Abstract | OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether interventions implemented by the UK Health and Safety Executive addressing exposure to isocyanate-based spray paints in motor vehicle repair (MVR), flour dust in craft bakeries, rosin-based solder flux fume (RBSFF) in the electronics industry, metalworking fluids and wood dust coincided with a decline in incidence of work-related short latency respiratory disease (SLRD) or asthma in the target groups. METHOD: Changes in the incidence of SLRD reported to a UK-based surveillance scheme were compared using a longitudinal, negative binomial regression model with β distributed random effects. An interrupted time series design was used and comparisons according to inclusion or exclusion in the target group were made by including a statistical interactions expressed as a ratio of incidence rate ratios (RIRRs) in the model. RESULTS: The incidence of SLRD attributed to flour dust significantly increased relative to all other agents (RIRR: 1.10; 95% CI 1.06 to 1.16) whereas SLRD attributed to RBSFF significantly declined relative to all other agents (0.94; 0.90 to 0.99). No significant changes in the incidence of SLRD attributed to wood dust (1.03; 0.91 to 1.16) or spray paints (1.03; 0.95 to 1.11) relative to all other agents were observed. A higher proportion of reports originated from the industries targeted by the intervention for RBSFF (65/107; 61%) than spray painting (27/93; 27%) or wood dust (16/42; 38%). CONCLUSIONS: These data support a beneficial effect of interventions to reduce exposure to RBSFF but an increase in SLRD attributed to flour dust may indicate increased exposure or increased awareness of the problem.
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Authors | S J Stocks, R McNamee, S Turner, M Carder, R M Agius |
Journal | Occupational and environmental medicine
(Occup Environ Med)
Vol. 70
Issue 7
Pg. 483-90
(Jul 2013)
ISSN: 1470-7926 [Electronic] England |
PMID | 23606324
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
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Chemical References |
- Air Pollutants, Occupational
- Dust
- Isocyanates
- Zinc Compounds
- soldering flux
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Topics |
- Air Pollutants, Occupational
(adverse effects)
- Asthma, Occupational
(epidemiology, etiology, prevention & control)
- Dust
- Flour
(toxicity)
- Humans
- Incidence
- Isocyanates
(toxicity)
- Longitudinal Studies
- Models, Statistical
- Occupational Diseases
(epidemiology, etiology, prevention & control)
- Occupational Exposure
(adverse effects)
- Occupations
(statistics & numerical data)
- Regression Analysis
- Respiration Disorders
(epidemiology, etiology, prevention & control)
- United Kingdom
(epidemiology)
- Wood
(toxicity)
- Zinc Compounds
(toxicity)
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