A semi‐quantitative job exposure matrix for dust exposures in Swedish soft tissue paper mills

Abstract

Background Total paper dust exposure has been associated with respiratory problems among workers in the soft tissue paper industry. However, a comprehensive job exposure matrix (JEM) has not been developed for application to this industry. Our study was intended to address this need and to support further studies of mortality and morbidity in a cohort of Swedish workers from this industry. Methods We evaluated four participating soft tissue paper mills in Sweden. We combined information on process and equipment status from the mills with knowledge of the mills obtained through research efforts and paper dust measurements made at all four mills to develop a semi‐quantitative JEM with seven dust exposure levels. The JEM was targeted at workers enrolled into a soft tissue paper mill cohort and working any time between 1960 and 2009. Results The JEM includes a total of 14 421 cells, with each cell corresponding to the exposure for a job title, department, or work location for a one‐year period. Exposure levels in the JEM were estimated to decline at three of the four mills from 1971 to 2009, but overexposures (ie, exceedances of the relevant occupational exposure limits) remained common at the end of the period. Conclusions The JEM results highlight the need for ongoing exposure control efforts in the soft tissue paper industry, and will inform ongoing epidemiological studies of the health effects of exposure to paper dust in Sweden. It is freely available for use by other researchers.

Cancer incidence among workers in soft paper mills: A cohort study

“…The exposure assessment of soft paper dust was based on a validated job-exposure matrix. 17 Data on cancer outcomes were based on the Swedish Cancer Registry, which are considered to have high quality. 29 An important strength was the prospective design with cohort inclusion based on personnel files from the mills which resulted in a cohort of nearly all workers employed in these mills during the study period.…”

“…In all mills area and personal sampling of total dust was conducted starting in the early 1970s as previously described. 15,17 We have T A B L E 1 Descriptive data of the included workers from three Swedish soft paper mills. previously shown that total dust in soft paper mills can be used as a proxy for soft paper dust.…”

“…3 In this study, exposure assessment of soft paper dust was based on a validated job exposure matrix (JEM) based on expert consensus, work histories, and the results from sampling of total dust. 17 We assigned each worker a specific department, mill and calendar-year specific level of soft paper dust from 1960 until 2008, allowing us to assess mean exposure to soft paper dust for every year for each worker. Due to variations in exposure across time and duties, most workers were classified into more than one exposure category over the study period.…”

Dificuldade auditiva autorreferida e exposição ocupacional a agentes otoagressores: um estudo de base populacional

“…O mecanismo responsável por essa associação pode estar relacionado ao fato de substâncias químicas, potencialmente ototóxicas, estarem presentes nas partículas de poeira. A poeira tem sido citada como meio de contaminação com outras substâncias químicas, tais como os pesticidas e o pó de chumbo 7 ; bem como causadora de problemas respiratórios 49,50,51,52,53,54 , os quais podem ter influência no sistema auditivo 55,56 . Além disso, em muitos ambientes de trabalho nos quais a poeira está presente, como construção civil 9 e marmorarias 57 , em geral, os níveis de ruído também são elevados.…”

Occupational exposure to soft paper dust and mortality

“…The exposure assessments have been described in more detail in a recent publication. 13 Due to variations in exposure across time and duties, most workers were classified into more than one exposure category over the study period. The exposure assessments are presented in table 3 .…”