Formaldehyde (FA) is a hazardous chemical, highly used in the anatomical pathology laboratories. The adverse health effects related to FA occupational exposure are generally related to long-term ...exposure, however the short-term exposure to peak concentrations are equally of high concern. The occupational monitoring commonly uses the 8h-Time Weight Average (TWA) metric to assess the exposure, but for those chemicals with acute effects, also the15min short-term exposure is strongly recommended. In this study, the occupational monitoring was carried out in an anatomical pathology laboratory with an in-continuous, instantaneous, and direct reading instrument for 65 work shifts (WS). In none of these, the FA European Union (EU) TWA occupational limit (620 g/m3) was exceeded. Differently, in 40 WS the EU Short Term Exposure Limit (STEL) (740 g/m3) was exceeded, even several times a WS. In sight of this, the 8h-TWA metric only could give poor information of the exposure scenario, involving peak emissions, then a 15min peak exposure assessment, via in continuous monitoring, could help managing the risk. In addition, using the inference equation, an Action Value (AV) of the 8h-TWA above which the 15min measurements are strongly recommended, equal to 23.1 g/m3, is suggested for FA.
Formaldehid (FA) je štetna kemikalija koja se vrlo često koristi u anatomskim patološkim laboratorijima. Loši utjecaji FA na zdravlje zaposlenika izloženih toj tvari općenito se povezuju s dugotrajnom izloženošću, iako je i kratkotrajna izloženost vršnim koncentracijama vrlo zabrinjavajuća. Za praćenje utjecaja obično se koristi mjerenje prosjeka 8 h vrijeme-težina (TWA) kako bi se procijenila izloženost, no za kemijske tvari koje imaju akutno djelovanje izrazito se preporučuje izračun utjecaja 15-minutne kratkotrajne izloženosti. Istraživanje praćenja utjecaja FA na radnom mjestu provedeno je u jednom patološkom laboratoriju pomoću kontinuiranog, trenutnog i izravnog očitanja mjernim intstrumentom u 65 radnih smjena (WS). Ni u jednoj EU granica TWA od 620 g/m3 nije bila viša. Nasuprot tome, u 40 radnih smjena prijeđena je EU granica kratkotrajne izloženosti (STEL) od 740 g/m3 i to više puta tijekom radnog vremena. Ako se ovo uzme u obzir, 8-satno TWA mjerenje daje samo šture podatke o scenariju izloženosti vršnim emisijama i o 15-minutnim procjenama najviše izloženosti, dok bi kontinuirano praćenje više pomoglo upravljanju rizikom. Uz to, preporuka za FA jest korištenje inferencijalne jednadžbe Akcijska vrijednost (AV) za 8 h-TWA iznad 23.1 g/m3.
In recent years, under-vacuum sealing (UVS) and containers with formalin encapsulated in the lid have been proposed for the reduction of occupational exposure to airborne formaldehyde (FA) in ...healthcare environments.
We are presenting a study focused on the assessment of FA in hospitals: an automatic sampling system was set, different sampling devices were compared, and the concentration of FA was assessed, following its use in different scenarios.
Three different devices for sampling/measuring FA were compared. They are based on: 1. silica gel cartridges impregnated with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (2,4-DNPH); 2. SPME® fiber using O-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine; 3. direct reading commercial instrumentation. Three typical scenarios using FA were investigated: operating theatres where small biopsies are soaked into closed-circuit system 4% FA containers, secretariat of pathology laboratories during the registration of biopsies and pathology laboratories during the filling procedure by UVS and the slicing of biopsies.
The automatic sampling system allowed short-, long-, and in continuous-sampling time to measure airborne FA. Different sampling devices provided comparable results when tested to assess FA concentration ranging from 0.020-0.320 ppm in a test chamber, although the devices based on 2,4-DNPH were the best in terms of sensitivity and accuracy. The results of 246 samples showed that the FA concentration was less than 0.04 ppm in 91% of the measurements.
The automatic methods efficiently allow sampling and measurement of FA in hospital settings. When using safe practices, the concentration of FA is well below occupational limit values.
