The foundation of healthy workplace design is an understanding of work practices. Volunteers comprise the majority of the workforce in care centers using horses to address human health issues. Documentation is lacking on protections for worker well-being in equestrian microenvironments which are known to have the potential for dust exposures. Climate acts as a master variable in equestrian facility design and ventilation usage to address dust and temperature concerns. Using climate as an independent variable, our objective was to characterize space usage, safety, environmental control, and organizational practices through a national survey of equine assisted programs. We found that more fully enclosed indoor arena spaces were in cold/very cold and mixed-humid climates (p = 0.0114). Annually more volunteers (p = 0.0073) work in these two climate groups averaging 100 volunteers per location. A total of 34% of all facilities, regardless of climate, do not use mechanical ventilation systems (e.g., fans). As volunteer worker time in the arena increased, time in the barn microenvironment tended to decrease (p = 0.0538). We identified facility designs, ventilation usage, and worker arrangements to refine the scalability of future air contaminant monitoring and to provide frameworks for education, workplace design, and prevention of exposure to dust.

Concerns about chemical exposure in the electronics manufacturing industry have long been recognized, but data are lacking in Southeast Asia. We conducted a study in Batam, Indonesia, to evaluate chemical exposures in electronics facilities, using participatory research and biological monitoring approaches. A convenience sample of 36 workers (28 exposed, 8 controls) was recruited, and urine samples were collected before and after shifts. Five solvents (acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, toluene, benzene, and xylenes) were found in 46%-97% of samples, and seven metals (arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, tin, antimony, lead, and vanadium) were detected in 60%-100% of samples. Biological monitoring and participatory research appeared to be useful in assessing workers’ exposure when workplace air monitoring is not feasible due to a lack of cooperation from the employer. Several logistical challenges need to be addressed in future biomonitoring studies of electronics workers in Asia in factories where employers are reluctant to track workers' exposure and health.

Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) is a known neurotoxicant mainly observed in populations with high level occupational exposure. Health effects of low-level community exposure are poorly understood. This study evaluated PCE exposure and neurobehavioral performance in 6 to 11-year-old children living in a community with multiple PCE contamination sites. This cross-sectional study recruited eighty-nine children who attended public schools in Martinsville, Indiana. PCE was measured in exhaled breath using proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry. Children were classified into three exposure groups: 'Level 1' (≤ 0.75 μg/m³), 'Level 2' (>0.75-1.90 μg/m³), and 'Level 3' (>1.90 μg/m³). A battery of tests assessed children's neurobehavioral performance related to their cognition, behavior, and academic achievement and a questionnaire collected demographic and exposure characteristics. Adjusted regression models estimated associations of PCE exposure with neurobehavioral outcomes. Seventy-three participants completed data collection. The average scores for all participants on the Fluid, Total, Early Childhood Composites, Behavioral Symptoms Index, and Math Computation were significantly lower than standard scores of normative sample, with 30 % of participants having one or more scores two standard deviations worse than the standard scores. Compared to children having the lowest PCE exposure, significant inverse associations were identified for PCE exposure with Fluid Composite for Level 2 (β = -12.0 (95 % CI = -23.4, -0.6)) and Level 3 (-12.2 (-23.4, -1.0)) exposure groups, Total Composite for Level 2 (-10.1 (-19.2, -1.1)) and Level 3 (-11.8 (-20.4, -3.2)) exposure groups, and Early Childhood Composite for Level 3 exposure group (-11.0 (-18.7, -3.4)). This study identified associations of PCE in exhaled breath with lower cognitive functioning, problem-solving abilities, and adaptive functioning in children. Mainly, working memory, episodic memory, processing speed, and executive function-cognitive flexibility were associated with PCE exposure. These results underscore the need for further investigations, considering the impact of low-level environmental exposure on children's neurobehavioral outcomes.