Aims: To investigate the lagged effects of cold temperature on cardiorespiratory mortality and to determine whether ''wind chill'' is a better predictor of these effects than ''dry bulb'' temperature. Methods: Generalised linear Poisson regression models were used to investigate the relation between mortality and ''dry bulb'' and ''wind chill'' temperatures in the three largest Scottish cities (Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen) between January 1981 and December 2001. Effects of temperature on mortality (lags up to one month) were quantified. Analyses were conducted for the whole year and by season (cool and warm seasons). Main results: Temperature was a significant predictor of mortality with the strongest association observed between temperature and respiratory mortality. There was a non-linear association between mortality and temperature. Mortality increased as temperatures fell throughout the range, but the rate of increase was steeper at temperatures below 11˚C. The association between temperature and mortality persisted at lag periods beyond two weeks but the effect size generally decreased with increasing lag. For temperatures below 11˚C, a 1˚C drop in the daytime mean temperature on any one day was associated with an increase in mortality of 2.9% (95% CI 2.5 to 3.4), 3.4% (95% CI 2.6 to 4.1), 4.8% (95% CI 3.5 to 6.2) and 1.7% (95% CI 1.0 to 2.4) over the following month for all cause, cardiovascular, respiratory, and ''other'' cause mortality respectively. The effect of temperature on mortality was not observed to be significantly modified by season. There was little indication that ''wind chill'' temperature was a better predictor of mortality than ''dry bulb'' temperature. Conclusions: Exposure to cold temperature is an important public health problem in Scotland, particularly for those dying from respiratory disease. M ortality rates for cardiovascular and respiratory disease typically exhibit distinct seasonal variation with the highest rates occurring in the winter months.1 For Scotland, the percentage summer to winter difference in weekly all cause mortality rates is estimated to be in the order of 30%.2 The main factor considered to be influencing the observed seasonal pattern is the relation between mortality and temperature. The association between low temperature and increased morbidity and mortality is well recognised.3 4 What is less clear is the exact nature of the relation. Research has shown that the effect of temperature on mortality can exhibit significant variation from region to region. 5 6 For example, some studies have reported a U or V-shaped relation between temperature and mortality with the maximum number of deaths occurring at each end of the temperature scale 7 8 whereas others have reported a more linear or reverse J-shaped relation, with mortality typically increasing as temperature drops.

As some estimated changes in incidence based on volunteer reporting may be biased by reporting fatigue, apparent downward trends need to be interpreted cautiously. Differences in the population bases of the surveillance schemes and UK health service capacity constraints may also explain the differences in trends found here.

The risk of psychological disorders influencing the health of workers increases in accordance with growing requirements on employees across various professions. This study aimed to compare approaches to the burnout syndrome in European countries. A questionnaire focusing on stress-related occupational diseases was distributed to national experts of 28 European Union countries. A total of 23 countries responded. In 9 countries (Denmark, Estonia, France, Hungary, Latvia, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia and Sweden) burnout syndrome may be acknowledged as an occupational disease. Latvia has burnout syndrome explicitly included on the List of ODs. Compensation for burnout syndrome has been awarded in Denmark, France, Latvia, Portugal and Sweden. Only in 39% of the countries a possibility to acknowledge burnout syndrome as an occupational disease exists, with most of compensated cases only occurring in recent years. New systems to collect data on suspected cases have been developed reflecting the growing recognition of the impact of the psychosocial work environment. In agreement with the EU legislation, all EU countries in the study have an action plan to prevent stress at the workplace.

The timing of this significant decline in the UK incidence of chromate attributed ACD, and the greater decline in workers potentially exposed to cement strongly suggests that the EU Directive2003/53/EC was successful in reducing exposure to chromate in cement in the UK.

Information produced by THOR is an important source for calculating incidence rates of occupational skin disease. A range of reporting groups should also be used when building an overall picture of occupational skin disease incidence in the U.K.