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Reports are listed in reverse chronological order. Reports posted to this website within the last 30 days are listed first under the "Recently Listed Publications" heading, then all other publications are listed below. If you want to SEARCH these publications, view the Search Reports webpage.

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Recently Added Reports

Title: State of the Air 2009: British Columbia
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Menn Biagtan, Michael Brauer, Tom Kosatsky, Ali Ergundenler, Patti Dods, Natalie Suzuki, Bob Smith, Prabjit Barn, Larry Pellizzari, Markus Kellerhals, Steve Sakiyama
Summary: The content of this year’s report includes a description of some of the most important air pollutants in B.C. and the levels that are monitored around the province. We also meet lung patient Karlleen Robinson of Prince George, whose everyday life is affected by air pollution in her community and whose story helps us understand the need for clean air. The report also profiles UBC’s Dr. Michael Brauer, an internationally recognized expert in the field of air quality and a champion for clean air. We touch briefly on wood smoke, indoor air and air cleaners as well as air quality initiatives in Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley Regional District and other areas across the province.
Date: 2009/12/08
File Type: Website Link
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Title: Mining and Community Health: A British Columbia Based Research Project
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Janis Shandro, Mieke Koehoorn, Malcolm Scoble, Christie Hurrell
Summary: This paper was produced as part of the Mining and Community Health project, a collaborative research initiative between the School of Population and Public Health and the Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering at the University of British Columbia. It identifies key findings regarding characteristics associated with British Columbia mining communities, the mining industry and academics to consider. Associated research projects, author acknowledgements and information, and citations are provided at the end of the report.
Date: 2009/10/31
File Type: PDF
File Size: 423 KB

Research Reports

Title: Survey methods: statistical perspective
Category: Other Authors: Reza Hosseini
Summary: These slides cover the following topics: survey objectives and target population, questionaire design, sampling designs, estimators, data collection, nonresponse problem, weighting.
Date: 2009/08/31
File Type: PDF
File Size: 138 KB

Title: Outdoor air quality: A primer for BC physicians and resource for informing patients
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Menn Biagtan, Michael Brauer, Chris Carlsten, Nina Clark, Ray Copes, Dina Hinshaw, Tom Kosatsky, Natalie Suzuki
Summary: Air pollution affects the health of British Columbians. Despite significant progress, air quality remains sub-optimal in many parts of the province. Its health effects have been demonstrated repeatedly even in eareas where air quality was originally thought of as good. This document provides a synthesis of current medical understanding of outdoor air pollultants. It aims to update physicians on the major health effects of air pollution on British Columbians and assist them in responding to patient concerns on the issue. It is not intended as a tool for patient management.
Date: 2009/06/03
File Type: Website Link
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Title: Sample size and power calculation
Category: Other Authors: Reza Hosseini
Summary: In clinical research (as well as engineering, industry, environmetrics etc), during the planning stage of a study it is important to know how many subjects are needed in order to have a desired power. In this workshop we give examples about how this can be done. Sample size calculation plays an important role for assuring validity, accuracy, reliability, and integrity of the clinical study.
Date: 2009/05/01
File Type: PDF
File Size: 335 KB

Title: R U Ready for R? An Introduction
Category: Other Authors: Reza Hosseini, Justin Harrington
Summary: R is a free, powerful customizable statistical software with Close to 1,600 different packages in order to do almost any kind of analysis ever invented in statistics! It is very easy to create, manage and modify datasets and make impressive plots in R. 
Date: 2009/04/22
File Type: Website Link
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Title: Air Pollution and Heart Disease: Making the Connections
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Ryan Allen, Michael Brauer, Chris Carlsten, Stephan van Eeden, Glen Okrainetz
Summary: This panel, held in March 2009 as part of UBC's Celebrate Research Week, featured some of BC’s leading experts on the health effects of air pollution.
Date: 2009/03/12
File Type: Website Link
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Title: Introduction to longitudinal data analysis
Category: Other Authors: Reza Hosseini
Summary: These are slides presented at the CHER workshop "Introduction to longitudinal data analysis" held in Vancouver on July 10, 2008.
Date: 2008/07/10
File Type: PDF
File Size: 153 KB

Title: The Fungal Kingdom: diverse and essential roles in earth’s ecosystem
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: The American Academy of Microbiology
Summary: The American Academy of Microbiology convened a colloquium November 2–4, 2007, in Tucson, Arizona, to discuss fungi, the current state of research in fungal biology (mycology), and the gaps in our understanding of this important group of organisms. Experts in mycology, medicine, plant pathogens, genetics/ genomics, ecology, and other areas developed specific recommendations for advancing fungal research. This report outlines the results of this colloquium.
Date: 2008/07/07
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Title: Acoustical evaluation of UBC non-classroom learning spaces
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: M Hodgson, J G M Vallareal
Summary: An acoustical evaluation was done of non-classroom learning spaces (NCLS) at the University of British Columbia as an undergraduate student project. In eleven buildings, twenty-three indoor spaces—a restaurant, a cafeteria, libraries, dedicated study spaces, building lobbies and atria, etc.—used for learning activities by UBC students were studied. The evaluation involved physical-acoustical (noise level, reverberation time, Speech Intelligibility Index) measurements, and student demographics and satisfaction questionnaires. The results suggest that overall NCLS environmental quality as perceived by students can be improved by improving the lighting and furniture comfort, ensuring that people talking and moving are not a problem, decreasing noise levels, and increasing speech privacy.
Date: 2008/06/01
File Type: PDF
File Size: 5MB

Title: Relationship Between Ventilation, Air Quality and Acoustics in ‘Green’ and ‘Brown’ Buildings
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Alireza Khaleghi, Karen Bartlett, Murray Hodgson
Summary: A research project was undertaken as a preliminary comparative investigation of the relationship between ventilation, air quality and acoustical quality in ‘brown’ (conventional) and ‘green’ (sustainable) buildings. The ultimate objective of the research was to understand the impact of a building’s ventilation-system concept on the quality—with respect to ventilation, air quality and noise—of the indoor environment created for its occupants, and to see how this is different in ‘brown’ and ‘green’ buildings.
Date: 2008/03/07
File Type: PDF
File Size: 6.07MB

Title: Back Injuries in Heavy Industries, Part B: Risk Factor Exposure Assessment
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Kay Teschke, Catherine Trask, Judy Village, Yat Chow, James Cooper, Hugh Davies, Paul Demers, Murray Hodgson, Kevin Hong, Christie Hurrell, Pete Johnson, Melissa Knott, Nancy Luong, Jim Morrison, Geoff Wright, Fan Xu, Mieke Koehoorn
Summary: Many British Columbians employed in heavy industries will suffer from back injuries over the course of their careers. Occupational back injuries are very common in this province, and they are also very costly due to lost workdays, compensation claims, and health care costs. Although many studies have investigated back injuries and their risk factors, the research community has not reached a consensus on the occupational causes. In part, this is because exposures are difficult to measure in large numbers of people in real work settings.
Date: 2008/03/05
File Type: Website Link
File Size: 6.91 MB

Title: Border Air Quality Study Final Report
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Will McDowall, Michael Brauer (Eds.)
Summary: The Border Air Quality Study has identified links between air pollutants and a number of health impacts. Some of these have not been previously 
well documented. This report discusses the main findings of the study: 
that even modest traffic-related air pollution is associated with increased risk of childhood respiratory diseases; that traffic pollution increases the risk of premature births and low birth weight; and that cost/benefit analyses of pollution mitigation that do not include health effects underestimate the costs of air pollution.
Date: 2008/03/01
File Type: PDF
File Size: 780 KB

Title: Science Journalism: Epidemiology and the News
Category: Knowledge Transfer Authors: Anne-Marie Nicol, Christie Hurrell
Summary: A PowerPoint presentation on science journalism and popular media, using recent reporting of the Weng, Odouli, and Li study on maternal caffeine consumption during pregnancy and the risk of miscarriage. This study was published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology in January 2008, but picked up on by the media even before publication. The presentation examines the study's methods and discusses approaches to science journalism.
Date: 2008/02/04
File Type: PDF
File Size: 439 KB

Title: Assessing Attitudes, Beliefs and Readiness for Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention in the Construction Industry
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Judy Village, Aleck S. Ostry
Summary: The road building sector of the construction industry has very high rates of injury and most of these are muscular strains. This research was designed to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and readiness for musculoskeletal injury (MSI) prevention in the road building sector of the construction industry; to develop and pilot a “stage of change” tool to evaluate readiness for MSI prevention; and to recommend strategies to help change knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and readiness toward MSI prevention in this sector based on findings. The study’s recommendations include increased emphasis on prevention of sprain/strain injuries, increased support for MSI prevention among supervisors in the road building sector, improvements in worker and supervisor education, and investigation of new equipment, tools and work procedures. The authors recommend that the stage of change tool tested in the study be tested in other industrial sectors.
Date: 2007/09/01
File Type: PDF
File Size: 2.2 MB

