Journal ArticleDOI
Endotoxin exposure and symptoms in wastewater treatment workers
TLDR
Wastewater treatment workers reported a wide range of symptoms that may be work-related, and microbial exposures such as endotoxin seem to play a causal role.Abstract:
Background
Wastewater treatment workers can be exposed to biological and chemical agents resulting in work-related health effects. The aim of this study was to investigate work-related symptoms in these workers.
Methods
Questionnaire data of 468 employees from 67 sewage treatment plants is evaluated. Personal endotoxin exposure (8 hr measurements; n = 460) was measured in a sample of workers in three different periods over 1 year.
Results
Endotoxin exposure ranged from 0.6 to 2093 endotoxin units (EU)/m3, the geometric mean exposure was low (27 EU/m3). Factor analysis yielded three clusters of correlated symptoms: “lower respiratory and skin symptoms,” “flu-like and systemic symptoms,” and “upper respiratory symptoms.” Symptoms appeared to be more prevalent in workers exposed to endotoxin levels higher than 50 EU/m3. A significant dose-response relationship was found for “lower respiratory and skin symptoms” and “flu-like and systemic symptoms” (P < 0.05).
Conclusions
Wastewater treatment workers reported a wide range of symptoms that may be work-related. Microbial exposures such as endotoxin seem to play a causal role. Am. J. Ind. Med. 48:30–39, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater: State of the knowledge and research needs.
Masaaki Kitajima,Warish Ahmed,Kyle Bibby,Annalaura Carducci,Charles P. Gerba,Kerry A. Hamilton,Eiji Haramoto,Joan B. Rose +7 more
TL;DR: There is an urgent need for further research to establish methodologies for wastewater surveillance and understand the implications of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater.
Journal ArticleDOI
Occupational endotoxin-exposure and possible health effects on humans.
TL;DR: The adverse health effects of endotoxins are known, standardization of measurements is a necessary goal and protection measures should be established immediately.
Journal ArticleDOI
Measurement of endotoxins in bioaerosols at workplace: a critical review of literature and a standardization issue.
TL;DR: It is shown that, despite several reference documents at the international level, the methods used to measure endotoxin exposure differ considerably from one laboratory to another, and standardization is necessary to reduce interlaboratory variability and, ultimately, to improve the use of interstudy data.
Journal Article
Airborne endotoxin in different background environments and seasons.
TL;DR: Data of exposure in background environments and of seasonal variation are helpful for public health practitioners, epidemiologists and industrial hygienists, as endotoxin concentrations in towns and industrial areas were higher in April and May than in autumn and winter.
Journal ArticleDOI
Assessment of airborne bacteria and noroviruses in air emission from a new highly-advanced hospital wastewater treatment plant.
TL;DR: The risk of airborne exposure to pathogenic bacteria and NoVs from the WWTP air emission to surroundings to be negligible is assessed, however, as a slightly higher NoV concentration was detected inside the WW TP, it cannot exclude the possibility that exposure to airborne NoVs can pose a health risk to susceptible to workers inside theWWTP, although the risk may be low.
References
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Prevalence proportion ratios: estimation and hypothesis testing
TL;DR: It was shown by example that the GEE-logistic model could produce prevalences greater than one, whereas it was proven that this could not happen with the log-binomial model.
Journal ArticleDOI
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Giardia Cysts in Wastewater Treatment Plants in Italy
TL;DR: An investigation in four wastewater treatment plants in Italy by sampling wastewater at each stage of the treatment process over the course of 1 year found Giardia and Cryptosporidium cysts were detected in all samples throughout the year, with peaks observed in autumn and winter.