Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Adult Asthma Associated With Roadway Density And Housing In Rural Appalachia: The Mountain Air Project (Map)., W Jay Christian, John Flunker, Beverly May, Susan Westneat, Wayne T Sanderson, Nancy Schoenberg, Steven R Browning

UK CARES Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Appalachian Kentucky is a rural area with a high prevalence of asthma among adults. The relative contribution of environmental exposures in the etiology of adult asthma in these populations has been understudied.

OBJECTIVE: This manuscript describes the aims, study design, methods, and characteristics of participants for the Mountain Air Project (MAP), and focuses on associations between small area environmental exposures, including roadways and mining operations, and lifetime and current asthma in adults.

METHODS: A cohort of residents, aged 21 and older, in two Kentucky counties, was enrolled in a community-based, cross-sectional study. Stratified cluster sampling was used to select …

Maternal Occupation And Pediatric Brain Cancer In Kentucky, Mary Elizabeth Begley

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Pediatric brain cancer is a rare and potentially deadly diagnosis that affects children in Kentucky at a higher incidence than those nationally. Limited exposures in children early in life to warrant the development and progression of brain cancer point to the role parental exposures experienced in the period prior to conception and throughout pregnancy may play in its development. Many of these exposures may be experienced through occupation.

Data on a subset of pediatric brain cancer cases in Kentucky was compared to all cases diagnosed in the state from 1995 to 2019. Survey data of the study sample was collected …

Maternal Occupation And Pediatric Brain Cancer In Kentucky, Mary Begley

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Pediatric brain cancer is a rare and potentially deadly diagnosis that affects children in Kentucky at a higher incidence than those nationally. Limited exposures in children early in life to warrant the development and progression of brain cancer point to the role parental exposures experienced in the period prior to conception and throughout pregnancy may play in its development. Many of these exposures may be experienced through occupation. Data on a subset of pediatric brain cancer cases in Kentucky was compared to all cases diagnosed in the state from 1995 to 2019. Survey data of the study sample was collected …

Characteristics And Assessing Biological Risks Of Airborne Bacteria In Waste Sorting Plant, Abbas Norouzian Baghani, Somayeh Golbaz, Gholamreza Ebrahimzadeh, Marcelo I. Guzman, Mahdieh Delikhoon, Mehdi Jamshidi Rastani, Abdullah Barkhordari, Ramin Nabizadeh

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Examining the concentration and types of airborne bacteria in waste paper and cardboard sorting plants (WPCSP) is an urgent matter to inform policy makers about the health impacts on exposed workers. Herein, we collected 20 samples at 9 points of a WPCSP every 6 winter days, and found that the most abundant airborne bacteria were positively and negatively correlated to relative humidity and temperature, respectively. The most abundant airborne bacteria (in units of CFU m⁻³) were: Staphylococcus sp. (72.4) > Micrococcus sp. (52.2) > Bacillus sp. (30.3) > Enterococcus sp. (24.0) > Serratia marcescens (20.1) > E. coli (19.1) > Pseudomonas sp. (16.0) > Nocardia …

An Ecological Study Of Glyphosate Use And Non-Hodgkin’S Lymphoma, Dexter Corlett, Steven R. Browning

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Glyphosate is currently the most widely used herbicide in the world. Initially thought to be non-carcinogenic in humans, in 2015 glyphosate was classified as a “probable carcinogen” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer due to several small epidemiological studies indicating a link between the pesticide and hematologic cancers, especially non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). The current work is an ecological study using counties in Kentucky, Arkansas, and Iowa to compare glyphosate usage to NHL incidence using a multivariate Poisson regression. We found no significant correlation between glyphosate use and NHL incidence, though caution should be taken to draw significance from …

The Role Of Organizational Leaders In Employee Self-Care: A Change Management Approach, Olivia Dawn Honaker

DSW Capstone Projects

Although literature demonstrates that helping professionals have had high levels of stress and burnout for decades, the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the issue. The already burdened healthcare workers, now facing increased workloads, long hours, and high-level exposure to trauma, have created an urgency to address this significant risk to helping professionals. The current capstone will bring awareness to organizational leaders regarding the importance of employee self-care and the benefits of implementing employee self-care programs. First, a systematic literature review will examine self-care in helping professions and explore how organizational leaders operationalize employee self-care programs. In addition, the capstone aims …

