Many studies have been conducted to investigate the harmful effect of shift work on physical and mental health. Although, by definition, “working evening shift” is included in the scope of shift work, most related studies conducted thus far have focused on working night shifts, overtime work, or different types of shift work, with little research effort dedicated to “working evening shifts.” Therefore, to fill this research gap, we investigated the effect of working evening shifts on workers’ mental health.
The participants of this study were 16,692 employees of the 50,205 that participated in the 5th wave of the Korean Working Conditions Survey. We performed χ2 test and logistic regression analysis to analyze the effects of independent variables on health problems and calculated odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
In the logistic regression analysis adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, health-related factors, and work-related characteristics, employees who worked evening shifts showed higher levels of depression and anxiety compared to those that did not. In particular, the adjusted odds ratios of the group working evening shifts between one and nine times a month were the highest with 2.723 (95% CI: 2.014–3.682) for depression, 3.294 (95% CI: 2.547–4.259) for anxiety.
The results of our study suggest that working evening shifts has a negative effect on employees’ mental health. This trend decreased with an increase in the monthly frequency of evening work.
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Studies have investigated the relationship between long work hours and sleep disorders; however, they have focused on shift workers or specific workers who are at high risk of industrial accidents rather than wage workers in general. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of long work hours on sleep disorders among non-shift daytime wage workers.
We conducted a secondary analysis of data from the 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey. From the 50,205 total participants, we included 26,522 non-shift daytime wage workers after excluding self-employed people, business owners, unpaid family employees, and wage workers who work nights and shifts. Sleep disorders were categorized into “difficulty in falling asleep,” “frequent waking,” and “waking up with fatigue.” Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the influence of long work hours on sleep disorders, and the odds ratios (ORs) were calculated.
The OR of working > 52 hours per week was 1.183 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.002–1.394) for the risk of developing insomnia compared with working ≤ 40 hours per week. The OR of waking up with fatigue was 1.531 (95% CI: 1.302–1.801). Long work hours showed no significant relationship with difficulty in falling asleep or with frequent waking.
Working for extended hours was associated with increased fatigue upon waking in non-shift daytime wage workers.
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Mercury occurs in various chemical forms, and it is different to health effects according to chemical forms. In consideration of the point, the evaluation of the mercury exposure to human distinguished from occupational and environmental exposure.
With strict to manage occupational exposure in factory, it is declined mercury intoxication cases by metallic and inorganic mercury inhalation to occupational exposure. It is increasing to importance in environmental exposure and public health.
The focus on the health impact of exposure to mercury is more on chronic, low or moderate grade exposure—albeit a topic of great controversy—, not high concentration exposure by methylmercury, which caused Minamata disease.
Recently, the issue of mercury toxicity according to the mercury exposure level, health effects as well as the determination of what mercury levels affect health are in the spotlight and under active discussion. Evaluating the health effects and Biomarker of mercury exposure and establishing diagnosis and treatment standards are very difficult.
It can implement that evaluating mercury exposure level for diagnosis by a provocation test uses chelating agent and conducting to appropriate therapy according to the result. but, indications for the therapy of chelating agents with mercury exposure have not yet been fully established.
The therapy to symptomatic patients with mercury poisoning is chelating agents, combination therapy with chelating agents, plasma exchange, hemodialysis, plasmapheresis. But the further evaluations are necessary for the effects and side effects with each therapy.
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Lead, which is widely used in industry, is a common element found in low concentrations in the Earth’s crust. Implementations to reduce environmental lead concentrations have resulted in a considerable reduction of lead levels in the environment (air) and a sustained reduction in the blood lead levels of the average citizen. However, people are still being exposed to lead through a variety of routes in everyday commodities.
Lead causes health problems such as toxicity of the liver, kidneys, hematopoietic system, and nervous system. Having a carcinogenic risk as well, the IARC classifies inorganic lead compounds as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A). Occupational lead poisonings have decreased due to the efforts to reduce the lead concentrations in the working environment. In contrast, health hazards associated with long-term environmental exposure to low concentrations of lead have been reported steadily. In particular, chronic exposure to low concentrations of lead has been reported to induce cognitive behavioral disturbances in children.
It is almost impossible to remove lead completely from the human body, and it is not easy to treat health hazards due to lead exposure. Therefore, reduction and prevention of lead exposure are very important. We reviewed the toxicity and health hazards, monitoring and evaluation, and management of lead exposure.
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