Title: Injury Rates, Ergonomic Factors and Work Conditions associated with Musculoskeletal Injuries Among School Custodians in British Columbia
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Judy Village, Mieke Koehoorn, Aleck S. Ostry
Summary: Approximately half the injuries sustained by custodial workers in the Vancouver School Board (VSB) between 2003 and 2006 were musculoskeletal injuries. The purpose of this study was to calculate injury rates among the various occupational categories of custodial workers in the VSB during both the summer months and the school year, and to investigate the ergonomic variables and school conditions associated with increased risk of musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs), the most common type of injury, in order to develop recommendations to decrease MSIs among these workers. This report presents the methodologies and findings of the study, along with specific recommendations for reducing MSIs among VSB custodial workers.
Date: 2007/06/01
File Type: PDF
File Size: 3.4 MB

Title: A Citizen’s Guide to Pesticide Use and the Law in BC
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: West Coast Environmental Law (with contributions from Anne-Marie Nicol)
Summary: This publication, written for the general public, reviews federal, provincial and local government law and regulation with respect to pesticides, and gives people the information and legal tools to oppose their inappropriate use.
Date: 2007/05/31
File Type: PDF
File Size: 947 KB

Title: Border Air Quality Strategy Western Pilot Final Report
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: University of British Columbia, University of Victoria, University of Washington
Summary: The Border Air Quality Strategy-Western Pilot Series is a combination of research projects aimed at working towards the development of an international strategy for the Georgia Basin-Puget Sound airshed (GB/PS) in order to contribute to a broader understanding of the burdens of air pollution. The work described in this report comprised numerous projects carried out by an international and interdisciplinary consortium over 3 years.
Date: 2007/04/16
File Type: PDF
File Size: 188 KB

Title: A Land Use Regression Road Map for the Burrard Inlet Area Local Air Quality Study
Category: Exposure Assessment Authors: Michael Brauer, Sarah B. Henderson, Julian Marshall
Summary: This report includes a road map for developing land use regression models to describe spatial variability of air pollution concentrations within urban areas. Land use regression attempts to better estimate exposure levels for a given population by measuring pollutants at multiple sites specifically selected to capture the complete intra-urban range of its concentrations. Geographic attributes that might be associated with those concentrations are measured around each site in a Geographic Information System (GIS). Typical geographic predictor variables describe site location, surrounding land use, population density, and traffic patterns. Linear regression is used to correlate measured concentrations with the most predictive variables, and the resulting equation can be used to estimate pollutant concentrations anywhere that all of the predictors can be measured. Concentration maps with high spatial resolution can be generated by rendering the regression model in GIS.
Date: 2007/03/01
File Type: PDF
File Size: 657 KB

Title: How to use SAS® Proc Traj and SAS® Proc Glimmix in Respiratory Epidemiology
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Victoria Arrandale, Mieke Koehoorn, Ying MacNab, Susan M. Kennedy
Summary: This document outlines the use of two procedures capable of modeling repeated respiratory symptom data in the software package SAS®: Proc Traj and Proc Glimmix.SAS® Proc Traj is a discrete mixture model which models the patterns of change over time in multiple subgroups within the population. SAS® Proc Glimmix is a procedure that fits a generalized linear model to non-linear outcome data either with or without random effects.
Date: 2007/02/26
File Type: PDF
File Size: 448 KB

Title: Design and evaluation of noise-isolation systems for the natural-ventilation system of the UBC Liu Institute for Global Issues
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Murray Hodgson and Alireza Khaleghi
Summary: The UBC Liu Institute for Global Issues is an early-generation ‘green’ office building, designed with a natural-ventilation system, to reduce energy consumption. Such a system requires low air-flow resistance, achieved by large openings in the building structure. Unfortunately, this can cause problems due to a significant reduction of noise insulation between workspaces. This problem has been experienced in the Liu Institute. According to the results of an occupant-satisfaction survey, the quality of the acoustical environment in this building is very low, with poor speech privacy between the shared offices at the ends of the corridors and their surroundings (in particular, offices on the other floors) and low speech privacy in offices along corridors, being the main sources of dissatisfaction. This project investigated the acoustical problems further by way of relevant acoustical measurements and acceptability criteria.
Date: 2007/01/11
File Type: PDF
File Size: 1.03 MB

Title: Environmental Contamination of Cytotoxic Drugs in British Columbia Hospitals
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Winnie Chu
Summary: Chemotherapy drugs are prepared and used daily in British Columbia hospitals to treat a range of medical ailments including cancer. Despite the use of engineered controls, these mutagenic and carcinogenic agents pose a risk to pharmacy personnel, healthcare workers, and the general public. For the first time, drug contamination levels in six BC hospitals were assessed.
Date: 2007/01/09
File Type: PDF
File Size: 1 MB

Title: Hypertension in BC Sawmill Workers Exposed to High Noise Levels
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Hind Sbihi, Hugh W. Davies, Paul A. Demers
Summary: Noise is associated with an increased risk of hypertension when exposed to high levels and/or over a long period.
Date: 2007/01/09
File Type: PDF
File Size: 90 KB

Title: Longitudinal Follow-up of Skilled Trades Apprentices for Respiratory Disease
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Cheryl E. Peters, Paul A. Demers, Susan M. Kennedy
Summary: Do early symptoms and lung function changes (in young adults) foretell later physician utilization for respiratory trouble?
Date: 2007/01/09
File Type: PDF
File Size: 469 KB

Title: Communicating the Risks of a New, Emerging Pathogen: The Case of Cryptococcus gattii
Category: Knowledge Transfer Authors: Anne-Marie Nicol, Christie Hurrell
Summary: Cryptococcus gattii, (C. gattii) a potentially deadly microscopic fungus, emerged in the Canadian Pacific Northwest in 1999. Previously, the fungus had only been found in tropical and sub-tropical areas. As of summer 2006, C. Gattii has been responsible for the deaths of at least seven people and has caused over 150 hospitalizations in the province of British Columbia. It has also been responsible for a significant number of deaths among pets, livestock, and wildlife. Although the fungus continues to infect humans and animals, and is known to be spreading towards more heavily populated areas, it has a relatively low profile in British Columbia. Since the news media are an important channel for communicating public health messages, this research investigated selected newspaper coverage of the fungus outbreak in an attempt to account for the relative obscurity of the fungus. The analysis found that C. Gattii received less than a fifth of the press attention than did West Nile virus, another emerging epidemic that has not yet spread to British Columbia. A content analysis of provincial news coverage C. Gattii revealed that no pattern existed between news coverage and the incidence of deaths, and that the journalistic framing of the health issue varied between the outbreak epicentre and its surrounding areas. This analysis also found that the scientific aspects of the fungus and the trajectory of the outbreak presented a number of significant challenges to journalists. The article concludes with risk communication recommendations for public and animal health officials.
Date: 2007/01/08
File Type: PDF
File Size: 4.6 MB

Title: Evaluation and Control of the Acoustical Environment of the Minoru Residence
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Gavin A. M. W. Steininger, Murray R. Hodgson
Summary: This report was written for the Minoru Residence to respond to concerns by its staff regarding the acoustical conditions in the Residence. A review of existing acoustical standards with an analysis of their applicability to health care facilities, was conducted for the problems observed in the Minoru Residence. Measurements made of the acoustical characteristics of the Minoru Residence showed that it did exceed the acceptable background noise levels in several key areas including the Rehabilitation Office and the Patient Lounges. Additionally, the Speech Intelligibility values of the Nurse Stations front and Rehabilitation Offices were below the acceptable value. Recommendations were made for the improvement of the acoustical conditions of the Minoru Residence. These recommendations include the reinforcement of the Front Office façade, and the application of acoustical ceiling tiles to the Rehabilitation Office and the main foyer.
Date: 2007/01/06
File Type: PDF
File Size: 392 KB

Title: Development of CSA-Z4212 (2000) Guideline on Office Ergonomics as an Interactive CD-ROM Product: Process and Results of User Testing
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Judy Village, Christine Mackenzie, Josee Gauthier
Summary: A written standard some 300 pages in length was developed as an interactive CD-ROM product. This paper details methods and results for heuristic evaluation and user-testing of storyboards and of the beta version of the CD-ROM, prior to final production. Six members of health and safety committees at 7 organizations completed 5-page questionnaires following a series of tasks. Questions asked about screen layout, presentation of information, terminology, learning and system capabilities. This was followed by focus groups. After both 
sets of user testing, recommendations resulted in design changes. Users were positive about overall visual appearance, ease of learning and interactivity. Of major importance was speed of responsiveness, knowing their location, ability to go back to previous pages, minimizing the program on the desktop to multi-task, ability to increase a text box to full screen, searching by using keywords, scroll bars, arrows, and the ability to print sections.
Date: 2006/10/05
File Type: PDF
File Size: 111 KB