Maternal Occupational Exposure To Organic Solvents And Noise: Maternal Effects And Infant Outcomes, Kristen Van Buren

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Introduction: Several maternal occupational exposures have not yet been studied for potential reproductive harm or have inconsistent findings in the literature. Despite the challenges, identification of potential risk factors, specifically reproductive toxicants, is necessary to mitigate and prevent adverse health outcomes for working mothers and their infants. The purpose of this study was to examine maternal occupational exposure to organic solvents and noise to small-for-gestational age (SGA) and preterm birth (PTB) among infants. Additionally, the study sought to examine maternal occupational exposure to noise and presence of gestational diabetes (GDM) and pregnancy-related hypertension among participant mothers.

Methods: The study population …

What About The Rest Of Them? Fatal Injuries Related To Production Agriculture Not Captured By The Bureau Of Labor Statistics (Bls) Census Of Fatal Occupational Injuries (Cfoi), Bryan Weichelt, Erika Scott, Rick Burke, John Shutske, Serap Gorucu, Wayne T. Sanderson, Murray Madsen, Emily Redmond, Dennis J. Murphy, Risto Rautiainen

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Surveillance of injuries in production agriculture is necessary to inform stakeholders about workplace hazards and risks in order to improve and advance injury prevention policies and practices for this dangerous industry. The most comprehensive fatal injury surveillance effort currently in the United States is the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), which covers occupational fatalities in all U.S. industries, including production agriculture. However, this surveillance does not include many categories of fatalities that occur during agricultural work or on production agriculture worksites. To better capture the human cost of production agriculture, the authors of this …

Analysis Of Covid-19 Concerns Raised By The Construction Workforce And Development Of Mitigation Practices, Makram Bou Hatoum, Ali Faisal, Hala Nassereddine, Hadi Sarvari

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

The coronavirus outbreak has created a global health crisis that has disrupted all industries, including the construction industry. Following the onset of the pandemic, construction workers faced and continue to face unprecedented safety and health challenges. Therefore, construction employers established new safety precautions to protect the health and safety of the workforce and minimize the spread of the virus. The new precautions followed the advice and guidelines offered by different health and safety agencies like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). With construction projects …

Evaluating The Incidence Of Melanoma And Lung Cancer Of Current And Former Active-Duty U.S. Military Who Were Deployed In Support Of Operation Enduring Freedom And Operation Iraqi Freedom, Brian Kovacic

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

The incidence of melanoma and lung cancer has been gradually increasing in the United States over the past three decades with the reputed causes due to etiological and environmental exposures, and tobacco usage. There has been concern that melanoma and lung cancer incidence among military personnel may be associated with deployment to environments with intense sun exposure and increased smoking rates due to post-traumatic stress disorder. The aim of this study was to examine associations between deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) or Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), from 2001 through 2015, with subsequent melanoma and lung cancer incidence. …

Injuries Among Distillery Workers: Workers' Compensation First Reports Of Injury, 2010-2019, Mira Hali Mirzaian

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

AIMS: To identify the most frequent type, nature, and cause of work-related injury amongst distillery workers as well as contributing factors to the injurious event in an effort to inform potential intervention.

METHODS: Workers’ Compensation First Reports of Injury (FROI) from the years 2010-2019 (N=974) were obtained. Variables were created for ‘occupational category’ and ‘accident description’ to assist in the elucidation of the injurious event. The Ratchet Circular Scan Test was used to assess seasonal variation in injury. Kernal Density Analysis was conducted to assess rates of injury by calendar year.

