Several studies suggest that serum ferritin concentrations reflect systemic inflammation, and high ferritin levels can increase the risk of hypertension in adult men. Shift work is also known to increase the risk of hypertension; however, there has been no study about the relationship between serum ferritin levels and the prevalence of hypertension according to the working type.
This cross-sectional study included 4,442 male participants (3,651 daytime workers and 791 shift workers) who participated in the fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Hypertension was defined as a systolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 140 mmHg, a diastolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 90 mmHg or the current use of antihypertensive medications regardless of blood pressure values. For the statistical analyses, serum ferritin levels were reclassified into quartiles, and complex sample analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between serum ferritin levels and the prevalence of hypertension according to the working type in this study.
Serum ferritin and shift work were positively associated with the prevalence of hypertension. The effect of interaction was above multiplicative. When compared to participants in the lowest serum ferritin quartile, the odds ratio for hypertension for participants in the highest serum ferritin quartile was 1.372 (1.027–1.833) in daytime workers and 2.009 (1.042–3.873) in shift workers after adjustment.
The prevalence of hypertension increased as ferritin levels increased in individuals, especially in shift workers.
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Studies on the hematologic toxicity of ethylene glycol ethers in humans are limited. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the association between exposure to solvents (containing 2-butoxyethanol and 2-ethoxyethanol) and hematological effects.
Thirty-four screen-printing workers who were exposed to 2-butoxyethanol and 2-ethoxyethanol and 37 non-exposed clerical workers were selected using data from the health care facilities that provided regular health screening services. Student’s t-tests and Pearson’s chi-square tests were used to compare differences in hematological parameters between the exposed and the control groups. A multivariate analysis was performed using the multiple logistic regression models to adjust for other variables.
The chi-square test showed the reticulocyte percentages and corrected reticulocyte counts to be significantly higher in the exposed group. The t-tests showed a significant increase in white blood cell counts, reticulocyte percentages, and corrected reticulocyte count (i.e., reticulocyte index) in the exposed group, with
Exposure to 2-butoxyethanol and 2-ethoxyethanol was significantly associated with reticulocytosis, necessitating the implementation of preventive measures for workers prone to occupational exposure to ethylene glycol ethers.
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A study was performed on the accidental chlorine gas leakage that occurred in a factory of printed circuit boards manufactured without chlorine. Health examination was performed for all 52 workers suspected of exposure to chlorine gas, and their evacuation-related behaviors were observed in addition to analyzing the factors that affected the duration of their acute respiratory symptoms.
Behavioral characteristics during the incidence of the accidental chlorine gas leakage, the estimated time of exposure, and the duration of subjective acute respiratory symptoms were investigated. In addition, clinical examination, chest radiography, and dental erosion test were performed. As variables that affected the duration of respiratory symptoms, dose group, body weight, age, sex, smoking, work period, and wearing a protective gear were included and analyzed by using the Cox proportional hazard model.
Of 47 workers exposed to chlorine gas, 36 (77 %) developed more than one subjective symptom. The duration of the subjective symptoms according to exposure level significantly differed, with a median of 1 day (range, 0–5 days) in the low-exposure group and 2 days (range, 0–25 days) in the high-exposure group. Among the variables that affected the duration of the acute respiratory symptoms, which were analyzed by using the Cox proportional hazard model, only exposure level was significant (hazard ratio 2.087, 95 % CI = 1.119, 3.890). Regarding the evacuation-related behaviors, 22 workers (47 %) voluntarily evacuated to a safety zone immediately after recognizing the accidental exposure, but 25 workers (43 %) delayed evacuation until the start of mandatory evacuation (min 5, max 25 min).
The duration of the subjective acute respiratory symptoms significantly differed between the low- and high-exposure groups. Among the 27 workers in the high-exposure group, 17 misjudged the toxicity after being aware of the gas leakage, which is a relatively high number.
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There are few reports about work-related factors associated with Sjögren’s syndrome. We report a case of overlap syndrome with Sjögren’s syndrome and systemic sclerosis.
A 54-year-old man was admitted due to dyspnea on exertion. The results of physical examination and laboratory findings were compatible with Sjögren’s syndrome with systemic sclerosis. The patient had no pre-existing autoimmune disease, and denied family history of autoimmune disease. The patient worked in the large-scale rolling department of a steel manufacturing company for 25 years. Hot rolling is a rolling process performed at between 1100 °C and 1200 °C, generating a high temperature and a large amount of fumes, involving jet-spraying of water throughout the process to remove the instantaneously generated oxide film and prevent the high generation of fumes. In this process, workers could be exposed to silica produced by thermal oxidation. Other potential toxic substances including nickel and manganese seemed to be less likely associated with the patient’s clinical manifestations.
Occupational exposure to silica seemed to be associated with the patient’s clinical manifestations of overlap syndrome with Sjögren’s syndrome and systemic sclerosis. Although the underlying mechanism is still unclear, autoimmune disease including Sjögren’s syndrome affects women more often than men and there was no family history of autoimmune disease. These suggested that there was an association between occupational silica exposure and the disease of the patient. Future research about the association between long-term low dose exposure to silica and the development of autoimmune diseases should be encouraged.
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