Title: Musculoskeletal Disorders and Psychosocial Factors Among Newspaper and Commercial Print Workers
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Judy Village, Donald Cole
Summary: Results of a survey of physical and psychosocial factors associated with musculoskeletal disorders are compared between 3 work types in 6 newspaper and printing operations in B.C. (n=190) and office workers are compared to data from a major Ontario newspaper. In B.C., pain recurring >3 times/year or lasting >5 days was reported for 56%. Among office workers, upper limb symptoms were similar between B.C. (57%) and Ontario (54.6%). In B.C. higher levels of symptoms among office workers than other work types appears associated with 
static and repetitive work combined with high pressures from deadlines and psychological demands. Bindery workers had the lowest prevalence of pain (34%) despite highest physical demands. They had less skill discretion, decision authority, and empowerment, but the greatest job security and least psychological demands and deadlines/pressures. Compared with Ontario, B.C. office workers had less skill discretion, decision authority and social support, perhaps reflecting a more fractious labour climate.
Date: 2006/10/05
File Type: PDF
File Size: 119 KB

Title: Office Ergonomics
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Judy Village
Summary: Here are some tips for achieving optimal posture while in the office. Good posture will help to reduce work-related aches, pains and injuries.
Date: 2006/09/20
File Type: Website Link
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Title: Evaluating Full-Shift Low Back EMG and Posture Measurement for Epidemiological Studies
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Catherine Trask, Mieke Koehoorn, Judy Village, Jim Morrison, Kay Teschke, Peter Johnson
Summary: Occupational exposures to risk factors for low back disorders have been assessed using job titles, self-assessment, observational methods and direct measures. Direct measures are generally recommended as more precise, but their use is limited in large studies. The purpose of this study was to explore the comparability of two direct measurement methods (electromyography and inclinometry) for continuous low back exposures and the ability to distinguish exposures among workers in different industries.
Date: 2006/07/15
File Type: PDF
File Size: 88 KB

Title: Modeling Determinants of Working Exposures and Exposure Variability
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Catherine Trask, Mieke Koehoorn, Judy Village, Peter Johnson, Kay Teschke
Summary: Work-related back injuries represent 25% of workplace injuries in British Columbia, and more than a quarter of all back strain claims are from employees in five high-risk industries: forestry, wood and paper products, construction, transportation, and warehousing. Epidemiological studies require data on physical exposures to risk factors from large numbers of individuals in order to observe exposure-response relationships and for the results to be representative and generalizable. Unfortunately, there is a tradeoff between precision and expense, with the most precise measurement methods being too expensive to use in large epidemiological studies. The overall goal of this study is to identify a suite of measurements that afford both precision and cost efficiency for large scale work-site studies of numerous physical exposures across diverse settings and occupations.
Date: 2006/07/15
File Type: PDF
File Size: 125 KB

Title: BAQS Perinatal Database Registry Chart Abstraction Validation Report
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Elaina MacIntyre, Michelle Linnegar, Cornel Lencar, Michael Brauer, Paul A. Demers, Aleck S. Ostry
Summary: Part of the Border Air Quality Study is the linking of a birth cohort, consisting of all children born in the Georgia Air Basin of British Columbia during 1999-2002, with residential air pollution exposure histories beginning at conception. The goal of this study is to determine the impact of air pollution on various health outcomes (adverse birth outcomes, bronchiolitis, otitis media, bronchitis, and asthma) during prenatal and early childhood development. The birth cohort has been linked to the BC Perinatal Database Registry. This report describes a chart abstraction study, conducted at BC Women and Children’s Hospital, to determine the consistency of key information on maternal risk factor data and to asses the reliability of data coding from patient hospital charts and prenatal care into the perinatal database. BC Women and Children's Hospital was selected for the chart review because it has the largest number of births in the province (approximately 7,000/year).
Date: 2006/06/15
File Type: PDF
File Size: 314 KB

Title: Noise Exposure and Children's Blood Pressure and Heart Rate: The Ranch-Project
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Elise Van Kempen, Irene Van Kamp, Paul Fischer, Hugh W. Davies, Danny Houthuijs, Rebecca Stellato, Charlotte Clark, Stephen Stansfeld
Summary: Conclusions that can be drawn from earlier studies on noise and children’s blood pressure are limited due to inconsistent results, methodological problems and the focus on school noise exposure. This paper reports on a study investigating the effects of aircraft and road traffic noise exposure on children’s blood pressure and heart rate.
Date: 2006/05/25
File Type: website link
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Title: Airborne Endotoxin Exposures to Grain Elevator Workers is Independent of Dust Concentration
Category: Exposure Assessment Authors: Karen H. Bartlett, Helen Dimich Ward, Moira Chan Yeung, Susan M. Kennedy
Summary: This presentation presents results of exposure measurements done in BC grain elevators in 1996 and 2003.
Date: 2006/05/16
File Type: PDF
File Size: 174 KB

Title: Methanol Exposure to Car Occupants from Windshield Washing Fluid: A Pilot Study
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Adam Becalski, Karen H. Bartlett
Summary: Automobile occupants might be exposed to considerable amounts of methanol from previously unreported source, namely via the inhalation of vapors of winter-grade, methanol-based, windshield washing fluid that drains to the intake air ducts of the car.
Date: 2006/04/01
File Type: Website Link
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Title: A Review of Chronic Health Effects Information Disclosed on Material Safety Data Sheets for Lead-Containing Products used in Canada
Category: workplace health Authors: Paul A. Demers, Anne-Marie Nicol, Anya R. Keefe
Summary: Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) are one of the primary means that users of hazardous chemicals have to guide them in the safe handling, as well as health effects, of products. At the request of the WHMIS Division, an audit was performed on selected MSDSs for lead-containing products used in Canada to evaluate how well they complied with the requirements of the Hazardous Products Act, the CPR, and WHMIS Guideline documents.
Date: 2006/03/31
File Type: PDF
File Size: 271 KB

Title: Population Health Effects of Air Quality Changes Due to Forest Fires in British Columbia in 2003: Estimates from Physician-Visit Billing Data
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: David Moore, Ray Copes, Robert Fisk, Ruth Joy, Keith Chan, Michael Brauer
Summary: Major forest fires near populated areas during 2003 exacted a huge economic toll on communities in British Columbia. We designed a study to examine associations between PM2.5 and PM10 levels and physician visits in two affected communities.
Date: 2006/03/21
File Type: PDF
File Size: 100 KB

Title: Active Local Control of Propeller-Aircraft Run-Up Noise
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Murray Hodgson, Jingnan Guo
Summary: Engine run-ups are part of the regular maintenance schedule at airports. The noise generated by the run-ups propagates into neighbouring communities, disturbing the residents. Active noise control is a potentially cost-effective alternative to passive methods, such as enclosures. Propeller aircraft generate low-frequency tonal noise that is highly compatible with active control. This paper presents a preliminary investigation of the feasibility and effectiveness of controlling run up noise from propeller aircraft using local active control. Computer simulations for different configurations of multi-channel active-noise-control systems, aimed at reducing run-up noise in adjacent residential areas using a local-control strategy, were performed. The variations of the attenuation and amplification zones with the number of control channels, and with the source/control-system geometry, were studied. The aircraft was modeled using one or two sources, with monopole or multipole radiation patters. Both free-field and half-space conditions were considered, for the configurations studied, results were similar in the two cases. In both cases, large triangular quiet zones, with local attenuations of 10 dB or more, were obtained when nine or more control channels were used. Increases of noise were predicted outside of these areas, but these were minimized as more control channels were employed. By combining predicted attenuations with measured noise spectra, noise levels after implementation of an active control system were estimated.
Date: 2006/03/01
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Title: Environmental Best Management Practices for Urban and Rural Land Development in British Columbia: Air Quality BMPs and Supporting Information
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Michael Brauer, E Nethery, BC Ministry of Environment
Summary: One of the Border Air Quality Studies has focused on the health effects associated with proximity to roads by modelling local traffic emission exposures across the Greater Vancouver region. This specific to BC research has enabled the preparation of a best management practice (BMP) intended to assist planners and developers to minimize the health impacts of air pollution associated with locations adjacent to major roads. 
 
