To evaluate the association between ambient air pollution and hyperuricemia, we prospectively followed 1748 traffic police officers without hyperuricemia at baseline (2009–2014) from 11 districts in Guangzhou, China. We calculated six-year average PM10, SO2 and NO2 concentrations using data collected from air monitoring stations. The hazard ratios for hyperuricemia per 10 µg/m3 increase in air pollutants were 1.46 (95% CI: 1.28–1.68) for PM10, 1.23 (95% CI: 1.00–1.51) for SO2, and 1.43 (95% CI: 1.26–1.61) for NO2. We also identified changes in the ratio of serum uric acid to serum creatinine concentrations (ua/cre) per 10 µg/m3 increase in air pollutants as 11.54% (95% CI: 8.14%-14.93%) higher for PM10, 5.09% (95% CI: 2.76%-7.42%) higher for SO2, and 5.13% (95% CI: 2.35%-7.92%) higher for NO2, respectively. Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution was associated with a higher incidence of hyperuricemia and an increase in ua/cre among traffic police officers.
Objective: This study aims to investigate the one-year prevalence and the associated factors of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among furniture manufacturing workers in Guangdong, China. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 4181 (2953 males and 1228 females) furniture manufacturing workers was conducted between September 2019 and December 2019. All information about WMSDs was collected by the electronic version of Chinese Musculoskeletal Questionnaires (CMQ). Descriptive statistics and a binary logistic regression model were used to interpret the data. Result: The overall prevalence of WMSDs was 31.57%. The WMSD symptoms most commonly occurred in the neck (16.77%), followed by the shoulders (14.90%), ankles/feet (14.64%), hands/wrists (13.30%), upper back (11.48%), and lower back (10.95%). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that several individual, labor organization, and ergonomics-related factors conferred significant risks to WMSDs at different body sites. Conclusions: WMSDs remain the major occupational health problem for furniture manufacturing workers. Hence, some effective and feasible protective measures for furniture manufacturing workers are required in order to alleviate the health burden caused by WMSDs.
12 May 2021 in Archives of Environmental & Occupational Health
We analyzed the lead levels in blood and urine from lead-exposed workers in Guangzhou and assessed the influencing factors. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, and the time-dependent changes were mapped via analytical statistics. Although the lead burden showed a clear downward trend over time, it remained high among the exposed workers. The highest lead burden was detected in workers of the electrical equipment manufacturing industry, especially among those in lead-acid battery factories where we did field studies. Hazardous as the working conditions of the original lead-acid battery factories were, there were improvements in the applications of occupational disease prevention measures after the relocation of factories, but the lead burdens were still above the average levels of lead-related industries. Improvements are needed in the management and regulations on occupational safety and health to further decrease the lead burden to acceptable levels.