However, epidemiological methods have yet to be routinely integrated into disaster response and fully communicated to response leaders. We present a framework consisting of rapid needs assessments, health surveillance, tracking and registries, and epidemiological investigations, including risk factor and health outcome studies and evaluation of interventions, which can be practiced throughout the cycle. Applying each method can result in actionable information for planners and decision-makers responsible for preparedness, response, and recovery. Disaster epidemiology, once integrated into the disaster management cycle, can provide the evidence base to inform and enhance response capability within the public health infrastructure. |
Occupational distribution of persons with confirmed 2009 H1N1 influenza
Suarthana E , McFadden JD , Laney AS , Kreiss K , Anderson HA , Hunt DC , Neises D , Goodin K , Thomas A , Vandermeer M , Storey E . J Occup Environ Med 2010 52 (12) 1212-6 OBJECTIVE: To assess the distribution of illness by industry sector and occupation reflected in early 2009 H1N1 influenza surveillance. METHODS: We analyzed data reported for April to July 2009, for 1361 laboratory-confirmed 2009 H1N1 influenza-infected persons 16 years or older, with work status information from four states. A North American Industry Classification System 2007 code was assigned to each employed person. For a subset, an occupation code was assigned. RESULTS: Of 898 employed individuals, 611 (68.0%) worked in the non-health care sector. The largest proportions worked in public administration, educational services, and accommodation and food services. In Wisconsin health care personnel, 53.6% were paraprofessionals, 33.6% professionals, and 12.7% other workers; 26.9% worked in ambulatory settings, 46.2% in hospitals, and 26.9% in nursing or residential care facilities. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that industry sectors and occupations should be explored systematically in future influenza surveillance. |
- Page last reviewed:Feb 1, 2024
- Page last updated:May 06, 2024
- Content source:
- Powered by CDC PHGKB Infrastructure