The finalized EBMP is posted on the Ministry's Environmental Stewardship Division's website.
Date: 2006/02/23
File Type: PDF
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Title: Investigation of occupational exposures to forestry workers from environmental Cryptococcus neoformans var. gattii
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Karen H. Bartlett, Hugh W. Davies, Murray W. Fyfe, Adrian Hingston
Summary: This pilot project was designed to investigate occupational exposures to Cryptococcus gattii, an environmental yeast responsible for an emerging infectious disease (cryptococcosis) in British Columbia (BC). We have defined regions in BC where culture positive trees and soil are a stable ecological niche of C. gattii. C. gattii has found in several species of native BC trees, some of which are harvested commercially.
Date: 2006/01/12
File Type: PDF
File Size: 891 KB

Title: Infiltration of forest fire and residential wood smoke: An intervention study to assess air cleaner effectiveness
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Prabjit Barn
Summary: Forest fires and residential wood-burning are significant sources of fine particle (PM2.5) air pollution. As PM2.5 exposure is associated with adverse health effects, populations need to be provided with exposure reduction strategies during smoke episodes that are practical, effective, and evidence-based. Public health recommendations typically include remaining indoors and use of air cleaners, yet little information is available on the effectiveness of these measures. Specific objectives of this study were to measure indoor infiltration of outdoor PM2.5 from forest fires/residential wood smoke, to determine effectiveness of High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter air cleaners in reducing indoor PM2.5 and to investigate determinants of infiltration and air cleaner effectiveness in homes.
Date: 2006/01/11
File Type: PDF
File Size: 2.38 MB

Title: From Expert-based to Quantitative Retrospective Exposure Assessment at a Söderberg Aluminum Smelter
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Melissa C. Friesen, Paul A. Demers, John Spinelli, Nhu D. Le
Summary: Expert judgement of exposure levels is often only poorly or moderately correlated with directly measured levels. For a follow-up of a historical cohort study at a Söderberg aluminum smelter we updated an expert-based semiquantitative job exposure matrix of coal tar pitch volatiles (CTPV) to quantitative estimates of CTPV and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP).
Date: 2006/01/04
File Type: Website Link
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Title: Exposure-Effect Relations between Aircraft and Road Traffic Noise Exposure at School and Reading Comprehension
Category: Exposure Assessment Authors: Charlotte Clark, Rocio Martin, Elise van Kempen, Tamuno Alfred, Jenny Head, Hugh W. Davies, Mary M. Haines, Isabel Lopez Barrio, Mark Matheson, Stephen Stansfeld
Summary: Transport noise is an increasingly prominent feature of the urban environment, making noise pollution an important environmental public health issue. This paper reports on the 2001–2003 RANCH project, the first cross-national epidemiologic study known to examine exposure-effect relations between aircraft and road traffic noise exposure and reading comprehension. Participants were 2,010 children aged 9–10 years from 89 schools around Amsterdam Schiphol, Madrid Barajas, and London Heathrow airports. Data from the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom were pooled and analyzed using multilevel modeling. Aircraft noise exposure at school was linearly associated with impaired reading comprehension; the association was maintained after adjustment for socioeconomic variables (ß = –0.008, p = 0.012), aircraft noise annoyance, and other cognitive abilities (episodic memory, working memory, and sustained attention). Aircraft noise exposure at home was highly correlated with aircraft noise exposure at school and demonstrated a similar linear association with impaired reading comprehension. Road traffic noise exposure at school was not associated with reading comprehension in either the absence or the presence of aircraft noise (ß = 0.003, p = 0.509; ß = 0.002, p = 0.540, respectively). Findings were consistent across the three countries, which varied with respect to a range of socioeconomic and environmental variables, thus offering robust evidence of a direct exposure-effect relation between aircraft noise and reading comprehension.
Date: 2005/11/23
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Title: Removal of Disinfection By-Product Precursors with Ozone-UV Advanced Oxidation Process
Category: Drinking Water Authors: Adeline Chin, Pierre Bérubé
Summary: The efficacy of using ozone (O3), ultraviolet irradiation (UV) and the combined O3-UV advanced oxidation process (AOP) to remove 2 classes of disinfection by-product (DBP) precursors from raw surface water samples have been evaluated and compared. In particular, trihalomethane and haloacetic acids formation potentials were measured. Laboratory batch scale experiments were carried out as a function of ozone and UV dosage in order to study the removal kinetics. It is concluded that the combined O3-UV AOP is more effective than either the ozone or UV treatment alone. Ozone-UV AOP is capable of mineralizing up to 50% of the total organic carbon from the raw source water at an ozone dose of Click to view the MathML source and a UV dose of Click to view the MathML source. In addition, O3-UV AOP can reduce trihalomethane formation potential by roughly 80% and haloacetic acids formation potential by roughly 70% at the same ozone and UV dosage.
Date: 2005/10/05
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Title: Comparative Gene Genealogies Indicate that Two Clonal Lineages of Cryptococcus gattii in British Columbia Resemble Strains from Other Geographical Areas
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Sarah E. Kidd, Hong Guo, Karen H. Bartlett, Jianping Xu, James W. Kronstad
Summary: Cryptococcus gattii has recently emerged as a pathogen of humans and animals in the temperate climate of Vancouver Island, British Columbia (B.C.). The majority (approximately 95%) of the isolates from the island belong to the VGII molecular type, and the remainder belong to the VGI molecular type. The goals of this study were to compare patterns of molecular variation among C. gattii isolates from B.C. with those from different areas of the world and to investigate the population structure using a comparative gene genealogy approach. Our results indicate that the C. gattii population in B.C. comprises at least two divergent lineages, corresponding to previously identified VGI and VGII molecular types. The genealogical analysis of strains suggested a predominantly clonal population structure among B.C. isolates, while there was evidence for sexual recombination between different molecular types on a global scale. We found no geographic pattern of strain relationships, and nucleotide sequence comparisons revealed that genotypes among isolates from B.C. were also present among isolates from other areas of the world, indicating extensive strain dispersal. The nucleotide sequence diversity among isolates from B.C. was similar to that among isolates from other areas of the world.
Date: 2005/10/01
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Title: Sub-Clinical Infection and Asymptomatic Carriage of Cryptococcus gattii in Dogs and Cats During an Outbreak of Cryptococcus
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Colleen Duncan, Craig Stephen, Sally Lester, Karen H. Bartlett
Summary: Since 1999, Cryptococcus gattii has emerged as an important pathogen of humans and animals in British Columbia, Canada. Nasal swabs and serum samples were collected from dogs and cats residing within the Coastal Douglas Fir biogeoclimatic zone on Vancouver Island, where clinical cases have been reported. Deep and superficial nasal fungal cultures of 280 dogs and 94 cats identified four (4.3%) cats and three (1.1%) dogs with C. gattii serotype B in their nasal cavity. Serum samples collected from 266 dogs and 84 cats identified six (7.1%) cats and two (0.8%) dogs with a positive cryptococcal antigen titer. Overall cats were 4.4 times more likely than dogs to be positive on one or both tests. Identification of sub-clinical infection and nasal colonization is an important step in the characterization of the outbreak of clinical cryptococcosis on Vancouver Island.
Date: 2005/09/01
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Title: The Effect of Hydrodynamic Conditions and System Configurations On the Permeate Flux in A Submerged Hollow Fiber Membrane System
Category: Drinking Water Authors: Pierre Bérubé, E. Lei
Summary: The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of the hydrodynamic conditions and system configurations on the permeate flux in a submerged hollow fiber membrane system. Specifically, the study was aimed at establishing the magnitude of the contribution from single-phase (i.e. water only) and dual-phase (i.e. air sparged) cross-flow, as well as that from the lateral sway in multi-fiber modules, on the permeate flux in a submerged hollow fiber membrane system.
Date: 2005/08/30
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Title: Estimation of the Absorption Coefficients of the Surfaces of Classrooms
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Murray Hodgson, Katrina Scherebnyj
Summary: Measurements of early-decay time and multivariable linear-regression techniques were used to estimate the 125–8000-Hz octave-band absorption coefficients of eight types of surfaces in university classrooms. The eight types were ‘hard surfaces’, ‘paneled surfaces’ (including hard seats and windows), ‘glued-on acoustical tiles’, ‘suspended acoustical ceilings’, ‘carpeted surfaces’, ‘upholstered seats’, ‘porous absorbers’ and ‘Helmholtz-resonator absorbers’. In general, resulting estimates were statistically significant, physically realistic and in good agreement with previous results. Values for suspended acoustical ceilings were significantly lower than published data.
Date: 2005/08/29
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Title: Comparing EMG Calibration Methods for Occupational Field Studies
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Catherine Trask, Jim Morrison, Judy Village
Summary: This study compared methods of calibrating electromyography (EMG) to predict cumulative spinal compression for use in occupational field studies.
Date: 2005/08/17
File Type: PDF
File Size: 47 KB