Formaldehyde (FA) is a chemical compound commonly used in anatomical pathology laboratories as a tissue preservative, and it is common and epidemiologically related to cancer. Therefore, the ...personnel resident in the anatomical pathology laboratories is among the workers most exposed to FA and its related cancer and non-cancerogenic risk. Thus, risk assessment, cancerogenic and non-cancerogenic, and a careful occupational exposure assessment are recommended. In this study, FA was monitored in an Italian anatomical pathology laboratory to perform an occupational exposure assessment, according to the UNI EN 689:219, and to determine the Hazard Quotient (HQ) and the Lifetime Cancer Hazard Risk (LCHR) for carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk assessment, respectively. The exposure observed for pathologists and technicians is lower than the EU Occupational exposure limit mandatory (0.62 mg/m3), and both group of workers are in Compliance with it. Nevertheless, concerning the risk assessment, both the HQs and the LCHRs resulted in being higher (1.3 and 1.6 HQ and 3.2x10-5 and 3.9x10-5, for pathologists and technicians, respectively) than the ones observed in similar scenarios. This study shows how the exposure assessment to FA could face striving situations in terms of workers' health safeguard, due to the differences among occupational limits recommended and the high health risks, especially in the healthcare field.
Formaldehid je kemijski spoj koji se obično koristi u laboratorijima za anatomsku patologiju kao konzervans za čuvanje tkiva, a često ga se povezuje s rakom. Osoblje u takvim laboratorijima najizloženije je formaldehidu i s njim povezanom raku, a i nekancerogenom riziku. Stoga se preporuča procjena rizika, kancerogenih i nekancerogenih, a također i procjena izloženosti na radu. Ova studija pratila je formaldehid u jednom talijanskom laboratoriju za patologiju kako bi se procijenila izloženost na radu prema UNI EN 689:219 i utvrdio kvocijent opasnosti (HQ) kao i doživotnog rizika od raka (LCHR) te kancerogeni i nekancerogeni rizici. Izloženost patologa i tehničara bila je niža od Europske obvezne granice za izloženost na radu (0.62 mg/m3) i obje skupine bile su ispod te granice. No, ipak, što se tiče procjene rizika, oba parametra HQ i LCHR bila su viša (1.3 i 1.6 HQ, i 3.2x10-5 i 3.9x10-5 za patologe te tehničare, tj. viša od drugih zamijećenih u sličnim situacijama. Studija prikazuje kako procjena izloženosti formaldehidu može pomoći u očuvanju zdravlja radnika utvrđivanjem odstupanja od preporučenih graničnih vrijednosti i posljedično visokih rizika za zdravlje, posebno u zdravstvu.
The air sampling and analysis for dealing with chemical risks started in the second half of the 1800s, where a significant role was played by the mining industry relating to dust, carbon mono- and ...dioxide, and fumes from explosive events. The military industry should be credited with the initiation of exposure control categorization utilizing industrial hygiene (IH) basis with its work. However, despite its relatively long history, air monitoring in IH is still developing. Miniaturization and automation have been increasingly applied in IH during the last ten years, resulting in savings in both time and costs throughout the sampling process. To date, the development of sampling strategies and related devices is constantly evolving: the goal is to develop monitoring systems capable of assessing exposure scenarios in line with the reference limit values, which are constantly being updated downwards. The current situation of air monitoring in IH, concerning analytical instruments, software, devices for performing both personal and environmental sampling are presented. The basics of air contaminants monitoring have been divided into eight topics. The sampling strategies and related devices described are introduced with a historical perspective, from 1873 to date, underlining their continuous evolution. This review aims to represent a useful tool to face different exposure scenarios in IH, showing the most common accessible sampling strategies and the sampling devices available on the market.
Wheat production in Morocco is crucial for economy and food security. However, wheat production is difficult because the semi-arid climate causes very variable wheat yields. To solve this issue, we ...need better prediction of the impact of drought on wheat yields to adapt cropping management to the semi-arid climate. Here, we adapted the models WOFOST and CropSyst to agro-climatic conditions in Morocco. Six soft and durum wheat varieties were grown during the 2011–2012 and 2012–2013 growing seasons in the experimental sites of Sidi El Aydi, Khemis Zemamra and Marchouch. Drip irrigation and rainfed treatments were arranged in a randomised-block design with three replicates. We determined the phenological stages of emergence, tillering, stem elongation, flowering and maturity. We measured aboveground biomass six times along the season. These data were used to adapt WOFOST and CropSyst to local conditions. Our results show that both models achieved good estimations, with
R
2
always higher than 0.91, and positive values for Nash and Sutcliffe modelling efficiencies. Results of spatially distributed simulations were then analysed for the whole country in terms of different response to drought.
