Last data update: May 13, 2024. (Total: 46773 publications since 2009)
Records 1-6 (of 6 Records) |
Query Trace: Beamer B[original query] |
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Comparison of serum PFAS concentrations in incumbent and recruit firefighters and longitudinal assessment in recruits
Nematollahi AJ , Fisher JM , Furlong MA , Beamer PI , Goodrich JM , Graber JM , Calafat AM , Botelho JC , Beitel SC , Littau SR , Gulotta JJ , Wallentine DD , Burgess JL . J Occup Environ Med 2023 OBJECTIVE: Firefighters are occupationally exposed to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This study objective was to compare serum PFAS concentrations in incumbent and recruit firefighters and evaluate temporal trends among recruits. METHODS: Serum PFAS concentrations were measured in 99 incumbent and 55 recruit firefighters at enrollment in 2015-2016, with follow-up 20-37 months later for recruits. Linear and logistic regression and linear mixed-effects models were used for analyses. Fireground exposure impact on PFAS concentrations was investigated using adjusted linear and logistic regression models. RESULTS: Incumbents had lower n-PFOA and PFNA than recruits and most PFAS significantly decreased over time among male recruits. No significant links were found between cumulative fireground exposures and PFAS concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: Serum PFAS concentrations were not increased in incumbent firefighters compared with recruits and were not associated with cumulative fireground exposures. |
Evaluating imidacloprid exposure among grape field male workers using biological and environmental assessment tools: An exploratory study
López-Gálvez N , Wagoner R , Canales RA , de Zapien J , Calafat AM , Ospina M , Rosales C , Beamer P . Int J Hyg Environ Health 2020 230 113625 Imidacloprid is a neonicotinoid insecticide commonly injected through agricultural drip irrigation systems to reduce the population of vine mealybugs (P. ficus) in grape farms. There is a growing concern of potential human health effects of imidacloprid, however, there is limited information on the exposure to imidacloprid in farm workers. Imidacloprid exposure was evaluated in this exploratory study of 20 male migrant grape workers sampled five days after imidacloprid was injected in the irrigation system during winter and summer seasons. We administered a questionnaire on work activities, exposure characteristics, and socio-demographics and collected personal air, hand wipe, and spot urine samples. Heat exposure was also assessed. Spearman's correlation coefficients and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were utilized to evaluate associations and differences in imidacloprid exposures with socio-demographic, occupational, and environmental characteristics. All participants had less than a high school education and about half identified an Indigenous language as their primary language. Although not detected in air samples, imidacloprid was detected in 85% of the hand wipes (median: 0.26: 0.41 μg/wipe, range: 0.05-7.10 μg/wipe). The majority of participants (75%) had detectable urinary concentrations of imidacloprid (median: 0.11 μg/g creatinine, range: 0.05-3.90 μg/g of creatinine), and nearly all (95%) had detectable urinary concentrations of 5-hydroxy-Imidacloprid (5-OH-IMI), a metabolite of imidacloprid (median: 1.28 μg/g creatinine, range: 0.20-27.89 μg/g creatinine). There was a significant correlation (p < 0.001) between imidacloprid in hand wipes and urinary imidacloprid and 5-OH-IMI (r(s): 0.67 for imidacloprid and 0.80 for 5-OH-IMI). Hand temperature was significantly and positively correlated (p < 0.05) with imidacloprid concentration on hand wipes (r(s): 0.70), and urinary biomarkers (r(s): 0.68 for imidacloprid, and 0.60 for 5-OH-IMI) suggesting that working in high temperatures may influence the exposure and absorption of imidacloprid. Thus, research on farm workers would benefit in the future by evaluating imidacloprid exposure in relation to heat stress and other occupational factors. |
'Internet of ears' and hearables for hearing loss prevention
Themann CL , Kardous CA , Beamer BR , Morata TC . Hear J 2019 72 (4) 32-34 New technologies are reshaping health interventions across disciplines. This technological surge offers a clear opportunity to expand and improve hearing health, particularly in hearing loss prevention. A person's hearing health trajectory is defined by his or her overall hazardous exposures, environmental factors, and genetic determinates.1 Among the many factors that can contribute to hearing health (such as overall health, smoking, diet, and ototoxicant exposure), reducing noise exposure—particularly at work—has the greatest potential to significantly decrease the burden of hearing loss and tinnitus.2 About 24 percent of hearing impairment cases among U.S. workers is attributable to workplace noise exposures. Because noise-induced hearing loss is preventable, approximately one-fourth of hearing impairment cases in this population may be avoided by adopting preventive measures.3 While progress has been made toward the prevention of work-related hearing loss, it remains among the most common occupational illnesses. Overall, nearly one in four U.S. adults has audiometric evidence of noise-induced hearing loss—and most do not realize it.4 People continue to focus on the use of hearing protection to reduce noise exposure, even though only limited evidence is available on the effectiveness of this approach.5 However, new technologies to measure and control noise and test hearing hold the promise of expedited progress. |
