Spring

Background: Outdoor air pollution was recently classified as a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. However, epidemiologic studies supporting this classification have focused on lung cancer mortality rather than incidence, and most previous studies have included relatively few women.

Background: Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of mortality in the world, accounting for an estimated 17.5 million deaths (WHO 2015 factsheet). Recent studies on the influence of environmental factors have shown an association between air pollution and heart disease, with diesel exhaust emission having a significant impact.

Analysis of an Intervention to Reduce  Truck Drivers’ Exposure to Whole-Body Vibration  Louwers, TD1,2; Johnson, PW1; Davies HW3; Martin, GJ2; Vedal, S1; Wang, F4; Du, B5; Hughes, M1  1Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington 

Domoic acid (DA), a potent neurotoxin produced by algae from the Pseudo-nitzschia family, presents an emerging threat to public health. Human consumption of shellfish contaminated with large doses of DA may result in Amnesiac Shellfish Poisoning, a syndrome with symptoms including short-term memory loss, seizures, and death.

Background: Little is documented for UV exposure to ‘grow’ lights used by indoor farms as well as the cannabis industry. The purpose of this study was to characterize UV light exposure in nursery and grow rooms in two medical cannabis production facilities using area and personal sampling. 

Background: There has been a tenfold rise in the number of reported laser strikes onto aircraft during the last decade; over 90% of which being caused by green lasers. Laser strikes on aircraft can cause a number of hazardous conditions for the crew, passengers, and people on the ground.

In recent decades the number of men facing reproductive health and fertility problems has increased. Male reproductive dysfunction can be a result of exposure to chemicals during critical periods of testicular development. Multiple studies have shown that testis development is one of the most sensitive developmental processes and often drives risk assessment.

Background 

Title: Building Emergency Response Capacity with Northwest Tribes

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by progressive cognitive decline and memory loss. It has been hypothesized that environmental factors and gene-environment interactions (GXE) may increase AD risk and accelerate cognitive decline.  However, there is currently little direct evidence supporting this hypothesis.

Outdoor workers who perform heavy physical labor in hot conditions are at increased risk for developing occupational heat-related illness. Seasonal harvesting of certain tree fruits in Washington occurs during summer months. In addition to environmental heat exposure, harvesting involves internal heat generation from physical work.

Abstract: Background/Introduction: Several studies have established an association between obesity and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), but the exact mechanism of interactions remains unknown.

Aim: Health impact assessments (HIA) are tools that can be used to inform policy makers of the potential health consequences of their decisions. Reviews of HIAs related to housing and transportation have been performed, but little is known about employment-related HIAs.

Introduction: Agricultural water, in particular irrigation and cooling water, has been identified as a potential route for introduction of microbial contamination to apples.

Exposure to diesel exhaust (DE) is common in occupational and environmental settings and has been associated with several adverse health outcomes. Therefore, the ability to accurately quantify DE levels is crucial for understanding and controlling exposures.

In vitro assessments of 14C-benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) absorption through human epidermis were conducted with the sub-63-µm fraction of four test soils, containing different amounts of organic and black carbon. Soils were artificially weathered and applied to epidermis at BaP concentrations of 3 and 10 mg/kg for 8 or 24 h.

Many commercial textiles (clothing, linens, upholstery, furniture) are impregnated, or may be contaminated with, chemicals capable of penetrating the skin. Several researchers have detected high concentrations of metals, pesticides, flame-retardants, phthalates, and optical brighteners in children and adult clothing items.

AIMS: The goals of this project were to evaluate the effectiveness of a method for reporting biomonitoring results to Latino dairy farm workers as well as provide an annotated list of workplace health and safety training resources for Washington dairy farms.