Occupational Health Risk Assessment of Benzene,Toluene,and Xylene in Shanghai

Objective This study was designed to conduct a retrospective and systematic occupational health risk assessment(OHRA)of enterprises that used benzene,toluene,and xylene(BTX)in Shanghai,China.Methods All data for the study were obtained from 1,705 occupational health examination and evaluation reports from 2013 to 2017,and a semiquantitative model following Chinese OHRA guidelines(GBZ/T 298-2017)was applied for the assessment.Results The selected enterprises using BTX were mainly involved in manufacturing of products.Using the exposure level method,health risk levels associated with exposure to BTX were classified as medium,negligible,or low.However,the risk levels associated with benzene and toluene were significantly different according to job types,with gluers and inkers exhibiting greater health risks.For the same job type,the health risk levels assessed using the comprehensive index method were higher than those using the exposure level method.Conclusion Our OHRA reveals that workers who are exposed to BTX still face excessive health risk.Additionally,the risk level varied depending on job categories and exposure to specific chemicals.Therefore,additional control measures recommended by OHRA guidelines are essential to reduce worker exposure levels.

Current and Passive Smokers Have Poorer Quantity and Quality of Diet in Shanghai, China: A Crosssectional Survey

Smoking is a major risk factor for chronic diseases,it has been estimated that 300 million adults currently smoke in China,and the smoking prevalence in males is as high as 52.9%,with 1million smoking-related deaths yearly.Therefore,smoking is also a huge health burden in China[1].Researchers have suggested an association between diet and smoking status with respect to both food and nutrient intakes.According to such studies,smokers tended to have a poor diet.

Increased Prevalence of Thyroid Nodules Across Nearly 10 Years in Shanghai,China

Objective This study aimed to determine whether the prevalence of thyroid nodules(TNs)increased due to modern lifestyles or other factors,despite the advances in screening and diagnostic tools.Methods This study included 3474 pairs of participants,who were matched by gender and age(±3 years)from two cross-sectional sampling surveys:(1)the program on the iodine nutritional status and related health status of residents in Shanghai in 2009;(2)the thyroid disease screening program for adults in Shanghai between 2017 and 2018.The prevalence of TNs and thyroid diseases in 2009 and 2017–2018 were compared,and the potential risk factors of TNs were detected.Results The prevalence of TNs in 2009 was 28.9%:22.5%in males and 34.5%in females.In 2017,this increased to 43.8%:37.9%in males and 49.1%in females.The prevalence of TNs significantly increased from 2009 to 2017(odds ratio,1.486;95%confidence interval,1.238–1.786).In addition,female gender,thyroid disease history,and age were the main risk factors for TNs after adjusting for confounders in the logistic regression across the time period.Conclusion The prevalence of TNs significantly increased across nearly 10 years in Shanghai.

Percent body fat,but not body mass index,is associated with cardiometabolic risk factors in children and adolescents

Background:The epidemic of overweight and obesity has become a worldwide public health problem.Cardiometabolic diseases may originate in childhood.We investigated the association between percent body fat(PBF)measured by the bioelectrical impedance assay and cardiometabolic risk(CMR)in pediatrics.Methods:This cross-sectional study involved 3819 subjects(6-17 years old)in Shanghai.We assessed the association between PBF and body mass index(BMI)with multiple CMR factors.We examined the risk for cardiometabolic abnormalities attributable to overweight and obesity based on age-and sexspecific PBF Z-scores and BMI Z-scores,respectively.Results:PBF,but not BMI,was positively associated with multiple CMR factors in males and females except for total cholesterol in females(all p<0.05).Compared with the non-overweight group based on PBF,overweight and obese subjects had increasingly higher odds ratio of dyslipidemia(2.90(1.99-4.23),4.59(2.88-7.32)for males and 1.82(1.20-2.75),2.46(1.47-4.11)for females)and elevated blood pressure(BP)(3.26(2.35-4.51),4.55(2.92-7.09)for males and 1.59(1.07-2.34),3.98(2.27-6.17)for females).Obesity females showed a higher likelihood for hyperglycemia(2.19(1.24-3.84))than non-overweight females.In both sexes,the predictive effect of PBF on dyslipidemia and elevated BP in adolescents was better than that in children.For hyperglycemia,the predictive effect of PBF was better in male adolescents and female children.There was no risk difference for cardiometabolic abnormalities attributable to BMI-based obesity categories.Conclusions:PBF but not BMI was associated with CMR.Overweight and obesity categories based on PBF had an increased risk for cardiometabolic abnormalities in children and adolescents.