Documents cobalt 9 results

"Cette étude, qui portait sur la mortalité des salariés impliqués dans la production d'aciers inoxydables ou d'aciers alliés entre 1968 et 1992, était focalisée sur le risque de cancers bronchopulmonaires lié à l'exposition aux métaux : oxydes de fer, chrome, nickel et/ou leurs dérivés. Elle a consisté en une étude de mortalité dans une cohorte historique et en une étude cas-témoins conduite dans la cohorte. Les risques relatifs sont exprimés sous la forme des Standardized Mortality Ratios (SMR) et de leurs intervalles de confiance à 95% (IC), qui permettent de comparer les nombres observés et attendus de décès par cause, en ajustant sur l'âge, le sexe et l'année de décès. Les nombres attendus ont été calculés à partir des taux de mortalité de la population générale du département (référence externe). Les Odds Ratios (OR) ont été estimés par la méthode de la régression logistique conditionnelle. Les expositions professionnelles ont été évaluées tout au long de la carrière professionnelle des cas et des témoins à l'aide d'une matrice emplois-expositions spécifique des procédés industriels. La cohorte était constituée de 4 288 hommes et 609 femmes. La mortalité observée, toutes causes confondues, est significativement inférieure à la mortalité attendue (649 décès, SMR = 0,91, IC = 0,84-0,98). Le SMR concernant la mortalité par cancers bronchopulmonaires n'est pas significativement différent de l'unité (54 décès, SMR = 1,19, IC = 0,89-1,55). L'étude cas-témoins a porté sur 54 cas et 162 témoins appariés individuellement. Les habitudes tabagiques étaient connues pour 71 % des sujets. Aucun excès de cancers bronchopulmonaires n'a été observé pour les expositions aux métaux et/ou à leurs dérivés : fer (OR = 0,94, IC = 0,48-1,86), chrome et/ou nickel (OR = 1,18, IC = 0,62-2,25) et cobalt (OR = 0,64, IC = 0,33-1,25). Il en est de même pour les expositions aux brouillards d'acides (OR = 0,43, IC = 0,17-1,10) et à l'amiante (OR = 1,00, IC = 0,54-1,86). En ce qui concerne les expositions aux hydrocarbures aromatiques polycycliques (HAP) et à la silice, souvent présents conjointement sur les lieux de travail, on observe des excès statistiquement significatifs de cancers broncho-pulmonaires, avec des OR de 1,95 (IC = 1,03-3,72) et 2,47 (IC = 1,28-4,77) respectivement, avec tendances statistiquement significatives (p < 0,05) à l'augmentation des risques relatifs en fonction des paramètres quantitatifs d'exposition ; les ajustements sur la consommation de tabac n'ont pas fait apparaître d'effets de confusion dus au tabagisme.Cette étude n'a pas permis d'établir de lien entre cancers bronchopulmonaires et expositions au fer, au chrome, au nickel et/ou à leurs dérivés. Des risques relatifs élevés et statistiquement significatifs, avec relations dose-effet, ont été observés pour des expositions simultanées aux HAP et à la silice."

This case report concerned a 21 year old man who was hospitalized in 1990 due to frequent attacks of wheezing and dyspnea at work. He worked in the press department of a hard metal factory and had been heavily exposed to powders of cobalt (7440484), tungsten (7440337), and other metals. His diagnosis was bronchial asthma due to cobalt exposure. After this diagnosis, he worked in another department of the same factory where he was seldom exposed to cobalt. He was free of symptoms several months later without using antiasthma drugs. However, 3 year later, he suddenly developed iridocyclitis and bilateral hylar lymph node swelling. A diagnosis of sarcoidosis was made, confirmed by the physiological findings, elevated serum angiotensin converting enzyme level, increased lymphocytes, and CD4/8 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, as well as the pathological characteristics of lung and lymph node specimens. His airway was desensitized to cobalt, but a skin test showed a positive response, suggesting that he was not desensitized at the systemic level. The authors note that the association of sarcoidosis with bronchial asthma is very rare, and it is reasonable to consider that a common etiological agent may exist when these diseases both develop in the same patient. However, his sarcoidosis may have been caused by cobalt through a different mechanism. This case may highlight the possible contributions of extrinsic agents to the development of sarcoidosis.

"At the end of the Second World War, a diagnosis of cancer was a death sentence. Sixty years later, it is considered a chronic disease rather than one that is invariably fatal. Although survival rates have improved, the very word continues to evoke a special terror and guilt, inspiring scientists and politicians to wage war against it.

In Under the Radar, Ellen Leopold shows how nearly every aspect of our understanding and discussion of cancer bears the imprint of its Cold War entanglement. The current biases toward individual rather than corporate responsibility for rising incidence rates, research that promotes treatment rather than prevention, and therapies that can be patented and marketed all reflect a largely hidden history shaped by the Cold War. Even the language we use to describe the disease, such as the guiding metaphor for treatment, "fight fire with fire," can be traced back to the middle of the twentieth century.
Writing in a lucid style, Leopold documents the military, governmental, industrial, and medical views of radiation and atomic energy to examine the postwar response to cancer through the prism of the Cold War. She explores the role of radiation in cancer therapies today, using case studies and mammogram screening, in particular, to highlight the surprising parallels. Taking into account a wide array of disciplines, this book challenges our understanding of cancer and how we approach its treatment."

"Background
The global market for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is growing exponentially, resulting in an increase in mining activities for the metals needed for manufacturing LIBs. Cobalt, lithium, manganese, and nickel are four of the metals most used in the construction of LIBs, and each has known toxicological risks associated with exposure. Mining for these metals poses potential human health risks via occupational and environmental exposures; however, there is a paucity of data surrounding the risks of increasing mining activity. The objective of this review was to characterize these risks.
Methods
We conducted a review of the literature via a systematic search of the PubMed database on the health effects of mining for cobalt, lithium, manganese, and nickel. We included articles that (1) reported original research, (2) reported outcomes directly related to human health, (3) assessed exposure to mining for cobalt, lithium, manganese, or nickel, and (4) had an available English translation. We excluded all other articles. Our search identified 183 relevant articles.
Results
Toxicological hazards were reported in 110 studies. Exposure to cobalt and nickel mining were most associated with respiratory toxicity, while exposure to manganese mining was most associated with neurologic toxicity. Notably, no articles were identified that assessed lithium toxicity associated with mining exposure. Traumatic hazards were reported in six studies. Three articles reported infectious disease hazards, while six studies reported effects on mental health. Several studies reported increased health risks in children compared to adults.
Conclusions
The results of this review suggest that occupational and environmental exposure to mining metals used in LIBs presents significant risks to human health that result in both acute and chronic toxicities. Further research is needed to better characterize these risks, particularly regarding lithium mining."