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  • Title: Occupational exposure to silica dust in Slovenia is grossly underestimated.
    Author: Margan A, Verlak D, Roj G, Fikfak MD.
    Journal: Arh Hig Rada Toksikol; 2022 Dec 01; 73(4):297-302. PubMed ID: 36607727.
    Abstract:
    As a by-product or material used in various industries crystalline silica contaminates the air many occupational settings. If its fine particles are inhaled, they are deposited in the lungs and may cause the development of silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer. The goal of this study was to estimate occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) in Slovenia and the associated health risks. To do that, we ran two cross-sectional studies, one to determine the number of workers at risk of occupational exposure to RCS in Slovene industries and the other to determine and classify changes in the lung radiographs of glass factory workers exposed to RCS, as a means to infer health risks for other RCS exposed workers in Slovenia. However, the first study shows that official public data on occupational exposure to silica in Slovenia are unreliable and incomplete and that company representatives strongly underestimate occupational exposure to silica. Measurements of total and silica dust are made by 8.3 % and 1.8 % of companies working with silica, respectively. The second study shows that about a third of the exposed workers had lung changes associated with silicosis. We have failed to achieve the goal of our study, as the obtained data are grossly underestimated and unreliable, but it has opened our eyes as to what needs to be improved. All companies need to systematically be informed about occupational health risks, field inspections need to be consistent, regular, and intensified, and health surveillance of all exposed workers implemented regularly. Silicijev dioksid v kristalni obliki se uporablja v različnih gospodarskih panogah ali pa je prisoten kot vzporedni produkt. Fini delci se po vdihavanju deponirajo v pljučih in lahko povzročijo nastanek silikoze, kronične obstruktivne bolezni pljuč in pljučnega raka. Cilj študije je bil oceniti poklicno razširjenost izpostavljenosti vdihljivemu silicijevemu dioksidu in stopnjo zdravstvenega bremena zaradi take izpostavljenosti v Sloveniji. Da bi to lahko naredili, smo v prvi raziskavi skušali oceniti število delavcev izpostavljenih vdihljivemu silicijevemu dioksidu v slovenski industriji, v drugi pa smo odčitali in klasificirali spremembe na radiogramih delavcev izpostavljenih vdihljivemu silicijevemu dioksidu. Iz slednje bi lahko posredno sklepali o zdravstvenem tveganju preostalih izpostavljenih delavcev v Sloveniji. Vendar pa je prva študija pokazala, da so javni podatki nezanesljivi in pomanjkljivi in da predstavniki podjetij močno podcenjujejo poklicno izpostavljenost silicijevemu dioksidu. Meritve celokupnega praha je naredilo le 8,3% podjetij, meritve praha silicijevega dioksida pa le 1,8 % sodelujočih podjetih. Druga raziskava je pokazala, da ima ena tretjina izpostavljenih delavcev spremembe na rentgenogramih pljuč, ki bi jih lahko pripisali silikozi. Ker so bili pridobljeni podatki hudo podcenjeni in nezanesljivi, cilj naše študije ni bil dosežen; rezultati pa so pokazali, kaj je potrebno storiti za izboljšanje stanja. Vsa podjetja morajo biti sistematično obveščena o poklicnem tveganju, inšpekcija za delo pa mora vztrajno, redno in dosledno izvajati nadzor izpostavljenosti.
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