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Occupational factors in work‐related inhalations: Inferences for prevention strategy
Author(s) -
Blanc Paul D.,
Galbo Mark,
Balmes John R.,
Olson Kent R.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.4700250603
Subject(s) - medicine , odds ratio , inhalation , occupational medicine , occupational exposure , personal protective equipment , confidence interval , inhalation exposure , concomitant , logistic regression , environmental health , occupational safety and health , toxicology , surgery , anesthesia , covid-19 , pathology , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , biology
As part of a larger investigation of inhalational toxic exposures, we studied occupationally related cases in order to examine possible preventive strategies. We analyzed data from 224 structured interviews. Of the interviewed subjects, 48 (21%) reported closed space exposures and 44 (20%) concomitant skin exposure at the time of inhalation. Chlorine gas and bleach mixtures were the most common single reported exposure type, occurring in 54 (24%) of cases. The most common occupational groups represented were crafts workers, operatives, and laborers (n = 84, 38%), and service workers (n = 64, 29%). Adjusting for occupational group in a multiple logistic regression analysis that also included length of hire and access to personal respiratory protective equipment, report of prior specific chemical safety training was significantly protective against closed space inhalation (odds ratio (OR) = 0.2; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.1‐0.4) and concomitant skin exposure (OR = 0.3, 95% CI = 0.1‐0.7). These data suggest that chemical safety training may be an effective preventive strategy for potentially high‐risk inhalational exposure scenarios.