Title: Prenatal and Congenital Syphilis in British Columbia
Category: Other Authors: H Jones, D Taylor, CA Montgomery, DH Patrick, D Money, JC Vipond, MG Morshed, DA Ruissard, ML Rekart
Summary: To describe the incidence of maternal syphilis and the corresponding rate of infection in exposed neonates in British Columbia before and after a serious outbreak of infectious syphilis in the heterosexual population.
Date: 2005/08/15
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Title: Modeling Control Strategies of Respiratory Pathogens
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Babak Pourbohloul, Lauren Ancel Meyers, Danuta M. Skowronski, Mel Krajden, David M. Patrick, Robert C. Brunham
Summary: Effectively controlling infectious diseases requires quantitative comparisons of quarantine, infection control precautions, case identification and isolation, and immunization interventions. We used contact network epidemiology to predict the effect of various control policies for a mildly contagious disease, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome, and a moderately contagious disease, such as smallpox. The success of an intervention depends on the transmissibility of the disease and the contact pattern between persons within a community. The model predicts that use of face masks and general vaccination will only moderately affect the spread of mildly contagious diseases. In contrast, quarantine and ring vaccination can prevent the spread of a wide spectrum of diseases. Contact network epidemiology can provide valuable quantitative input to public health decisionmaking, even before a pathogen is well characterized.
Date: 2005/08/01
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Title: Asthma Severity and Exposure to Occupational Asthmogens
Category: Exposure Assessment Authors: Nicole Le Moual, Valérie Siroux, Isabelle Pin, Francine Kauffmann, Susan M. Kennedy
Summary: Rationale: Severe asthma is a public health problem with limited information regarding preventable causes. Although occupational exposures have been implicated as important risk factors for asthma and asthma exacerbations, associations between occupational exposures and asthma severity have not been reported. Objective: To examine associations between occupational exposures and asthma severity.
Date: 2005/06/16
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Title: Measurement and Modeling of Traffic-Related Air Pollution in the British Columbia Lower Mainland for Use in Health Risk Assessment and Epidemiological Analysis
Category: community Authors: Sarah B. Henderson, Michael Brauer
Summary: The School of Occupational and Environmental Health was contracted to develop spatial regression models for Greater Vancouver similar to those developed or underway for the metropolitan areas of Toronto, Montreal and Hamilton. This report briefly introduces the rationale for such models and gives detailed discussion of our methods and results. The objectives and deliverables are outlined below.
Date: 2005/06/05
File Type: PDF
File Size: 6.4 MB

Title: A Retrospective Cohort Study of Cancer Risks among Nurses in British Columbia: Potential Exposure to Ionizing Radiation
Category: workplace health Authors: Joanna Chung, Helen Dimich Ward, Kay Teschke, Pamela A. Ratner, Yat Chow
Summary: This report reviews current knowledge about ionizing radiation pertinent to the occupational health of registered nurses, including background information, sources of ionizing radiation in the nursing environment and evidence of adverse physiological effects from low-level occupational exposure. The results of a survey on nurses’ exposures to ionizing radiation in hospital and health care facilities, which was conducted as part of a cancer risk assessment of BC nurses, are also presented.
Date: 2005/06/01
File Type: PDF
File Size: 453 KB

Title: Mixed Models and Empirical Bayes Estimation for Retrospective Exposure Assessment of Dust Exposures in Canadian Sawmills
Category: Workplace Health Authors: M Friesen, Ying Macnab, Stephen A. Marion, Paul A. Demers, Hugh W. Davies, Kay Teschke
Summary: Data on job histories is commonly available from study subjects and worksites, therefore jobs are often used for assigning exposures in historical epidemiological studies. Exposure estimates are often derived by offering jobs as fixed effects in statistical models. An alternative approach would be to offer job as a random effect to obtain empirical Bayes estimates of exposure. This approach is more efficient since it weights exposure estimates according to the within-job and between-job variability and the number of measurements for each job. We assess three models for predicting historical dust exposures of sawmill workers.
Date: 2005/01/10
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Title: Active Noise Control Communication Headsets for the Entertainment Industry
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Jadine Thom, Cheryl E. Peters, Elaina MacIntyre, Meghan Winters, Kay Teschke, Hugh W. Davies
Summary: This report provides a technical background to the concept of active noise control, discusses its use in the entertainment industry and provides guidance on how to select the appropriate device.
Date: 2005/01/09
File Type: PDF
File Size: 581 KB

Title: Noise and Hearing Loss in Farming
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Jadine Thom, Cheryl E. Peters, Elaina MacIntyre, Meghan Winters, Kay Teschke, Hugh W. Davies
Summary: This literature review was commissioned to provide FARSHA and its clients an up to date overview of the current knowledge regarding the risks of noise exposure to those working on farms, and methods of controlling exposure to reduce that risk. We conducted a systematic and comprehensive review of the peer-reviewed scientific literature with respect to hearing loss among farmers and their exposure to noise, and the determinants of noise exposure, and methods for controlling those exposures on farms.
Date: 2005/01/09
File Type: PDF
File Size: 550 KB

Title: Noise and Hearing Loss in Musicians
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Jadine Thom, Cheryl E. Peters, Elaina MacIntyre, Meghan Winters, Kay Teschke, Hugh W. Davies
Summary: We conducted a systematic and comprehensive review of the peer-reviewed scientific literature with respect to hearing loss among musicians, exposure to noise, determinants of noise exposure, and methods for controlling those exposures. Details of the literature search are given in an appendix. A one-page summary of this review is available at http://www.cher.ubc.ca/PDFs/reviews/noiseandhearingloss.pdf 
 
We found that both classical and rock musicians are at increased risk of developing noise-induced hearing loss and an associated disease, tinnitus, as a result of their exposure to music.
Date: 2005/01/09
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File Size: 401 KB

Title: Treatments for Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Jadine Thom, Cheryl E. Peters, Elaina MacIntyre, Meghan Winters, Kay Teschke, Hugh W. Davies
Summary: This literature review was undertaken to review the status of research on available treatments for noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) on behalf of Safety & Health in Arts Production and Entertainment (SHAPE). This review focuses on the studies that have exhibited a positive effect on NIHL in humans and that have been published since 1985 (see Appendix 1 for literature search strategies).
Date: 2005/01/09
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File Size: 82 KB

Title: Diagnostic Accuracy of Self Collected Vaginal Specimens for Human Papillomavirus Compared to Clinician Collected Human Papillomavirus Specimens: A Meta-Analysis
Category: Other Authors: G Ogilvie, D Patrick, M Schulzer, J Sellors, M Petric, K Chambers, R White, J. Mark FitzGerald
Summary: Providing summary recommendations regarding self collection of vaginal specimens for human papillomavirus (HPV) testing is difficult owing to the wide range of published estimates for the diagnostic accuracy of this approach. To determine summary estimates from analyses of reported findings of the sensitivity, specificity and summary receiver operating characteristic curves (SROC) for self collected vaginal specimens for HPV testing compared to the reference standard, clinician collected HPV specimens.
Date: 2005/01/04
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Title: Syndromes Associated with Sexually Transmitted Infections
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: M Chernesky, D Patrick
Summary: Excellent technologies have been developed to identify the specific microbial agents of chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, chancroid, trichomoniasis, human papillomavirus and HIV infection. However, it is also crucial to recognize syndromes that may be caused by one or more sexually transmitted pathogens. When laboratory services are lacking or are inadequate to provide timely results to enable appropriate treatment, some patients must be managed and treated syndromically.
Date: 2005/01/01
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Title: Assessing Population Exposures to Motor Vehicle Exhaust
Category: Exposure Assessment Authors: Chris Van Atten, Michael Brauer, Tami Funk, Nicolas L. Gilbert, Lisa Graham, Debra Kaden, Paul J. Miller, Leonora Rojas Bracho, Amanda Wheeler, Ronald H. White
Summary: The need is growing for a better assessment of population exposures to motor vehicle exhaust in proximity to major roads and high-ways. This need is driven in part by emerging scientific evidence of adverse health effects from such exposures and policy requirements for a more targeted assessment of localized public health impacts related to road expansions and increasing commercial transportation. The momentum for improved methods in measuring local exposures is also growing in the scientific community, as well as for discerning which constituents of the vehicle exhaust mixture may exert greater public health risks for those who are exposed to a disproportionate share of road-way pollution. To help elucidate the current state-of-the-science in exposure assessments along major roadways and to help inform decision makers of research needs and trends, we provide an overview of the emerging policy requirements, along with a conceptual frame-work for assessing exposure to motor-vehicle exhaust that can help inform policy decisions. The framework includes the pathway from the emission of a single vehicle, traffic emissions from multiple vehicles, atmospheric transfor-mation of emissions and interaction with topo-graphic and meteorologic features, and contact with humans resulting in exposure that can result in adverse health impacts. We describe the individual elements within the conceptual framework for exposure assessment and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches that have been used to assess public exposures to motor vehicle exhaust.
Date: 2005/01/01
File Type: PDF
File Size: 280 KB

