No abstract

Three sampling methods for airborne beryllium are compared to validate observations made in a 1973 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) industrywide study of the beryllium industry which indicated that, in general, the three methods yielded different results for samples taken in the same environment. Under NIOSH contract a beryllium production facility was sampled in 1974 by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) personal total and personal respirable sampling methods over a period of one year. All samples were analyzed by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Statistical analysis of the resulting data by NIOSH confirms the observations made in the 1973 study that samples collected by the three methods produced different results. No reliable relationship was found to exist which would permit conversion of the result obtained by one method to a result obtained by either of the alternate methods. It appears that, in general, for large numbers of samples taken under the same sampling conditions, the values determined by the personal respirable sampling method will be lower than those obtained by the AEC method and the values determined by the personal total sampling method will be greater.

No abstract

Occupational and nonoccupational risk factors for bladder cancer were analyzed in a cohort of 1385 workers with known exposure to a potent bladder carcinogen, beta-naphthylamine. Bladder cancer was approximately seven times (95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.9, 12.4) more likely in exposed rather than nonexposed individuals, yet, otherwise, the groups were generally similar in other exogenous or hereditary risk factors. A total of 13 cases of bladder cancer were identified. After the first year of a screening program involving 380 members of the cohort, 9 of the 13 cases of bladder cancer and 36 persons with atypical bladder cytology, histology, or pathology were compared with 335 noncases for distributions of different variables. Occupational variables were significant in a multivariate model that controlled for age, cigarette smoking history, and source of drinking water. The estimated odds ratio for the association for bladder cancer and the duration of employment, when controlling of these other variables, is 4.3 (95% CI = 1.8, 10.3). In addition to the occupational factors, age was significant in the multivariate analysis. Other potential risk factors, such as consumption of coffee or artificial sweeteners, use of phenacetin, or decreased use of vitamin A were not found to be significantly different in cases and noncases.

LANDRIGAN PJ, COSTELLO RJ, STRINGER WT. Occupational exposure to arsine: An epidemiologic reappraisal of current standards. Scand j work environ heaLth 8 (1982) 169-177. In an evaluation of chronic occupational exposure to arsine (AsHg), an epidemiologic survey was conducted at a lead-acid battery manufacturing plant. Personal (breathing zone) air samples were obtained for the measurement of exposure to arsine and particulate arsenic (As), and area air samples were also collected for the determination of arsenic trioxide (AS20g) vapor concentrations. For the quantification of arsenic absorption, total arsenic content was determined in duplicate 24-h urine samples. Arsine in 177 breathing-zone air samples ranged from nondetectable to 49 ,ug/m 3 . The highest levels were found in the battery formation area, where arsine is generated by the reaction of battery acid with lead-arsenic alloy. 'Exposures to particulate arsenic (maximum 5.1 ,ug/m 3 ) and to AS20g (maximum 0.44 ,ug/m 3 , expressed as As) were generally lower. Urine analysis showed that eight (20.5 0/0) of 39 production workers had urinary arsenic concentrations (corrected to a specific gravity of 1.024) of 50 ,ug/l (0.67 ,umol/l) or above, indicating increased arsenic absorption. None of eight office staff had elevated urinary arsenic levels. A close correlation was found between urinary arsenic concentration and arsine exposure (N = 47; r = 0.84; P = 0.0001). Arsine levels above 15.6 flg/m 3 were associated with urinary arsenic concentrations in excess of 50 ,ug/l (0.67 flmol/l). No correlation was found between urinary arsenic content and exposures to particulate arsenic or to AS20g. Consumption of neither seafood, red wine, tobacco, nor contaminated drinking Water accounted for urinary arsenic excretion. It was concluded that the current arsine exposure standard, 200 flg/m 3 , fails to prevent chronic increased absorption of trivalent arsenic from the inhalation of arsine.