Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Using Predicted Heat Strain To Evaluate Sustainable Exposures, Samantha L. Thacker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The most commonly used exposure assessment for heat stress is based on Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), and the limits are based on empirical relationships that demonstrate a sustainable exposure. The ISO 7933 (2017) describes Predicted Heat Strain (PHS), which is a rational model for heat stress assessment that is used to assess time-limited exposures. Investigators have examined PHS validity under a variety of time-limited conditions. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate if PHS can predict sustainable exposures.

The data used for this study were from two previous heat stress studies using a progressive heat stress protocol. The …

Predicting Hand Surface Area From A Two-Dimensional Hand Tracing, Myles O'Mara

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent occupational health studies have focused on dermal exposure at the hands, but have been unable to accurately express dose without knowing the HSA. There is no standard method to calculate HSA, though some researchers have derived HSA formulas based on dimensions from a Taiwanese population. This research paper describes a shortcut method to estimate the hand surface area (HSA) of a human hand from a two-dimensional hand tracing, and repeated a Taiwanese HSA study in order to explore the viability of its HSA formula in an American university population. A sample of nine adult men and nine adult women, …

Ambient Benzene And Pm2.5 Exposure During Pregnancy: Examining The Impact Of Exposure Assessment Decisions On Associations Between Birth Defects And Air Pollution, Jean Paul Tanner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, approximately 3% of infants are diagnosed with a major birth defect each year. Whereas prevention efforts have led to decreases in some birth defects, the cause of approximately 70% of birth defects remains unknown. More recently, there has been increasing concern regarding exposures to environmental agents, such as air pollution during pregnancy, and the risk of birth defects. Over the past decade, there has been an increase in research studies examining the association between air pollution and birth defects. The results have been inconsistent, with some studies reporting that higher levels of exposure from the same …

Assessment Of Public Health Risks Associated With Petrochemical Emissions Surrounding An Oil Refinery, Erin L. Pulster

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Refinery operations have been associated with a wide variety of atmospheric emissions consisting of criteria air pollutants, volatile organic components, hazardous air pollutants as well as other pollutants. With approximately 100 oil refineries in the Wider Caribbean region (WCR), hydrocarbons in this region pose significant environmental and human health risks. One of the oldest and largest refineries in the WCR is the Isla Refineriá, which is located on the island of Curaçao, and has been the basis of historical debates and conflict between the public and the local government over the environmental and human health risks. This research aims to …

The Effect Of Fungal Growth On Potential Phthalate Ester Exposures From Plasticized Polyvinyl Chloride, Garrick Johnson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of the presence of fungal growth on the phthalate ester content of plasticized polyvinyl chloride (pPVC) used as the vapor barrier component of metal building insulation and the impact the fungal growth may have on the resulting exposure potential to the workers in the building. Individual pieces of the pPVC material exhibiting fungal growth and individual pieces of the pPVC material exhibiting no fungal growth were collected from the building being investigated. Twenty-five pieces each of the pPVC material exhibiting fungal growth and of the pPVC material exhibiting no fungal growth were weighed, reduced to …