RESULTS: Amongst injured distillery workers, 908 of the injuries …

Association Between Work-Related Hyperthermia Emergency Department Visits And Ambient Heat In Five Southeastern States, 2010-2012--A Case-Crossover Study, Jeffrey Shire, Ambarish Vaidyanathan, Michelle Lackovic, Terry L. Bunn

Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center Faculty Publications

The objective of this study is to assess ambient temperatures' and extreme heat events' contribution to work-related emergency department (ED) visits for hyperthermia in the southeastern United States to inform prevention. Through a collaborative network and established data framework, work-related ED hyperthermia visits in five participating southeastern U.S. states were analyzed using a time stratified case-crossover design. For exposure metrics, day- and location-specific measures of ambient temperatures and county-specific identification of extreme heat events were used. From 2010 to 2012, 5,017 work-related hyperthermia ED visits were seen; 2,298 (~46%) of these visits occurred on days when the daily maximum heat …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Worksite Wellness Programs, Marilyn S. Campbell

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Introduction: Worksite wellness programs are popular employer offerings as of the last few decades. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major shifts in behavior since these programs have been implemented. The purpose of this study was to see how the pandemic has affected various offerings within a university worksite wellness program.

Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of a university worksite wellness program, and it compares participation in the various offerings in response to the COVID-19 pandemic by evaluating 2019 participation (pre-pandemic) to 2020 participation (including onset of the pandemic and after). This worksite wellness program, which is available to …

Improving Safety Performance Of Highway Maintenance Crews Through Pre-Task Safety Toolbox Talks, Zamaan Al-Shabbani

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

The dangerous work environment in the construction industry and the inherent high risks associated with construction work make it the focus of safety training and regulations. Highway construction and maintenance has unique hazards but seemingly less directly applicable safety standards, regulations, and programs. Department of Transportation (DOT) employees working in highway maintenance are exposed to a variety of unique hazards specifically associated with their work and not relating to the adjacent traffic. Yet, highway construction and maintenance work has not received sufficient attention in terms of safety research and programs. The lack of safety training and education in highway construction …

Occupational Exposures And Associated Risk Factors Among U.S. Casino Workers: A Narrative Review, Jessica Miller Clouser, John C. Flunker, Jennifer E. Swanberg, Gail Betz, Surjeet Baidwan, J. Kathleen Tracy

Center for Health Services Research Faculty Publications

We conducted a narrative literature review of U.S. casino occupational health and safety research based on the following inclusion criteria: 1) focused on workers, 2) provided information pertaining to exposures present in the occupational environment (e.g., hazards, stressors, etc.), and 3) pertained to casino, gaming, or gambling workers. Following a multi-step process, a total of 11 articles were identified that related to the occupational health and safety of U.S. casino workers. These articles primarily focused on environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposures (n = 7 articles), with the remaining articles related to casino worker risk behaviors (i.e., problem gambling and drinking) …

Workers Compensation-Reported Injuries Among Security And Law Enforcement Personnel In The Private Versus Public Sectors, W. S. Witt, Terry L. Bunn, Svetla Slavova

Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center Faculty Publications

Background: Private and Public security and law enforcement (SLE) sectors perform multiple overlapping job duties.

Methods: Workers’ compensation (WC) SLE first reports of injury (FROI) data (2005–2015) were analyzed to describe injuries, identify differences in awarded WC benefits, and compare the probability of a FROI resulting in awarded benefits between Public and Private SLE. A Pearson’s chi-square test was utilized and reverse selection logistic regression was performed to estimate the odds ratio that a FROI would result in an awarded benefit for Private vs. Public SLE, while adjusting for relevant covariates.

Results: Private SLE had higher FROI percentages for younger …

Analytical High-Resolution Electron Microscopy Reveals Organ-Specific Nanoceria Bioprocessing, Uschi M. Graham, Robert A. Yokel, Alan K. Dozier, Lawrence Drummy, Krishnamurthy Mahalingam, Michael T. Tseng, Eileen Birch, Joseph Fernback

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

This is the first utilization of advanced analytical electron microscopy methods, including high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mapping to characterize the organ-specific bioprocessing of a relatively inert nanomaterial (nanoceria). Liver and spleen samples from rats given a single intravenous infusion of nanoceria were obtained after prolonged (90 days) in vivo exposure. These advanced analytical electron microscopy methods were applied to elucidate the organ-specific cellular and subcellular fate of nanoceria after its uptake. Nanoceria is bioprocessed differently in the spleen than in the liver.

