Occupational Exposure to Indium of Indium Smelter Workers

Case reports of indium-related lung disease in workers have raised public concern to the human toxicity of indium （In） and its compounds. However, studies evaluating the exposure or health of workers in In smelting plants are rare. Therefore, in this study, we focused on four In smelting plants, with the main objective of characterizing In in smelter plants in China and discussing the potential exposure biomarkers of In exposure.

Assessment of the Heavy Metals and Natural Radioactivity in Phosphate Mines and Occupational Health Effects at Some Egyptian Regions

In this work, the specific activities of natural radionuclides, namely 238U series, 232Th series and 40K, have been measured in collected sedimentary phosphate deposits samples from El-Hamraween, El-Quser and Safaga phosphate mines in Egypt. HPGe γ-spectrometry was used. This study was undertaken to estimate the radiation hazard indices in phosphate mining at the studied mines on their occupational workers, to establish correlation relationships between the some measured heavy metals such as As, Cd and Pb in blood workers and their concentration in phosphate rock ores and to determinate the biomarkers in the blood workers such as malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). The phosphate mine sample of El-Hamrawein has the lowest activity concentration of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in comparison to the phosphate mine samples of El-Quseir and Safaga (El-Hamrawein kg-1, 122.4 to 188.3 Bq·kg-1 and 115.4 to 165.8 Bq·kg-1 for Safaga, El-Quseir and El-Hamrawein, respectively. For 232Th activity concentrations varied from 135.6 to 212.3 Bq·kg-1, 112.8 to 167.4 Bq·kg-1 and 132.8 to 188.6 Bq·kg-1 for Safaga, El-Quseir and El-Hamrawein, respectively. For 40K activity concentrations varied from 225.2 to 312.8 Bq·kg-1, 168.7 to 268.9 Bq·kg-1 and 95.2 to 155.8 Bq·kg-1 for Safaga, El-Quseir and El-Hamrawein, respectively. The workers of old ages have higher concentration of the investigated heavy metals than those of young ages. There is a good relation between the concentration of the investigated metals in phosphate mine samples and their concentration in blood of the occupational workers in these mines.

Evaluation of occupational noise pollution and attitudes of exposed workers in two metal industries

The purpose of the present study was to determined noise levels and to show the annoyance reaction, hearing loss, hearing impairment by the workers due to the occupational noise exposure according to Iran development of Environment （IDE） and also awareness about effects of noise and use of hearing protective devices （HPD） in the two manufacturing electronic equipment （metal） industries. The present study was carried out among industrial workers and included a sample of lao workers, site 1 （n = 52） and site 2 （n = 78） from two metal industries located in south eastern Iran province of Kerman. In order to attend the objectives of the current study, noise levels evaluation was determined throughout all different work stations in both industries. The results of the study revealed that noise levels in 75% of the stations are higher than limits used for assessment of noise for community response. The result of the study indicated that noise levels in the workplace are （66%） very high, （28%） high and only 6% low. Workers having higher education are much aware of the health impact due to occupational noise. Chi-square analysis indicated that the difference in educational background and not wearing HPD was significant and also a significant relationship was also observed between the impact of occupational noise on the health and education status. This research has clearly demonstrated that the workers in both the metal industries included in this study are at high risk of developing noise induced hearing loss and other associated ailments due to excessive occupational exposure to noise. There is a need to develop and apply a well-defined, comprehensive and enforceable training programs and noise regulation. The study revealed that the workers having higher education （9-12 grades） are much aware of the health impact due to occupational noise exposure. There is a need to establish a hearing conservation programs in both industries, the components of such program include noise assessment, use of hearing protection devices, audiometric and increasing awareness among the workers about the adverse effects of noise.

The effect of occupational exposure to coal tar pitch workers' health

Objective To investigate the effect of occupational exposure to coal tar pitch on workers’health and metabolism.Methods 805 workers exposed to coal tar pitch were selected as exposure group from the factory.Other people handle administrative and logistical affairs who not exposed to coal tar pitch were selected as control group.

Effect of occupational lead exposure on the blood pressure of lead-exposed workers

Objective To investigate the effect of occupational lead exposure on blood pressure and provide supportive evidence of health protection on lead-exposed workers.Methods 612 workers(452 lead-exposed workers,160workers as control)were recruited in the battery factory.The blood lead concentration and blood pressure were detected by occupational health examination and