• Title/Summary/Keyword: Occupational and environmental physicians

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A call for action from workers, local residents, and consumers: a safe society from toxic chemicals

  • Kim, Shinbum;Im, Sanghyuk;Choi, Youngeun;Park, Soomi;Hyun, Jaesoon;Lee, Kyung Seok;Lee, Sunimm;Lee, Sung-nan;Seo, Jeongri;Kim, Ju Hee;Na, Hyunsun;Kim, Minsun;Korean Society for Environmental Health and Toxicology;Korean Society for Occupational and Environmental Medicine;Korean Industrial Hygiene Association;Korean Academic Society of Occupational Health Nursing;Association of Physicians for Humanism;Korean Pharmacists for Democratic Society;Korean Dentists for Democratic Society and the Association of Korea Doctors for Health Rights
    • Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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    • v.31
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    • pp.20.1-20.7
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    • 2016

Toxic Encephalopathy

  • Kim, Yangho;Kim, Jae Woo
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.3 no.4
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    • pp.243-256
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    • 2012
  • This article schematically reviews the clinical features, diagnostic approaches to, and toxicological implications of toxic encephalopathy. The review will focus on the most significant occupational causes of toxic encephalopathy. Chronic toxic encephalopathy, cerebellar syndrome, parkinsonism, and vascular encephalopathy are commonly encountered clinical syndromes of toxic encephalopathy. Few neurotoxins cause patients to present with pathognomonic neurological syndromes. The symptoms and signs of toxic encephalopathy may be mimicked by many psychiatric, metabolic, inflammatory, neoplastic, and degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Thus, the importance of good history-taking that considers exposure and a comprehensive neurological examination cannot be overemphasized in the diagnosis of toxic encephalopathy. Neuropsychological testing and neuroimaging typically play ancillary roles. The recognition of toxic encephalopathy is important because the correct diagnosis of occupational disease can prevent others (e.g., workers at the same worksite) from further harm by reducing their exposure to the toxin, and also often provides some indication of prognosis. Physicians must therefore be aware of the typical signs and symptoms of toxic encephalopathy, and close collaborations between neurologists and occupational physicians are needed to determine whether neurological disorders are related to occupational neurotoxin exposure.

Emerging Zoonoses: the "One Health Approach"

  • Rabozzi, Giulia;Bonizzi, Luigi;Crespi, Eleonora;Somaruga, Chiara;Sokooti, Maryam;Tabibi, Ramin;Vellere, Francesca;Brambilla, Gabri;Colosio, Claudio
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.3 no.1
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    • pp.77-83
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    • 2012
  • Zoonoses represent a public health risk recently pointed out by the spreading of previously unknown human infectious diseases emerging from animal reservoirs such as severe acute respiratory syndrome and avian influenza caused by H5N1-virus. These outbreaks have shown that animal breeding activities can pose a significant public health risk. Until now, the risk of zoonoses has probably been underestimated, particularly in occupational settings. The emergence or re-emergence of bacterial (Mycobacterium bovis and Brucella spp) or viral (hepatitis E virus) infections shows that zoonoses should be considered as emerging risks in agricultural and animal breeding and should be addressed by specific preventive interventions. Close cooperation and interaction between veterinarians, occupational health physicians and public health operators is necessary, for a worldwide strategy to expand interdisciplinary collaborations and communications in all aspects of health care for humans, animals and the environment. This is what the One Health Approach was intended to be.

Making the Difference in Occupational Health: Three Original and Significant Cases Presented at ICOH Congresses in the 20th Century

  • Iavicoli, Sergio;Valenti, Antonio;Barillari, Caterina;Fortuna, Grazia;Boccuni, Valeria;Carnevale, Francesco;Riva, Michele A.;Kang, Seong-Kyu;Tomassini, Luigi
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.11 no.2
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    • pp.215-221
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    • 2020
  • Background: The aim of this study is to illustrate the historical role of the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) congresses as an arena where national and international occupational medicine can dialogue and as the first example of scientific transferability of the research and prevention results that have had such an impact on global public health. Methods: We used the ICOH Heritage Repository, in which ICOH congress proceedings (from the first congress in Milan in 1906 to the last congress, held in Dublin in 2018), are organised in an orderly way, updated and easily accessible according to open access logic. Results: We describe studies by three physicians who submitted significant scientific work to ICOH congresses, one on the battle against ancylostomiasis (Volante, 1906), the second (Quarelli, 1928) on carbon disulphide poisoning, and the third (Viola, 1969) on the carcinogenicity of vinyl chloride monomer. Priority is given to Italian cases, on account of the authors' obvious familiarity with the issues. Conclusion: The visibility offered in ICOH conferences and their published proceedings has boosted the international spread of their findings, contributing to the scientific transferability of the research results and influencing the development of policies and prevention interventions that have had a great impact on global public health.

The Health Status of Residents near Iksan Industrial Complex Based on Questionnaires (설문조사에 근거한 익산 산업단지 인근 주민의 건강수준조사)

  • Bang, Hyuk;Lee, Mee-Ri;Kim, Nam-Soo;Hwangbo, Young;Kim, Hwa-Sung;Lee, Sung-Soo;Kim, Geun-Bae;Lee, Bo-Eun;Yoon, Mi-Ra;Kim, Yong-Bae
    • Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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    • v.46 no.1
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    • pp.35-44
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    • 2020
  • Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the health status of residents who were exposed to the Iksan industrial area in the living environment and those who were not exposed to such a source of industrial activity through a questionnaire survey designed to appraise the residents' health levels. Method: The authors conducted a health questionnaire survey of 1,012 residents around Iksan regarding their personal information, physician-diagnosed disease history, odors experienced, and more. Logistic regression was performed to identify the associations between hazardous chemical exposure and physician-diagnosed diseases. Result: Logistic regression shows significant differences in allergic rhinitis, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, dyslipidemia, liver disease, and osteoporosis. Odors were experienced by 88.0% of the survey group. The seasons were summer (71%) and spring (24.9%). Conclusion: For allergic rhinitis, cerebral cardiovascular disease, and hypertension, which were significantly higher in the case group than in the control group in the disease diagnosis and disease treatment history of physicians, it was difficult to completely eliminate the association with odor exposure in the Iksan Industrial Complex. It is considered that it has affected nearby residents. This study means that a correlation between chronic diseases has been found through regression analysis, and furthermore, this result can be used as a basis for sampling for secondary epidemiological surveys.