The possibility of HIV-transmission by needlestick injuries and body contact with HIV positives may lead to psychosocial stress in medical staff. Within a recent research study, 82 first aid attendants and 51 nurses were questioned to their perceived threat of HIV-infection while working and their compliance with preventive action precaution. As a result, the general severity of AIDS is acknowledged, whereas the personal threat is low in value. Homogenous coping styles for the threat experienced cannot be found. The group of nurses being in direct contact with body fluid more frequently shows a greater tendency to minimize and deny the threat.
Asbestos-related malignancies are one of the main topics in the occupational medical and social political discussion. The numbers of asbestos-induced mesotheliomas (No. 4105) as well as lung cancer in connection with asbestosis or asbestos-related lesions of the pleura (No. 4104) have been significantly increased in the last years. Whereas the causal relation between asbestos-exposure and asbestosis as well as the mesothelioma is definitely proved epidemiologically the question whether asbestos can cause lung cancer without asbestosis or asbestos related lesions of the pleura is disputable till now. Referring to this topic the international literature is reviewed. In synopsis there are no unequivocal indications that an increasing number of isolated lung cancer diseases could be observed. So it is our opinion that the admission of "asbestos-related lung cancer" (without asbestosis or asbestos-induced lesions of the pleura) in the list of occupational diseases can't be recommended.
With regard to dietetics communal feeding at the workplace is often designed inappropriately: The proportion of fat is too high, the proportion of carbohydrates is too low, and micro-nutrient composition is disadvantageous. Three examples demonstrate how communal feeding schemes at the workplace can be improved.
The characteristics of single droplets of water-miscible coolant lubricants in the presence of various skin protection ointments was investigated in in-vitro experiments. It was shown that the coolant lubricant droplets dissolve or penetrate a skin protection ointment film within a few minutes. This is the case although all skin protection ointment films proved to be resistant to the various coolant lubricants used in the dip test according to SUSKIND. This may be explained by the observation that a droplet of coolant lubricant de-emulsifies relatively quickly into an aqueous and oily phase. A skin protection ointment does not resist the oily phase, since it is designed to withstand aqueous media. In practice, this means that even a properly applied ointment skin protection may fall in certain work processes which are accompanied by severe contamination of the skin with droplets or splashes of coolant lubricants.
At shiftwork with controlling tasks under heat stress lasting 10 hours 8 young healthy men were exposed to a climate of 32.0-degrees-C basic effective temperature on five consecutive days. Separated in a dayshift (8 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and a nightshift group (8 p.m. to 6 a.m.) the subjects performed experimental controlling tasks at a computer. Mean rectal temperature (TR) and mean sweat loss of both groups did not differ significantly, whereas mean heart rate (HR) was significantly higher in the nightshift group. According to experiences of previous investigations 38.0-degrees-C TR and 90 beats min-1 HR were assumed as tolerable limit values, which included sufficient safety margins. These values were exceeded in 0.25% and 15.25% of all working hours respectively, observed on days with minor acclimatisation, after reception of food or after taking a walk when interrupting the sitting activity during the hourly pauses. Continuous increases of these parameters during the whole time of the experiment never occured. According to these observations the climatic conditions chosen for the study were regarded as physiologically tolerable for all subjects.
