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To maintain an effective force structure, all service branches must replace personnel regardless of the mechanism of loss. The ideal recruit should be free from any disease or disorder that may prevent them from completing their service obligation.

Several research studies have demonstrated that there appears to be an association between intensive computer input device use and upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders. However the evidence for possible stature related health effects is limited. Computer input devices represent a class of tolls where a "one size fits all" paradigm has predominantly been applied.

Residents of San Juan Island (population 15,700) in Washington State obtain drinking water from municipal systems and public and private wells. Mandated testing of public water systems and new building sites, revealed naturally occuring fluoride levels up to several times the EPA's limit of 4.0 mg/L (0.51-12.45 mg/L).

Opioids continue to be prescribed in increasing amounts for the management of chronic non-cancer pain in general and for musculoskeletal pain in particular. Despite little change in musculoskeletal pain office visit rates, US office-based opioid prescriptions increased for acute musculoskeletal pain and doubled for chronic musculoskeletal pain in the period between 1980 and 2000.

Objectives: This study evaluated golve performance based on solvent permeation through thin latex, thin nitrile, and thick nitrile gloves widely used in the auto painting industry using a permeation panel. The paint formulation used in this study contains a complex mixture of solvents consisting of ketones, acetates, and aromatics.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a class of brominated flame retardants extensively used in a variety of consumer products. In the last 30 years, uses of PBDEs increased dramatically worldwide, as a result, levels of PBDEs found in the environment, animal and human tissues have also increased dramatically.

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by the destruction of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia niagra pars compacta. These neurons innervate the striatum, the area of the brain associated with smooth motor movements. Upon the destruction of these cells, control over muscle movements becomes impaired.

The potential health effects of bioaerosols are a concern in many environmental and occupational settings. Endotoxin, or lipopolysaccharide, is a component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. Studies have shown that inhaled endotoxin may result in increased asthma, airway irritation, and allergic responses.

Organophosphorus pesticides (OPs), which are frequently used in agricultural settings, are able to effectively exterminate insects by inhibiting the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) at cholinergic nerve synapses. Overexposure to OP pesticides results in the same toxic action within the human body.

Air monitoring of gases by Ultraviolet Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy has been shown to provide excellent sensitivity and specificity over long measurement path lengths. This spectroscopic detection method requires an accurate reference library of molecule specific absorption spectra in order to conduct field measurements.

Characterizing exposures to Chromium VI compounds is essential for understanding whether certain work processes may put workers in certain industries at greater risk for health effects than in others.

The EPA has recently funded a project proposed by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (PSCAA) to develop improved methods of source apportionment of air toxics.

Inhalation of particulate matter (PM) has long been implicated to influence health. Historically, emphasis has been placed on adverse effects to the lung, but advances in ambient PM monitoring and use of modern epidemiological techniques have revealed strong associations with the progression of cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular mortality.

Despite abundant evidence for the adverse health effects associated with welding fume, shipyard welders continue to have exposures that routinely exceed safe limits. Welding in shipyards can be particularly hazardous due dynamic conditions and work in enclosed and confined spaces.

While perchloroethylene solvent based dry cleaners occupational exposures and machine wastes have been well characterized, little is known about exposures to alternative solvent s and their wastes or the hazardous waste status of the wastes. Additionally, knowledge of detergents and spot treatment products is sparse.

Maternal stress during pregnancy may have significant health impacts on the developing fetus. To fully understand these impacts, it is necessary to quantify long-term and episodic stress during pregnancy. A wide range of approaches and protocols are available to assess maternal stress and stress biology in pregnancy, including stress-related biomarkers such as cortisol.

One workplace risk assessment strategy that has emerged in recent years is control banding. This strategy has gained momentum within the safety and health community, especially in Europe, but many questions surrounding the various control banding models remain.

Quantum dots (QDs) are nanoparticles typically composed of a CdSe core, a ZnS shell, and an assortment of polymer coatings specific to their application. Unique fluorescent properties of QDs make them useful in biomedical imaging. However, due to their small size and heavy metal composition, there is concern over the possible toxicity of QDs.

Chlorpyrifos is a broad-spectrum chlorinated organophosphorus (OP) insecticide, acaricide, and miticide utilized around the world to control a variety of pests. It is primarily a non-systemic contact poison that interferes with the activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), an enzyme essential for nervous system function for humans and insects alike.

Anaerobic digesters (ADs) are an important engineered system used to effectively treat wastewater sludge. The ecology of these digesters is dominated by the acetoclastic methanogens, Methanosaeta spp. and Methanosarcina spp. Though CRISPR sequences have been identified in the genomes of these methanogens, no phages infecting these archaea have been identified.

Background: In 2007, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified shift work that involves circadian disruption as a probable human carcinogen. Nighttime chronodisruption has been shown to decrease concentrations of melatonin, a presumed antineoplastic hormone.

Exposure biomonitoring of organophosphate (OP) pesticides is a common practice to protect the health of agricultural workers.

Objective: many opportunities exist for dermal exposure to isocyanates in the auto repair industry. Contaminated work surfaces may be of particular concern as surfaces sprayed with isocyanates have been shown to represent a source of exposure long after paints and clear coats have dried.

Despite evidence of adverse health effects resulting from exposure to welding fume and in particular to manganese (Mn), biomarkers of exposure are poorly understood and have not been thoroughly evaluated in a longitudinal design. This study evaluates the relationship between well-characterized inhaled Mn exposure and whole blood Mn concentrations.

Occupational exposure to wood smoke can lead to a multitude of health effects, making it a pertinent issue of public health. Biomass in the form of wood smoke can lead to adverse health effects including respiratory impairment, asthma, cardiovascular disease, and increased mortality, especially with people who are immune-compromised.

Researchers have observed a rise in harmful algae blooms (HAB) of cyanobacteria in shallow freshwater lakes in Washington State over the past two decades. Cyanobacteria comprising these blooms produce a range of toxins, including the hepatotoxin microcystin, that may be harmful to humans and domestic animals.