Biokinetics Of Nanomaterials: The Role Of Biopersistence, Peter Laux, Christian Riebeling, Andy M. Booth, Joseph D. Brain, Josephine Brunner, Cristina Cerrillo, Otto Creutzenberg, Irina Estrela-Lopis, Thomas Gebel, Gunnar Johanson, Harald Jungnickel, Heiko Kock, Jutta Tentschert, Ahmed Tlili, Andreas Schäffer, Adriënne J. A. M. Sips, Robert A. Yokel, Andreas Luch

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Nanotechnology risk management strategies and environmental regulations continue to rely on hazard and exposure assessment protocols developed for bulk materials, including larger size particles, while commercial application of nanomaterials (NMs) increases. In order to support and corroborate risk assessment of NMs for workers, consumers, and the environment it is crucial to establish the impact of biopersistence of NMs at realistic doses. In the future, such data will allow a more refined categorization of NMs. Despite many experiments on NM characterization and numerous in vitro and in vivo studies, several questions remain unanswered including the influence of biopersistence on the toxicity …

Chores At Times Of Fatal Or Serious Injuries Associated With Tractor Overturns With And Without Rollover Protection, Henry P. Cole, Melvin L. Myers, Susan C. Westneat

Southeast Center for Agricultural Health and Injury Prevention Faculty Publications

This study describes chores when farmers were either fatally or seriously injured and required emergency medical treatment as a result of overturns of tractors with or without rollover protective structures (ROPS). Data from the 2002 Kentucky Farm Tractor Overturn Survey were used for this study. The data were collected by a telephone survey of a population-based random sample of 6063 (7.98%) of Kentucky’s 76,017 farm operators as listed in the Kentucky Agricultural Statistics Service database. Of farm operators interviewed, 551 (9.1%) reported 603 overturns and 5512 (90.9%) reported no overturns in the history of their farm, covering a period from …

Systematic Review Of Potential Health Risks Posed By Pharmaceutical, Occupational And Consumer Exposures To Metallic And Nanoscale Aluminum, Aluminum Oxides, Aluminum Hydroxide And Its Soluble Salts, Calvin C. Willhite, Nataliya A. Karyakina, Robert A. Yokel, Nagarajkumar Yenugadhati, Thomas M. Wisniewski, Ian M. F. Arnold, Franco Momoli, Daniel Krewski

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Aluminum (Al) is a ubiquitous substance encountered both naturally (as the third most abundant element) and intentionally (used in water, foods, pharmaceuticals, and vaccines); it is also present in ambient and occupational airborne particulates. Existing data underscore the importance of Al physical and chemical forms in relation to its uptake, accumulation, and systemic bioavailability. The present review represents a systematic examination of the peer-reviewed literature on the adverse health effects of Al materials published since a previous critical evaluation compiled by Krewski et al. (2007).

Challenges encountered in carrying out the present review reflected the experimental use of different physical …

Construction Flagger Struck And Killed In Two-Lane Highway Work Zone, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Construction

On a clear, cold, Monday, January 20, 2014, a 36-year-old married flagger entered a two-lane highway with his back toward oncoming traffic and was struck by a 2010 red Toyota Corolla, driven by a 53 year-old motorist. The seven-man crew had finished setting up a construction zone on a two-lane highway to repair damaged guardrails along the westbound side of the roadway. The crew had placed alert signs in each direction of travel in preparation to stop all traffic prior to completely closing the westbound lane and had just dropped off the victim, who was designated as the flagger for …

Tanker Truck Involved In Deadly Crash On Interstate, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

February 17, 2014, on a cloudy Monday, around 4:40 p.m., a 40 year-old male tanker truck driver (victim) was driving down a straight level 3-lane interstate headed north bound to a neighboring state going approximately 70 m.p.h., to deliver his 45,000 lbs. of liquid sodium sulfate when he came upon a slow moving vehicle in the right lane, the victim swerved to the left to avoid the vehicle and his 2001 Kenworth tractor trailer left the road. The victim then overcorrected and his semi flipped landing on its top in the right side of the roadway in a grassy area …

Hispanic Laborer Killed When Struck By Falling Plywood On A Commercial Construction Site, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Construction

