- Factors associated with physical activity levels in late adolescence: a prospective study Damir Sekulic
Reaching an appropriate physical activity level (PAL) in adolescence is an important public health problem. This study aimed to evaluate factors associated with PAL and changes in PAL in late adolescence% CI: 1.08–1.70, for team sports and maternal education, respectively). The study confirmed certain associations between the studied variables and PAL, but there was no significant influence of the observed indicators on changes in PAL in late adolescence.
- Exposure assessment of pharmaceutical powders based on an environmental monitoring method: a pilot study
About 8 million healthcare workers in the USA are potentially exposed to hazardous drugs or their toxic metabolites over a long period of time despite the fact that both the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the European Parliament recommend the monitoring of exposure among workers dealing with substances which have carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic effects on the reproductive system. The objective of this study is to determine exposure to active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) among pharmaceutical industry workers, and to develop a methodology which promotes the accurate monitoring, evaluation and control of exposure to active pharmaceutical ingredients, also in compliance with good manufacturing practiceThe results clearly prove and reveal the magnitude of the hazard, both objectively and scientifically, when compared to the research which suggests that 10 ng/cm2 should be considered the prohibitory risk level in quantitative terms.
- The impact of selected educational and information interventions on the coverage rate and attitudes to influenza vaccination in nursing Staff
Influenza vaccinations are recommended for medical staff as an effective and safe form of preventing influenza and its complications. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of selected educational and information interventions on the influenza vaccination coverage (IVC) in nursing personnel and their attitude towards this procedureStationary training followed by a reminder in the form of a short text message is more effective in increasing the IVC rate compared to distance learning. It also promotes positive changes in attitudes to this prophylactic procedure, which is why it should be recommended for wider implementation.
- Do the requirements of the School Occupational Safety and Health Regulation prevent children from wearing too heavy school bags?
Excessive load on the spine with the schoolbag has a large impact on the child's body posture. According to the recommendation of the Chief Sanitary Inspector (GIS), the ratio of the schoolbag weight to the child's body weight (b.w.) should not exceed 10-15% b.w. child. The aim of this study was to assess the burden of school bags in children aged 6–9 and to check whether it met the recommendation expressed as a percentage of the child's body weight. The mass of school supplies in backpacks was also checked. Additionally, the observations of parents concerning schoolbags and the use of additional storage places (lockers) by children were analyzed.
- Questionnaire for the diagnosis of sexual harassment (in the workplace)
In scientific research conducted in Poland, relatively little attention is paid to the phenomenon of sexual harassment in the workplace. The aim of the presented work is to provide a reliable tool for measuring the scale of employees' exposure to harassment on the basis of gender. The results of the conducted analyzes indicate that the questionnaire for the diagnosis of female and male exposure to the phenomenon of sexual harassment in the workplace is characterized by satisfactory psychometric characteristics.
- Determination of 1-chloro-2,3-epoxypropane for work environment assessment
1-Chloro-2,3-epoxypropane (ECH), known as epichlorohydrin, is a colorless liquid used in the production of, among others, epoxy resins, synthetic glycerin, elastomers, glycidyl ethers, surfactants and polyamide-epichlorohydrin resins. May cause cancer. The aim of this study was to develop a new method of ECH determination, which will enable the determination of its concentrations in the air at workplaces within the range of 1 / 10–2 of the maximum permissible concentration (NDS). The article presents a method for determining ECH in the air at workplaces with the use of a gas chromatograph coupled with a mass spectrometer. It consists in the adsorption of ECH on activated carbon, extraction of the substance with acetone and chromatographic analysis of the solution obtained.
- Selected features of the skin of the hands of laboratory diagnosticians
Long-term exposure of the skin to a wet work environment and disinfectants causes damage to the epidermal barrier, which disturbs its protective functions and promotes the development of dermatoses. These factors occur in the work of a laboratory diagnostician. The aim of this study was to analyze selected skin features and skin lesions in hands in laboratory diagnosticians. In the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, this professional group was subjected to enormous challenges, and mental and physical stressors (including a wet work environment) will be a source of future occupational diseases in the study group.
- Prevention and health promotion at the workplace as a part of private medical care for employees in Poland – an overview
This review includes information about the number of private health insurance and medical subscriptions in Poland, as well as the level of increases in premium rates, and the scale of health promotion and prevention conducted by Polish employers. The aim of this article is to present the current situation on the supplementary private medical market, which is involved in employees’ healthcare, and the challenges that both employers and medical providers with health insurers are now facing, and also to present the reasons why prevention and health promotion are important factors of healthcare under private health insurance. For the purpose of this review, scientific publications devoted to health promotion at the workplace were used, along with statistical data presented in the studies released by the Polish Insurance Association, the Polish Social Security Institution, the World Health Organization and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The literature search was carried out using the electronic databases of PubMed. Search terms included medical subject headings and free text words. No year of publication restriction was imposed. The conducted analysis shows that the demand for private medical care is rising. Employers are willing to invest in private medical care for their employees, although the scale is much lower among small and medium-sized entrepreneurs due to fiscal burdens. Given the rising demand and an insufficient number of specialists, access to medical services is deteriorating, and the premium rates and costs are rising. More employers are investing in health promotion at the workplace in order to decrease absenteeism and presenteeism, lower the utilization of medical packages, and improve their attractiveness on the market. Although the interest in private medical care is rising, employers should focus on health promotion and prevention at the workplace, and adapt their actions to the employees’ current needs and health issues.
- New occupational and environmental hazard – nanoplastic
Problems resulting from the accumulation of plastic waste in the environment have become global. There were appeals to end the use of disposable drinking straws or plastic cutlery for a reason - 320 million tons of plastic products are produced annually, 40% of which are disposable items. More and more countries and private enterprises are giving up plastic items in favor of their biodegradable substitutes, e.g. cardboard straws for drinks. In the environment, plastic waste is subject to many physicochemical effects and biodegradation in which bacteria take part. Being on synthetic wastes, they reduce their size and increase their dispersion in the environment. Small plastic particles invisible to the naked eye are called nanoplastic. Nanoplastic is not indifferent to living organisms. Due to its size, it is taken up with food by animals and passed on in the trophic chain. The ability of nanoplastics to penetrate the body's barriers induces biological effects with various effects. Many centers conduct research on nanoplastic, but their results are still a fraction of the data needed to clearly conclude about its impact on living organisms. It also lacks data on direct exposure to nano-plastic contamination at workplaces, schools and public places, standards describing the permissible concentration of nanoplastics in food and drinking water, and in vitro tests on nanoparticles other than polystyrene. Supplementing the available data will allow to objectively assess the risks of exposure of organisms to nanoplastic.
- Diagnostic difficulties and legal analysis of potential claims against an occupational medicine physician on the example of undiagnosed cardiac angiosarcoma
A case of sudden death in the workplace of a 56-year-old woman due to a rare primary heart tumor is presented. The family of the deceased reported to the procuration, suggesting the involvement of third parties in causing the death or abnormalities in the medical examination preceding death. The paper presents an overview of the clinical information available in electronic databases (including Web of Science and PubMed) on cardiac angiosarcoma useful in the practice of an occupational medicine doctor and a legal analysis of potential claims against an occupational medicine doctor in the case of non-cancer diagnosis.
Medycyna Pracy (Occupational Medicine) - full list