Microwave popcorn workers at many plants are at risk for flavoring-related lung disease. Peak exposures may be hazardous even when ventilation maintains low average exposures. Respiratory protection and engineering controls are necessary to protect workers.

No abstract

Respiratory problems are common among wildland firefighters. However, there are few studies directly linking occupational exposures to respiratory effects in this population. Our objective was to characterize wildland fire fighting occupational exposures and assess their associations with cross-shift changes in lung function. We studied 17 members of the Alpine Interagency Hotshot Crew with environmental sampling and pulmonary function testing during a large wildfire. We characterized particles by examining size distribution and mass concentration, and conducting elemental and morphological analyses. We examined associations between cross-shift lung function change and various analytes, including levoglucosan, an indicator of wood smoke from burning biomass. The levoglucosan component of the wildfire aerosol showed a predominantly bimodal size distribution: a coarse particle mode with a mass median aerodynamic diameter about 12 μm and a fine particle mode with a mass median aerodynamic diameter < 0.5 μm. Levoglucosan was found mainly in the respirable fraction and its concentration was higher for fire line construction operations than for mop-up operations. Larger cross-shift declines in forced expiratory volume in one second were associated with exposure to higher concentrations of respirable levoglucosan (p < 0.05). Paired analyses of real-time personal air sampling measurements indicated that higher carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations were correlated with higher particulate concentrations when examined by mean values, but not by individual data points. However, low CO concentrations did not provide reliable assurance of concomitantly low particulate concentrations. We conclude that inhalation of fine smoke particles is associated with acute lung function decline in some wildland firefighters. Based on short-term findings, it appears important to address possible long-term respiratory health issues for wildland firefighters. [Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene for the following free supplemental resources: a file containing additional information on historical studies of wildland fire exposures, a file containing the daily-exposure-severity questionnaire completed by wildland firefighter participants at the end of each day, and a file containing additional details of the investigation of correlations between carbon monoxide concentrations and other measured exposure factors in the current study.].

Aims: Four inhalational anthrax cases occurred in a large mail processing and distribution center in Washington, DC, after envelopes containing Bacillus anthracis spores were processed. This report describes the results of sampling for B. anthracis spores during investigations conducted in October and December 2001. Methods and Results: Wet swabs, wet wipes, vacuum sock, and air-filter samples were collected throughout the facility to characterize the extent of building contamination. The results showed widespread contamination of B. anthracis spores, particularly associated with one delivery bar code sorter (DBCS) machine that had sorted the spore-containing envelopes and an area where the envelopes were handled by postal workers. Spore concentrations decreased as distance from the DBCS machine increased, but spores were widely dispersed into surrounding areas. Conclusion: The spatial distribution of culture positive samples was closely related to the work areas of the inhalational anthrax cases and supported epidemiological evidence that the workers became ill from exposure to B. anthracis spores in areas where the contaminated envelopes had travelled. Significance and Impact of the Study: The results of this investigation were used to guide decontamination efforts and provided baseline spore concentrations for follow-up measurements after the building had been cleaned. Implementing methods to reduce aerosolization and dispersion of dust within the facility would reduce postal workersÕ potential exposures to bioterrorism agents.