Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To examine the incidence of occupational asthma in the seven aluminum smelters of Australia and New Zealand from 1991 to 2006.
METHODS: Incidence and exposure data were collected by survey from the smelters prospectively during the study period.
RESULTS: The incidence of occupational asthma across all smelters combined was highest in 1992 at 9.46/1,000/year, declining to 0.36/1,000/year in 2006; a 96.2% reduction. The incidence of occupational asthma was correlated with geometric mean total fluoride concentration, measured as personal samples from employees undertaking anode changing (r(s) = 0.497, P < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: The control of exposures, respiratory protection and pre-placement medical assessments undertaken during the study period seem to have contributed to the substantial decline in occupational asthma incidence.
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Fluorine Intoxication: A Clinical-Hygienic Study with a Review of the Literature and Some Experimental Investigations
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Respiratory symptoms and lung-function changes with exposure to five substances in aluminium smelters
OBJECTIVES: To determine whether exposure to five different occupational substances contributes to respiratory symptoms in aluminium smelter workers. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 1,615 male employees of two Australian aluminium smelters was conducted in 1995. Subjects underwent spirometry and were asked about respiratory symptoms and the relationship of those symptoms to
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Fluoride Exposure Induces Inhibition of Sodium-and Potassium-Activated Adenosine Triphosphatase (Na+, K+-ATPase) Enzyme Activity: Molecular Mechanisms and Implications for Public Health.
In this study, several lines of evidence are provided to show that Na+ , K+ -ATPase activity exerts vital roles in normal brain development and function and that loss of enzyme activity is implicated in neurodevelopmental, neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, as well as increased risk of cancer, metabolic, pulmonary and
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Mortality and cancer morbidity after heavy occupational fluoride exposure
A cohort of 431 male cryolite workers employed for at least six months between 1924 and 1961 was identified from personnel records at the Copenhagen cryolite factory. During this period, heavy fluoride exposure resulted in at least 74 cases of skeletal fluorosis. All workmen in the cohort were followed up
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Relation of exposure to airway irritants in infancy to prevalence of bronchial hyper-responsiveness in schoolchildren
To find out whether exposure to sulphur dioxide during infancy is related to the prevalence of bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR), we studied schoolchildren (aged 7-13 years) from two areas of Norway--a valley containing a sulphur-dioxide-emitting aluminium smelter and a similar but non-industrialised valley. Bronchial responsiveness was assessed in 529 of the
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Fluoride Enhances Toxicity of Beryllium
Occupational exposure to beryllium is well-documented to put workers' health at risk. The two principal targets of beryllium poisoning are the respiratory system and the skin. Of all beryllium compounds, beryllium fluoride complexes (including beryllium fluoride and beryllium oxyfluoride) appear to be the most toxic. As shown below, studies dating back
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Respiratory Risks from Occupational Fluoride Exposure
Starting in the 1930s, scientists have observed that workers exposed to airborne fluorides suffer from an elevated rate of respiratory disorders. For over 50 years, however, US government and industry scientists made repeated assurances that the allowable level of fluoride dusts and gases in industrial workplaces would not cause any
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