On a clear windy Wednesday, around 11:50 a.m., a 24 year-old Hispanic laborer was helping his brother-in-law load trusses on the ground, when a gust of wind ripped an 8 foot by 4 foot sheet of plywood from another Hispanic laborer’s hands as he was handing the plywood to a co-worker 60 feet above on a commercial construction site roof. The co-worker on the roof tried to grab the sliding plywood by jumping onto it, but could not stop it. The co-worker’s life line prevented him from falling over the edge of the roof. As the plywood reached the edge …

Grain Truck Driver Killed At Train Crossing, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

On a clear fall Wednesday afternoon, at 3:45 p.m., a 69 year-old driver of a semi-trailer loaded with soybeans was killed when he turned off a two lane state highway and into a farm driveway, directly into the path of an oncoming freight train. The train and truck were both travelling west on parallel pathways; the truck driver was struck on the blind spot of his cab’s passenger side by the train. The truck driver was not wearing his seatbelt and was ejected from the cab. The train finally came to a stop at the next intersection, approximately a half …

A Metal Fabrication And Finishing Foreman Dies After 25 Foot Fall At A Commercial Building Site, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Falls

On a fall Wednesday afternoon at 3:00 pm, a 53-year-old male fabrication and finishing foreman was installing sheets of insulation prior to decking on a commercial building. The foreman was standing at the edge of the decking on roof beams, arguing with an excavation contractor about the movement of his loader to complete grading work. Witnesses say the foreman was distracted when he told the other workers to spread the “itchy” (meaning rolls of fiberglass insulation). When the foreman took a step forward as he usually did, he fell off the edge and died of head and neck injuries.

To …

Roofer Dies After Gust Of Wind Knocks Him And A Co-Worker Off Roof, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Falls

Around 11:00 a.m. on a windy fall day, a 73-year-old roofer and a roofing coworker arrived at the commercial construction site to roof a newly constructed building. The two roofers climbed an extension ladder to access the roof to determine where they were going to place their anchors to tie off. While reviewing the backside of the commercial structure, a gust of wind around 33 m.p.h. made the two roofers lose their balance and fall from the roof. The 73-year-old roofer landed first and the second roofer landed on top of him. Both men fell 15 feet and 6 inches …

Truck Driver Dies When Tractor-Trailer Leaves The Road And Plunges Into A Creek-Bed, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

In the early morning hours of a fall day, exact time unknown and the length of time driving unknown, a 28-year-old male truck driver was driving north on an interstate transporting 30,000 lbs. of blue plastic injection molding pellets. The truck driver exited the highway behind a guardrail and traveled 1,320 feet, striking a wire fence and several trees before plummeting into a creek bed, shearing the cab open. At 10:27 a.m., a citizen called in to the fire department to report a mysterious blue substance observed in the creek a couple of miles down from the accident. The fire …

Arborists Die After Falling, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Falls

To Prevent Arborists Injuries:

• Never allow an aerial lift to be used as a crane or material lifting device.
• All trees and limbs should be inspected for structural weakness such as rot, before work starts.
• Arborists should wear appropriate personal protective equipment while performing tree trimming activities.

Special Factors for Aerial Lifts:

• Do not exceed the boom and basket load limits specified by the manufacturer.
• When working from an aerial lift, use a body harness that is properly attached.

Factory Laborer Dies When A Car Driven By Coworker Crashes Into Him In Parking Lot, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

On a summer day, a 29-year-old male manufacturing laborer was outside under a small metal stairway in the loading dock area of the manufacturing plant during his lunch break. Another employee entered her car in the employee parking lot to leave on her lunch break. Her car unexpectedly malfunctioned when in reverse, sped backward, and crashed into the stairway under which the worker was taking a break. The collision pushed the metal stairway along the wall of the factory, crushing the worker between the building and the passenger side of the car. Emergency medical services arrived and transported the worker …

Day Care Monitor Dies After Crash Of 15-Passenger Van, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

In the late afternoon of a spring day, a day care van operator and a monitor loaded 16 children into a 15-passenger van. Carrying a total of 18 passengers in the 15-passenger van, the operator and the monitor proceeded to transport the children to their homes. After dropping off two children at their residences, the van was traveling 46-50 mph in the left hand lane headed east in a 35 mph zone on a non-divided four-lane state road. As the van approached a side street on the right, the right rear tire blew out and the van veered sharply to …