B ACKGROUND:Exposure to welding fume in the workplace was associated with lung function disorders and occupational asthma. In this study, we determined lung function parameters in men workers exposed to welding fumes from heavy equipment manufacturer. This study is a preliminary study of biomonitoring program in worker exposed to welding fume as our main study. METHODS:A study with case-control design, random study, was conducted among welder (59 subjects) and nonwelder (34 subjects) with more than one year experience in the same job task in a heavy equipment manufacturer. All subjects completed physical examination, informed consent, questionnaire and lung function status. Lung function status was measured by spirometer with vital capacity (VC), forced vital capacity (FCV), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV 1 ) and ratio of FEV 1 /FVC as test parameters. Linear regression model was developed to identify the risk factor of lung function parameter status using age, working period and smoking status as variables. RESULTS:This study showed that there were significant lower VC, FVC and FEV 1 in welder than non-welder, but not difference in ratio of FEV 1 /FVC. However, there was no significant difference among welder from foundry and fabrication plan. By multivariate analysis, working period was found as a risk factor for lower parameters in lung function among welder. CONCLUSION:Lung function parameters status were significantly lower in welder than non-welder, and working period was the most important indicator for lung function status evaluation among welder. KEYWORDS

The study aimed to determine epidemiological characteristics of road traffic accidents in Japan during the year 2010-2019. A cross-sectional descriptive study depended on a retrospective analysis of road traffic accident data that were obtained from the National Police Agency (NPA) for the years 2010 – 2019 in Japan. The relationship of road traffic accident consequences as dependent variables with age, road user type, helmet, and seatbelt use as independent variables during the studied years was analyzed with Chi-square test. The case fatality rate has been declining every year from 3.88 in 2010 to 2.54 per 100,000 persons. More than half of fatality cases have occurred among the elderly. There was a statistically significant relationship between road user type and accident severities. 36.21% fatality occurred in pedestrians. Otherwise, 27.61% of motor vehicle occupants were dominant in serious injury cases and 66.87% in slight injury cases. Most of the casualties revealed for fatality cases were in the head, whereas the leg part was dominant in serious injury cases and the neck region was raised in slight injuries. There was a significant relationship between the use of helmets and seat belt use with casualties of road traffic accidents. There was a declined trend of road traffic accidents in Japan during 10 years of study. The result of the epidemiological study could be a valid consideration for the design of road safety policy in the future.