This review is directed at preventive health professionals, anatomic pathologists and technicians to focus their attention on the rapidly growing field of safe formalin practices. An updated overview ...of the most recent improvements in preventive measures versus formaldehyde (FA) in the anatomic pathology laboratories (APL) is provided. The occupational hygienist role and the required knowledge for a modern and clear occupational exposure assessment are described. Real-time, in-continuous, commercial analyzers for repeated FA exposure assessment are considered to evaluate technical changes in air monitoring programs, introduced to mitigate FA emissions, in compliance with the adopted limit values. To better choose the adequate instrumentation, the main features of each FA monitoring instrument recently introduced on the market are listed. Moreover, the main features of the modern workflow setting in APL are summarized. A computer-based scientific and non-scientific reports search by key-words was performed on PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Google Patents databases, querying the following topics: i) grossing workstation for ergonomic layout, ii) commercially available direct reading tools to measure formalin, iii) real-time, in-continuous FA monitoring instruments for sale. This review represents a useful tool to summarize the technical requirements and expert know-how necessary to minimize FA emissions and produce an exhaustive FA assessment in the APL.
Ovaj pregled usmjeren je na preventivne zdravstvene radnike, anatomske patologe i tehničare kako bi svoju pozornost usredotočili na brzo rastuće područje sigurnih formalinskih praksi. Ažurirani pregled nudi najnovija poboljšanja preventivnih mjera u odnosu na formaldehid (FA) u laboratorijima za anatomsku patologiju (APL). Opisana je uloga higijeničara na radu i potrebna znanja za modernu i jasnu procjenu izloženosti na radu. Komercijalni analizatori u stvarnom vremenu za kontinuiranu procjenu izloženosti FA razmatraju se za procjenu tehničkih promjena u programima praćenja zraka, uvedenim radi ublažavanja emisija FA, u skladu s prihvaćenim graničnim vrijednostima. Kako bi se bolje odabrala odgovarajuća instrumentacija, navedene su glavne značajke svakog instrumenta za praćenje FA koji je nedavno predstavljen na tržištu. Štoviše, sažete su glavne značajke suvremenih postavki tijeka rada u APL-u. Računalno zasnovano pretraživanje znanstvenih i neznanstvenih izvješća po ključnim riječima provedeno je u bazama podataka PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar i Google Patents, s težištem na sljedeće teme: i) prikupljanje radnih stanica za ergonomski raspored, ii) komercijalno dostupni alati za izravno očitanje mjerenja formalina, iii) instrumenti za kontinuirano praćenje FA u stvarnom vremenu u prodaji. Ovaj pregled predstavlja koristan alat za sažimanje tehničkih zahtjeva i stručnog znanja potrebnog za minimiziranje emisija FA i izradu iscrpne procjene FA u APL-u.
Occupational exposure to antineoplastic drugs (ADs) handling and administration is one of the main risks in the healthcare sector. Dermal absorption represents the primary route of exposure to ADs. ...Personal preventive equipment, especially medical gloves, is crucial to safeguard the workers health in ADs handling; thus, chemicals permeating through protective materials is an essential aspect to estimate and consider. Several studies on permeation through medical gloves reported that breakthrough time and permeation rate are the values that must be studied, observing that physical-chemical properties of drugs, PPE materials and thickness, and temperature are crucial features to estimate them. In the European Union, standardized permeation testing is not mandatory for gloves used in ADs manipulation, in contrast with the United States, that proposed stringent requirements in the American Society of Testing and Materials International standard D6978-05. This review would help identify the main characteristics of the best protective glove used by employees frequently exposed to ADs: the major aspects implicated in permeation, reported in the literature, are listed and discussed.
Radna izloženost rukovanju i primjeni antineoplastičnih lijekova (AD) jedan je od glavnih rizika u zdravstvenom sektoru. Kožna apsorpcija predstavlja primarni put izlaganju AD-ima. Osobna preventivna oprema, posebno medicinske rukavice, presudna je za zaštitu zdravlja radnika u radu s AD-ima; prema tome, kemikalije koje prodiru kroz zaštitne materijale bitan su aspekt za procjenu i razmatranje. Nekoliko studija o prožimanju kroz medicinske rukavice izvijestilo je da su vrijeme proboja i brzina prodiranja vrijednosti koje se moraju proučavati, primjećujući da su fizičko-kemijska svojstva lijekova, OZO materijali i debljina i temperatura ključne značajke za njihovu procjenu. U Europskoj uniji, standardizirano ispitivanje prožimanja nije obvezno za rukavice koje se koriste u manipulaciji ADs, za razliku od Sjedinjenih Država koje su predložile stroge zahtjeve u međunarodnom standardu D6978-05 Američkog društva za ispitivanje i materijale. Ovaj pregled pomogao bi identificirati glavne karakteristike najbolje zaštitne rukavice koju koriste zaposlenici često izloženi AD-ima: glavni aspekti uključeni u prožimanje, priopćeni u literaturi, navedeni su i raspravljeni.