Title: On-Call Work and Health: A Review
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Anne-Marie Nicol, Jackie S. Botterill
Summary: This paper reviews the current body of peer-reviewed, published research conducted on the health effects of on-call work The health effects studies done in the area of on-call work are limited to mental health, job stress, sleep disturbances and personal safety. The reviewed research suggests that on-call work scheduling can pose a risk to health, although there are critical gaps in the literature. A one-page summary of this review is available at http://www.cher.ubc.ca/PDFs/reviews/oncallworkandhealth.pdf
Date: 2004/12/08
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Title: A Rare Genotype of Cryptococcus Gattii Caused the Cryptococcus Outbreak on Vancouver Island (British Columbia, Canada)
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: SE Kidd, F Hagen, RL Tscharke, M Huynh, Karen H. Bartlett, M Fyfre, L MacDougall, T Boekhout
Summary: The objectives of the current study were to ascertain the environmental source of the outbreak infections, survey the molecular types of the outbreak and environmental cryptococcal isolates, and determine the extent of genetic diversity among the isolates.
Date: 2004/12/07
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Title: The Effect of Air Pollution on Lung Development 
from 10 to 18 Years of Age
Category: Environmental Policy Authors: W. James Gauderman, Edward Avol, Frank Gilliland, Hita Vora, Duncan Thomas, Kiros Berhane, Rob McConnell, Nino Kuenzli, Fred Lurmann, Edward Rappaport, Helene Margolis, David Bates, John Peters
Summary: The results of this study indicate that current levels of air pollution have chronic, adverse effects on lung development in children from the age of 10 to 18 years, leading to clinically significant deficits in attained FEV 1 as children reach adulthood.
Date: 2004/09/09
File Type: PDF
File Size: 124 KB

Title: Active and Passive Vehicle Seat Suspension Systems
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Tim Luu, Desheng Li, Murray Hodgson
Summary: A review of literature on the ways in which seat vibration have been developed and their effectiveness at successfully attenuating vibration in vehicular seats
Date: 2004/08/31
File Type: PDF
File Size: 1.8 MB

Title: A Review of the Toxicological Information on Material Safety Data Sheets for Toluene Diisocyanate-containing Products used in Canada
Category: workplace health Authors: Paul A. Demers, Ralph Brands, Anne-Marie Nicol, Patricia Holmes, Linda Frazier
Summary: Toluene diisocyanate (TDI, CAS No. 584-84-9) is perhaps the single biggest recognised cause of occupational asthma in many industrialized countries. This report presents the results of a review of the toxicological information on MSDSs for TDI containing products used in Canada.
Date: 2004/05/21
File Type: PDF
File Size: 222 KB

Title: Protecting the Faces of Healthcare Workers
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Annalee Yassi, Elizabeth Bryce, David Moore, Robert Janssen, Ray Copes, Karen H. Bartlett, J. Mark Fitzgerald, M Gilbert, P Bigelow, Q Danyluk, B Gamage, C Hon, T Perry, S Saunders, L Svirchev, R Thiessen
Summary: The report, funded by the Change Foundation in Ontario, identifies several priorities that require further attention to ensure the safety of healthcare workers and how best to implement the necessary changes.
Date: 2004/05/13
File Type: PDF
File Size: 424 KB

Title: Chronic Exposure to High Levels of Particulate Air Pollution and Small Airway Remodelling
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Andrew Churg, Michael Brauer, Maria del Carmen Avila-Casado, Teresa I. Fortoul, Joanne L. Wright
Summary: Histologic sections from the lungs of 20 women from Mexico City, a high particulate matter (PM) locale were compared to those of 20 women from Vancoucer, British Columbia, a low PM locale, to assess the effect of chronic exposure to high levels of ambient PM.
Date: 2003/12/19
File Type: PDF
File Size: 595 KB

Title: Choosing a Model of Care for Alternate Level Care Patients: Caregivers' Perspectives with Respect to Staff Injury
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Aleck S. Ostry, Katrina M. Tomlin, Yuri Cvitkovich, Pamela A. Ratner, Il Hyeok Park, Robert B. Tate, Annalee Yassi
Summary: The purpose of this study was to explore how the care of alternate level care patients was managed within four acute-care facilities in British Columbia and to examine how this care impacts upon staff injury outcomes.
Date: 2003/10/03
File Type: PDF
File Size: 150 KB

Title: Labour Market Experiences and Health
Category: Workplace Health Authors: C Mustard, J Lavis, Aleck S. Ostry
Summary: This paper describes the effects of economic globalization on the social environment. In particular, this paper describes the impact of the current round of economic globalization on the structure of labour markets.
Date: 2003/08/03
File Type: PDF
File Size: 108 KB

Title: UBC Farmer and Farm Family Study
Category: Knowledge Transfer Authors: Anne-Marie Nicol, Susan M. Kennedy, Jean Shoveller
Summary: A survey of factors related pesticide related practices and perceptions of risk and benefit among berry and tree fruit farmers and farm families.
Date: 2003/08/01
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Title: Evaluation of Occupational Health Risks Associated With Substitution of High-Level Disinfectants in Hospitals
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Karen Rideout
Summary: A comparative review of the toxicity potential of two recently introduced glutaraldehyde substitutes and a survey of current practices in BC acute care hospitals.
Date: 2003/07/03
File Type: website link
File Size: 411 KB

Title: Evaluation of a New Mask and Scavenging System for Nitrous Oxide Used in Labour and Delivery
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Ed Chessor, Marieke Verhoeven, Kay Teschke
Summary: The main objective of this field trial was to compare the concentrations of nitrous oxide found in the nurses' breathing zones when using the new and existing scavenging systems
Date: 2003/07/02
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Title: Atmospheric Effects in the Entertainment Industry: Constituents, Exposures, and Health Effects
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Kay Teschke, Yat Chow, Michael Brauer, Chris van Netten, Sunil Varughese, Susan M. Kennedy
Summary: A survey of exposure constituents and levels to theatrical smokes and fogs, and their impact on respiratory health, among entertainment industry production employees.
Date: 2003/03/01
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Title: Age Related Differences in Work Injuries and Permanent Impairment: A Comparison of Workers’ Compensation Claims among Adolescents, Young Adults, and Adults
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Curtis Breslin, Mieke Koehoorn, P Smith, M Manno
Summary: There is growing evidence that adolescent workers are at greater risk for work injury. This study investigates the severity of work injuries among adolescents, young adults, and adults, using workers’ compensation records from the years 1993-2000. The incidence of compensated injuries was calculated for each age group and compared 
by gender, industry, and type of injury. The presence and degree of permanent impairment in each age 
group was also examined. The study found that indicators of health consequences, in particular presence of permanent impairment, provide preliminary evidence that compensated work injuries sustained by youth are not as serious as injuries sustained by adults. Nevertheless, there was evidence that some young workers sustain injuries that have long term consequences, and documenting the consequences of the injuries that young workers sustain 
has implications for secondary prevention efforts and health services policy.
Date: 2003/02/14
File Type: PDF
File Size: 151 KB

Title: Diesel Exhaust Particles and Related Air Pollution from Traffic Sources in the Lower Mainland
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Michael Brauer, Sarah B. Henderson
Summary: A study to examine the range of expected concentrations of particles and other traffic related air pollutants at roadside and non-roadside locations and to link measured concentrations to geographic variables.
Date: 2003/02/01
File Type: PDF file
File Size: 6.7 MB

Title: Investigating Trends in Mental Disorders among a Cohort of Health Care Workers
Category: Workplace Health Authors: John A. Dufton, Mieke Koehoorn, Donald C. Cole, Clyde Hertzman, Selahadin Ibrahim, Aleck S. Ostry
Summary: Study Purpose: To investigate patterns of extended health benefits (EHB) and long term disability (LTD) utilization for mental disorders among a cohort of health care workers and to investigate differences in rates of utilization over a five-year follow-up period.
Date: 2003/01/10
File Type: PDF
File Size: 24 KB

Title: Self-Reported Work Patterns and Work-Related Injuries among High School Students in British Columbia
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Mieke Koehoorn, Curtis Breslin
Summary: The purpose of this study was to conduct a survey of high school students in British Columbia to describe self-reported patterns of work and to calculate work-related injury rates.
Date: 2003/01/10
File Type: PDF
File Size: 76 KB

Title: Evaluating Indoor Air Quality: Test Standards for Bioaerosols
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Karen H. Bartlett, Kit Shan Lee, Gwen Stephens, William Black, Michael Brauer, Ray Copes
Summary: A field comparison of four bioaerosol samplers, the Reuter Centrifugal Sampler (RCS), the Andersen N6 Single Stage (N6), the Surface Air System Super 90, and the Air-o-Cell sampler (AOC), was conducted in a variety of public buildings for the measurement of fungal aerosols to compare sampling performance efficiencies and to collect baseline data for a pool of buildings
Date: 2003/01/07
File Type: PDF
File Size: 553 KB

