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Background:Adolescence has been recognized as a special period that requires specific attention as it marks the onset of menarche, an important milestone, and hence good hygienic practices during menstruation are crucial to maintain a healthy life.Aims and Objectives:This study was planned to assess knowledge, beliefs, and source of information regarding menstruation, and also to assess hygiene among them.Materials and Method:A cross-sectional study was carried out in urban slum area. Data were collected using pre-tested proforma during the period of 1st June to 31th August 2017. Among the 100 adolescent girls, 72% were between 15 and 19 years. A maximum of 47% were having high school education. About 47% mothers were illiterate; 27% girls had menarche at 14 years and 82% had regular cycles. About 76% had no knowledge of menses before menarche. The source of information was mother in 84%. Only 16% girls commented that bleeding initiated in uterus. About 60% girls used sanitary pad and the rest used cloth pieces. About 22% used water and no soap for hand washing. Multiple restrictions were practiced.Conclusion:This study reported that menstrual hygiene was unsatisfactory among adolescent girls. Therefore, girls should be educated about the facts of menstruation and proper hygienic practices.

Objectives-To investigate the risk of lung cancer among sugar cane farmers and sugar mill workers. Methods-A case-control study was conducted based in six hospitals in the predominantly sugar cane farming districts of the province of Maharashtra in India. Newly diagnosed, histologically confirmed cases were identified from these hospitals between May 1996 and April 1998. Other cancers were chosen as controls and matched to cases by age, sex, district of residence, and timing of diagnosis. Results-Adjusting for confounders, an increased risk of lung cancer was found for workers ever employed on a sugar cane farm (odds ratio (OR) 1.92, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.08 to 3.40). Increased risks were found for work involving preparation of the farm (OR 1.81, 95% CI 0.99 to 3.27) and burning of the farm after harvesting (OR 1.82, 95% CI 0.99 to 3.34). Non-significant increases in risks were found for harvesting the crop (OR 1.41, 95% CI 0.70 to 2.90) and processing the cane in the mills (OR 1.70, 95% CI 0.20 to 12.60). Conclusions-Exposure to fibres of biogenic amorphous silica (BAS) formed from silica absorbed from the soil and deposited in the leaves of the sugar cane crop or crystalline silica formed as a result of conversion of BAS to cristobalite at high temperatures may account for the increased risks of lung cancer among sugar cane farmers. (Occup Environ Med 1999;56:548-552)

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