Formaldehid je kemijski spoj koji se obicno koristi и laboratorijima za anatomsku patologiju kao konzervans za cuvanje tkiva, a cesto ga se povezuje s rakom. Osoblje и takvim laboratorijima ...najizlozenije je formaldehidu i s njim povezanom raku, a i nekancerogenom riziku. Stoga se preporuca procjena rizika, kancerogenih i nekancerogenih, a takoder i procjena izlozenosti na radu. Ova studija pratila je formaldehid и jednom talijanskom laboratoriju za patologiju kako bi se procijenda izlozenost na radu prema UNI EN 689:219 i utvrdio kvocijent opasnosti (HQ) kao i dozivotnog rizika od raka (LCHR) te kancerogeni i nekancerogeni rizici. Izlozenost patologa i tehnicara bila je niza od Europske obvezne granice za izlozenost na radu (0.62 mg/m3) i obje skupine bi le su ispod te granice. No, ipak, sto se tice procjene rizika, oba paramétra HQ 7 LCHR bila su visa (1.3 i 1.6 HQ, i 1.2x1 (/ ' i 3.9x10' za patologe te tehnicare, tj. visa od drugih zamijecenih и sHcnim situacijama. Studija prikazuje kako procjena izlozenosti formaldehidu moze pomoci и ocuvanju zdravlja radnika utvrdivanjem odstupanja od preporucenihgranicnih vrijednosti iposljedicno visokih rizika za zdravlje, posebno иzdravstvu.
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement(TAVR) has been validated as a new therapy for patients affected by severe symptomatic aortic stenosis who are not eligible for surgical intervention because of ...major contraindication or high operative risk. Patient selection for TAVR should be based not only on accurate assessment of aortic stenosis morphology, but also on several clinical and functional data. Multi-Imaging modalities should be preferred for assessing the anatomy and the dimensions of the aortic valve and annulus before TAVR. Ultrasounds represent the first line tool in evaluation of this patients giving detailed anatomic description of aortic valve complex and allowing estimating with enough reliability the hemodynamic entity of valvular stenosis. Angiography should be used to assess coronary involvement and plan a revascularization strategy before the implant. Multislice computed tomography play a central role as it can give anatomical details in order to choice the best fitting prosthesis, evaluate the morphology of the access path and detect other relevant comorbidities. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance and positron emission tomography are emergent modality helpful in aortic stenosis evaluation. The aim of this review is to give an overview onTAVR clinical and technical aspects essential for adequate selection.
This report shows the results of the first multi-year spatially distributed sensitivity analysis carried out on two complex agroecological models. Wheat is the staple food of 1.5 billion people ...worldwide. Projected trends in wheat global demand reveal risks of food security over the next decades. Systems for large-area crop monitoring and yield forecasting are needed to support agricultural policies, especially in developing countries. Among those crop systems, the most sophisticated ones are based on crop simulation models. Published reports of sensitivity analyses performed on different crop models show that parameters related to leaf area expansion are often considered as the most important. Here we show that, on the contrary, photosynthesis parameters are more relevant under the conditions explored. We carried out the sensitivity analysis on the models WOFOST and CropSyst for wheat simulation in Morocco. Due to the high number of model runs to be performed, a two-step procedure was adopted: The Morris method was used to identify parameters with a negligible effect, and then the Sobol method was applied on remaining parameters. Environmental and management information were obtained from the European Commission MARS database. Our results show that photosynthesis parameters explained more than 75 % of the total output variance for CropSyst and more than 70 % for WOFOST. On the contrary, parameters related to leaf area expansion were less relevant. Geographical patterns shown by sensitivity analysis results under heterogeneous conditions can help breeders to select specific plant traits, in order to develop phenotypes suitable for specific conditions, e.g., varieties with a higher level of thermal adaptation in the Southern regions.
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