Title: A Comparison Between the Effort-Reward Imbalance and Demand Control Models
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Aleck S. Ostry, Shona Kelly, Paul A. Demers
Summary: To compare the predictive validity of the demand/control and reward/imbalance models, alone and in combination with each other, for self-reported health status and the self-reported presence of any chronic disease condition.
Date: 2003/01/07
File Type: PDF
File Size: 101 KB

Title: The Feasibility of Using Existing Statistics Canada Surveys 
to Describe the Health and Work of Nurses
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Mieke Koehoorn, Pamela A. Ratner, Judith Shamian
Summary: The overall purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate the feasibility of using existing Statistics Canada surveys to regularly describe and monitor the health and working conditions of nurses.
Date: 2003/01/05
File Type: PDF
File Size: 88 KB

Title: Work Organization and Patient Care Staff Injuries: The Impact of Different Care Models for "Alternate Level of Care" Patients
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Aleck S. Ostry, Annalee Yassi, Pamela A. Ratner, Il Hyeok Park, Robert B. Tate, Catherine Kidd
Summary: This study investigated the effects of increased numbers of alternate level care patients on caregivers in hospital.
Date: 2003/01/03
File Type: PDF
File Size: 169 KB

Title: A Collaborative Evidence-Based Approach to Making Healthcare a Healthier Place to Work
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Annalee Yassi, Aleck S. Ostry, Jerry Spiegel, G Walsh, Henrie M. de Boer
Summary: A collaborative evidence-based in which healthcare workers and managers work together to identify and implement evidence-based initiatives to improve the health and working conditions of healthcare workers
Date: 2003/01/02
File Type: PDF
File Size: 160 KB

Title: Cost-Benefit Analysis of an Ergonomic Intervention in Two Hospital Laundries vs a Control Laundry
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Judy Village
Summary: A two year study to evaluate changes in musculoskeletal injuries, self reported pain, psychosocial factors following ergonomic intervention at 2 hospital laundries. And to provide a cost benefit analysis of the changes.
Date: 2003/01/02
File Type: PDF
File Size: 180 KB

Title: Ergonomics Regulations - Are They Working?
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Judy Village
Summary: A presentation describing the objectives and results of a discussion paper that compared provincial ergonomics regulations in Canadian provinces to those in other countries.
Date: 2003/01/02
File Type: PDF
File Size: 399

Title: From Chainsaws to Keyboards: Historical Trends in the Epidemiology of Injury and Industrial Disease in British Columbia
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Aleck S. Ostry
Summary: This study describes changes in industrial injury and disease rates over the time period 1950 to 1996 and to link these, where possible, to changes in the infrastructure of the BC economy and labour force
Date: 2003/01/02
File Type: PDF
File Size: 171 KB

Title: The BC Sawmill Industry: A Case Study of Community and Ecological Sustainability
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Aleck S. Ostry
Summary: The purpose of this case study is use the ecological footprint to answer the question: just how healthy or sustainable is the ecological niche that industrial society has carved out for itself ?
Date: 2003/01/02
File Type: PDF
File Size: 99 KB

Title: Measuring Psychosocial Job Strain With the Job Content Questionnaire Using Experienced Job Evaluators
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Aleck S. Ostry, Stephen A. Marion, Paul A. Demers, R Hershler, S Kelly, Kay Teschke, Clyde Hertzman
Summary: Four experienced evaluators, one from the union and three from industry, independently estimated psychosocial work conditions for 54 current job titles in a "typical" coastal sawmill using a shortened, 18-question version of the Job Content Questionnaire questionnaire.
Date: 2003/01/01
File Type: PDF
File Size: 104 KB

Title: Review of the Health Risks Associated with Nitrogen Dioxide and Sulfur Dioxide in Indoor Air
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Michael Brauer, Sarah B. Henderson, Tracy Kirkham, Kit Shan Lee, Kira Rich, Kay Teschke
Summary: This review provides a review of scientific literature on the health effects of nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide that will be used as a background document by Health Canada in its process of reviewing the Exposure Guidelines for Residential Indoor Air Quality
Date: 2002/12/01
File Type: Website Link
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Title: Exposure Assessment in Epidemiology: Does Gender Matter?
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Susan M. Kennedy, Mieke Koehoorn
Summary: This paper explores the pathway from potential hazards in the work environment to the measurement of personal exposure for epidemiologic studies and assesses the influence of gender differences
Date: 2002/06/06
File Type: PDF
File Size: 206 KB

Title: Potential of Exposure to Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins and Dibenzofurans when Recycling Sewage Biosolids on Agricultural Land
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Karen Rideout, Kay Teschke, Sunil Varughese
Summary: A review to develop a set of recommendations to assist BC Medical health Officers in assessing whether the application of biosolids to various types of agricultural land would assist in increased exposure to polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (dioxins and furans; PCDDs and PCDFs). A short, one-page summary of this review is available at http://www.cher.ubc.ca/PDFs/reviews/dioxins-furans-agriculturalland.pdf
Date: 2002/05/02
File Type: PDF
File Size: 305 KB

Title: Evaluation of Adsorption and Coagulation As Membrane Pretreatment Steps for the Removal of Organic Material and Disinfection-By-Product Precursors
Category: Drinking Water Authors: Pierre Bérubé, Donald S. Mavinic, Eric R. Hall, SE Kenway, K Roett
Summary: Adsorption using powdered activated carbon and coagulation using polyaluminium chloride or aluminum sulphate were investigated as pretreatment steps prior to membrane filtration to remove organic material and trihalomethane (THM) precursors contained in a raw drinking water source. Ultrafiltration and microfiltration membrane treatment alone could not effectively and consistently remove organic material, measured as total organic carbon, and THM precursors, measured as chloroform formation potential, contained in the raw water. Coagulation, prior to membrane treatment, significantly improved the removal of organic material and THM precursors contained in the raw water. Microfiltration membrane treatment, with pre-coagulation, consistently removed approximately 75% of the organic material and the THM precursors contained in the raw water. A coagulant concentration of approximately 0.3 mg/L, as Al, was sufficient to achieve this high removal efficiency. Adsorption, prior to membrane treatment, did not significantly improve the removal of organic material or THM precursors.
Date: 2002/01/10
File Type: Website Link
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Title: Predicting Office Workstation Dimensions from Anthropometric Data
Category: Workplace Health Authors: R Urbanowski, Judy Village
Summary: A model to predict workstation dimensions from worker height and gender to provide a simple cost effective method of setting up individual workstations
Date: 2002/01/10
File Type: PDF
File Size: 125 KB

Title: Reducing Injuries in Intermediate Care Workers
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Marcy Cohen, Annalee Yassi, Aleck S. Ostry, Pam Ratner, Yuri Cvitkovich, Il Hyeok Park, Nancy Pollak, Judy Village, Carol Uy, Tony Leyland, Lou Black, Mardon B Frazer, Kerry Janzen, Henrie M. de Boer, Brenda Whitehall
Summary: A study was conducted in partnership with OHSAH, the Hospital Employees’ Union and Workers' Compensation Board of BC to determine the factors that cause some intermediate care facilities to have higher injury rates than others. The study investigated eight facilities using ergonomic, organizational, and psychosocial measures.
Date: 2002/01/05
File Type: PDF
File Size: 465 KB

Title: Effects of De-Industrialization on Unemployment, Re-Employment, and Work Conditions in a Manufacturing Workforce
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Aleck S. Ostry, R Hershler, S Kelly, Paul A. Demers, Kay Teschke, Clyde Hertzman
Summary: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a 20-year process of de-industrialization in the British Columbia (BC) sawmill industry on labour force trajectories, unemployment history, and physical and psychosocial work conditions as these are important determinants of health in workforces
Date: 2002/01/03
File Type: PDF
File Size: 203 KB

Title: Development of a Job-Exposure Matrix/'Expert Judgment' Approach to Estimating Occupational Exposure Risk in Population Based Studies of Asthma
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Susan M. Kennedy, Nicole Le Moual, Dominique Choudat, Francine Kauffmann
Summary: In collaboration with colleagues from INSERM in France, we have developed a method for evaluating occupational exposure risk specific for studies of occupational asthma in the general population. Further work will focus on the application of the method in other populations and on enhancements to the method itself.
Date: 2002/01/02
File Type: websitelink
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Title: Bioaerosols, Airborne Particulate Matter, and Symptoms at BC Liquor Distribution Branch Stores
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Susan M. Kennedy, Ray Copes, Michael Brauer, Sonia Na, Barbara Karlen, Victor Leung
Summary: An investigation into workplace exposures linked to the use of glass breaking machinery in BC liquor stores and their possible impact on employee health
Date: 2001/08/07
File Type: Website Link
File Size:  