How to buy safer, quieter tools: a process management approach to reducing noise and hand-arm vibration while improving productivity and quality
Zechmann E , Geiger M , Beamer B . Synergist 2018 29 (1) 26-30 Powered hand tools have become essential to a range of industrial operations since Samuel Ingersoll invented the pneumatic drill in 1871. However, progress often comes with risk. Potential hazards associated with hand-held powered tool use include noise, hand-arm vibration, and a range of ergonomic stresses and physical safety hazards. Acute physical injuries from failure or misuse of the control or trigger mechanism are a particular concern, especially for products such as nail guns. At the same time, many companies using power tools fail to employ a process management approach to selection, procurement, and maintenance, or to educate users of these tools. This often results in unnecessary exposures to noise, vibration, and other physical hazards, as well as impaired productivity and quality. Because few purchasing groups are trained in safety, they are unlikely to consider the hazards and lifecycle costs associated with operating power tools. Efforts to promote purchasing of tools with lower lifecycle costs have failed due to a lack of regulatory criteria, misguided pressure to purchase the tools with the lowest initial costs, and poor understanding of hazardous exposures. Concurrently, safety and health professionals have often failed to influence the purchasing process. A purchasing and process management standard was needed to correct these failings and to stimulate the market conditions for manufacturing and purchasing of power tools that optimize productivity and minimize lifecycle costs. This article outlines a process management approach to the purchase of powered hand-held tools promoted in SAE International Standard AS6228, "Safety Requirements for Procurement, Maintenance and Use of Hand-held Powered Tools." |
Buy quiet initiative in the USA
Beamer B , McCleery T , Hayden C . Acoust Aust 2016 44 (1) 51-54 Noise-induced hearing loss is still considered one of the most common work-related illnesses in the United States of America. The U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health launched a national Buy Quiet campaign to raise awareness of the importance of purchasing quieter equipment. Buy Quiet encourages companies to seek out and demand quieter equipment thus driving the market to design and create quieter products. In the long run, investment in noise controls should be more prevalent as the market demands quieter products. This paradigm occurs as the market for quieter products expands both from the supply side (manufacturers) and the demand side (tool and equipment purchasers). The key to experiencing the reduced costs and increased benefits of Buy Quiet will be to develop partnerships between manufacturers and consumers. To this end, the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health continues to work with partners to educate stakeholders about the risks and true costs of noise-induced hearing loss, as well as the economic benefits of buying quieter equipment. |
Notes from the field: Ebola virus disease response activities during a mass displacement event after flooding - Freetown, Sierra Leone, September-November, 2015
Ratto J , Ivy W 3rd , Purfield A , Bangura J , Omoko A , Boateng I , Duffy N , Sims G , Beamer B , Pi-Sunyer T , Kamara S , Conteh S , Redd J . MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016 65 (7) 188-189 Since the start of the Ebola virus disease (Ebola) outbreak in West Africa, Sierra Leone has reported 8,706 confirmed Ebola cases and 3,956 deaths (1). During September 15-16, 2015, heavy rains flooded the capital, Freetown, resulting in eight deaths, home and property destruction, and thousands of persons in need of assistance (2). By September 27, approximately 13,000 flood-affected persons registered for flood relief services from the government (3). On September 17, two stadiums in Freetown were opened to provide shelter and assistance to flood-affected residents; a total of approximately 3,000 persons stayed overnight in both stadiums (Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation, personal communication, September 2015). On the same day the stadiums were opened to flood-affected persons, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) and Western Area Ebola Response Center (WAERC) staff members from CDC, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the African Union evaluated the layout, logistics, and services at both stadiums and identified an immediate need to establish Ebola response activities. The patient in the last Ebola case in the Western Area, which includes Freetown, had died 37 days earlier, on August 11; however, transmission elsewhere in Sierra Leone was ongoing, and movement of persons throughout the country was common (4,5). |
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