Title: Discussion Paper on Ergonomics Regulations
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Judy Village
Summary: Ergonomics is defined as the integration of knowledge derived from the human sciences to match jobs, systems, products and environments to the physical and mental limitations of people. The goal is to minimize work-related musculoskeletal disorders, errors, inefficiencies and optimize worker well-being. The objective of this discussion paper, written shortly after an amendment to the Canada Labour Code Part II authorized the prescription of ergonomics standards in the federal jurisdiction, was to provide the Labour Program of Human Resources Development Canada, employers and workers with a common starting point for discussions on the possible development of a regulation on ergonomics under Part II of the Code. Methods of information collection in this study included database searches of ergonomics journals and publications, website searches of labour departments in various countries to obtain regulations, codes of practice and other documentation, and establishing email or personal contact with personnel in various countries and associations, including at least one person in each province of Canada, to obtain unpublished information and opinions. Personnel largely included regulators, ergonomists employed in regulatory organizations, and ergonomists in academic institutions. Results of the study and conclusions are presented.
Date: 2001/03/21
File Type: PDF
File Size: 705 KB

Title: Regional Assessment of Air Pollution Exposure During the 1997-98 Southeast Asian Air Pollution Episodes
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Michael Brauer, Kathryn Ostermann, Douw Steyn
Summary: This project uses remote sensing data and ground based air monitoring data to develop a regional database of particulate air pollution levels and assesses population exposure to air pollution associated with the Southeast Asian forest fires 1997-1998
Date: 2001/02/02
File Type: PDF
File Size: 3.6 MB

Title: Health Impacts of Biomass Air Pollution
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Michael Brauer
Summary: An investigation into the acute and long-term health impacts associated with exposure to biomass fires in Southeast Asia.
Date: 2000/12/01
File Type: PDF
File Size: 1.3 MB

Title: Follow-Up of Respiratory Health Among Workers Exposed to Asbestos
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Susan M. Kennedy, Helen Dimich Ward, Sverre Vedal, Susan Kwan, Barbara Karlen
Summary: This study focuses on part three of a five part screening program to evaluate asbestos-related lung abnormalities for BC Ferry Corporation employees.
Date: 2000/12/01
File Type: PDF
File Size: 232 KB

Title: Air Emissions from the Chevron North Burnaby Refinery: Human Health Impact Assessment
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Susan M. Kennedy, Ray Copes, Paul A. Demers
Summary: A risk assessment of the health impact of refinery emissions on the residents of the local community
Date: 2000/08/01
File Type: Link to Cher Website
File Size:  

Title: School Bus Air Quality
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Michael Brauer, Julie Hsieh, Ray Copes
Summary: A survey to measure several indoor air quality parameters inside school buses
Date: 2000/07/01
File Type: PDF
File Size: 98 KB

Title: Hearing Loss in British Columbia Sawmill Workers: An Epidemiologic Analysis of Audiometry Data from Industry Hearing Conservation Programs, 1976 - 1996
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Hugh W. Davies, Stephen A. Marion, Kay Teschke
Summary: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relative risk of hearing loss among sawmill workers in British Columbia Since the initiation of hearing conservation programs in the late 1970s
Date: 2000/06/30
File Type: PDF
File Size: 199 KB

Title: Evaluation of Ambient Air Pollution in The Lower Mainland of British Columbia: Public Health Impacts, Spatial Variability, and Temporal Patterns
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Michael Brauer, Jochen Brumm, Stefanie Ebelt
Summary: An assessment of public health impacts associated with ambient air pollution
Date: 2000/06/01
File Type: PDF file
File Size: 6 MB

Title: Airborne Exposures To Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki During Gypsy Moth Eradication
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Kay Teschke, Yat Chow, Karen H. Bartlett, Chris van Netten, Victor Leung, Andrew Ross
Summary: A study on community exposure to Foray 48B, a biological insecticide, due to aerial spraying.
Date: 2000/05/01
File Type: PDF file
File Size: 938 KB

Title: The Relationship between Unemployment, Technological Change and Psychosocial Work Conditions in British Columbia Sawmills
Category: workplace health Authors: Aleck S. Ostry, Stephen A. Marion, L Green, Paul A. Demers, Kay Teschke, R Hershler, S Kelly, Clyde Hertzman
Summary: This is an investigation of the relationship between unemployment which occurred in the recession and the new psychosocial and physical work conditions in restructured workplaces using a cohort of approximately 29,000 sawmill workers in 14 BC sawmills.
Date: 2000/01/01
File Type: PDF
File Size: 102 KB

Title: Exposure in Grain Elevators: Are We Measuring the Relevant Agent?
Category: Exposure Assessment Authors: Susan M. Kennedy, Karen H. Bartlett, Helen Dimich Ward
Summary: The objectives of this study were to: measure dust, endotoxin and glucan levels; record readily available "determinants of exposure" data; compare exposure levels, determinants of exposure; and evaluate significance of results for future studies and for prevention.
Date: 1999/06/06
File Type: PDF
File Size: 90 KB

Title: Whole Body Vibration and Back Disorders Among Motor Vehicle Drivers and Heavy Equipment Operators: A Review of the Scientific Evidence
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Kay Teschke, Anne-Marie Nicol, Hugh W. Davies, Sunny Ju
Summary: A review to determine whether there is support for a causal link between exposure to whole body vibration and back disorders in vehicle operating occupations
Date: 1999/04/01
File Type: PDF
File Size: 206 KB

Title: An epidemiological analysis and exposure assessment of air pollution in patients with implanted cardiac defibrilators
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Kira Rich
Summary: This research extends previous investigations of adverse cardiovascular effects of particulate air pollutants to patients with implanted cardiac defibrillators (ICDs). Case crossover analyses were conducted for the February 14 to December 31, 2001 study period using data from ICDs worn by 34 Vancouver residents.
Date: 1999/01/08
File Type: PDF
File Size: 2MB

Title: A Study of Musculoskeletal Disorders in Newspapers and Commercial Printing
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Judy Village
Summary: A 2.5 year study of musculoskeletal disorders in four newspapers and commercial printing operations.
Date: 1998/01/01
File Type: PDF
File Size: 416 KB

Title: Indoor Air Quality in Ice Arenas
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Michael Brauer, Ad Hoc Working Group
Summary: Ice arena air quality problems resulting from ice re-surfacers
Date: 1996/08/12
File Type: PDF
File Size: 6.5 MB

Title: Occupational & Environmental Exposure to Organochlorine Compounds in a Coastal British Columbia Community
Category: Community Environmental Health Authors: Kay Teschke, Stephen A. Marion, Andrew Jin
Summary: This report presents the results of the first phase of a study examining the occupational and environmental exposures of residents of a coastal British Columbia community to organochlorine compounds.
Date: 1996/07/01
File Type: Website Link
File Size:  

Title: Grain and Endotoxin Exposure Monitoring Results: Report To HRDC Labour Program
Category: Exposure Assessment Authors: Susan M. Kennedy, Karen H. Bartlett, Anya Keefe, Helen Dimich Ward, Moira Chan Yeung
Summary: This report describes the results of the dust and endotoxin sampling carried out in BC grain elevators as part of the Medical Surveillance Program .
Date: 1996/01/11
File Type: PDF
File Size: 328 KB

Title: Saw Filers Exposed to Cobalt and Other Metals: Determinants of Exposure and Respiratory Health Evaluation
Category: Workplace Health Authors: Kay Teschke, Susan M. Kennedy, Stephen A. Marion, Moira Chan Yeung, M van Zuylen, J Lea, T Switzer, K Thompson, J Oja
Summary: This study outlines the results of an industrial hygiene and respiratory health assessment of eight coastal saw mills. It looked at airborne metal concentrations in occupational settings, and also evaluated the respiratory health of saw filing tradesmen. The results of the respiratory health assessment provide evidence that the saw filers studied are at risk for 
work-related increases in acute respiratory and nasal symptoms as well as for measurable reductions in lung 
function.
Date: 1993/01/04
File Type: Website Link
File Size:  

Title: Generic Guidelines for Assessing Worker Exposure to Antisapstain Chemicals in the Lumber Industry
Category: workplace health Authors: Kay Teschke, Richard Fenske, Chris van Netten, Andrew Jin, Stephen A. Marion
Summary: The objective of the generic exposure assessment guidelines is to provide exposure data which can be used in risk assessments by government agencies or the lumber industry itself, and which will address the unique characteristics of the lumber treatment process not found when pesticides are applied in other settings such as agriculture.
Date: 1992/08/01
File Type: PDF
File Size: 956 KB

Last reviewed November 5, 2009

 
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September 7, 2007