Little is known about occupational risks for coronary heart disease.
A few specific toxins encountered occupationally are known to affect the
heart, most prominently carbon disulfide, nitroglycerin, and carbon monoxide.
Of these, carbon monoxide is the most common occupational exposure; it
is also a common environmental exposure due to vehicle exhaust. There
is substantial evidence that environmental tobacco smoke, extreme heat,
and extreme cold are risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and it is
presumed that they are risk factors when they are encountered in the occupational
setting. In addition, while the linkages are not yet understood, numberous
studies show a relationship between exposure to stress at work and heart
disease. The weight of the evidence also supports and assocation between
occupational noise and increased blood pressure, although this association
cannot yet be regarded as established. Shift work, which disrupts circadian
rhythms, has also been linked to heart disease, although there again,
the data are far from conclusive. Physical activity at work, either too
much or too little, can also be a risk factor for heart disease. While
in general, more physical activity results in less heart disease, heavy
lifting (in occupational and nonoccupational settings) has been associated
with increased risk of heart attack. Further epidemiologic research into
all these areas is warranted.
NIOSHTIC-2 Search
NIOSHTIC-2
search results on Occupational Heart Disease
NIOSHTIC-2 is
a searchable bibliographic database of occupational safety and health
publications, documents, grant reports, and journal articles supported
in whole or in part by NIOSH.
Carbon Disulfide
Occupational Heart Disease
(abstract--bibliographic information only)
(Environmental and Occupational Medicine (1992;
pp. 593-600))
Chemical and nonchemical causes of occupational heart disease were reviewed.
Several chemical agents were considered to have a direct effect on the
myocardium. Evidence for a direct causal relationship between carbon-disulfide
and coronary artery disease (CAD) was strongest.
Carbon Monoxide
Exposure of Motor Vehicle Examiners
to Carbon Monoxide: A Historical Prospective Mortality Study
(abstract--bibliographic information only)
(Archives
of Environmental Health (1981; vol. 36, pp. 59-66))
Information about the effect of exhaust emissions, including carbon-monoxide
(CO), on motor vehicle examiners.
Heart Disease Mortality Among
Bridge and Tunnel Officers Exposed to Carbon Monoxide
(abstract--bibliographic information only)
American Journal of Epidemiology (1988; vol. 128, pp. 1276-1288)
The authors investigated the effect of occupational exposure to carbon
monoxide on mortality from heart disease in a retrospective study of 5,529
New York City bridge and tunnel officers employed between January 1, 1952
and February 10, 1981, at any one of nine major water crossings operated
by the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority of New York City.
Occupational Heart Disease
(abstract--bibliographic information only)
(Environmental and Occupational Medicine (1992;
pp. 593-600))
Chemical and nonchemical causes of occupational heart disease were reviewed.
Several chemical agents were considered to have a direct effect on the
myocardium.
Environmental Tobacco Smoke
Exposure
to Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Risk Factors for Heart Disease Among
Never Smokers in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
(abstract on journal Web site)
(American
Journal of Epidemiology (1998; vol. 147, pp. 932-939))
An analysis of studies of occupational exposure to environmental tobacco
smoke and heart disease, which estimated an increased risk of heart disease
of 20-30% among exposed workers, causing 1,710 deaths annually among workers
aged 35-69.
NIOSH Current Intelligence Bulletin
54: Environmental Tobacco Smoke in the Workplace (Lung Cancer and Other
Health Effects)
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication Number 91-108 (1991)
This publication contains information on the carcinogenic effects of environmental
tobacco smoke (ETS) and the possible association between ETS exposure
and an increased risk of heart disease.
Occupational Heart Disease
(abstract--bibliographic information only)
(Environmental and Occupational Medicine (1992;
pp. 593-600))
Chemical and nonchemical causes of occupational heart disease were reviewed.
Several chemical agents were considered to have a direct effect on the
myocardium.
Nitroglycerin
Cardiovascular Mortality Among
Munitions Workers Exposed to Nitroglycerin and Dinitrotoluene
(abstract--bibliographic information only)
(Scandanavian Journal of Work and Environmental
Health (1992; vol. 18, pp. 34-43))
Information about a study of cardiovascular mortality among munitions
workers exposed to nitroglycerin and dinitrotoluene (DNT).
Occupational Heart Disease
(abstract--bibliographic information only)
(Environmental and Occupational Medicine (1992;
pp. 593-600))
Chemical and nonchemical causes of occupational heart disease were reviewed.
Several chemical agents were considered to have a direct effect on the
myocardium.
Shiftwork
Occupational Heart Disease
(abstract--bibliographic information only)
(Environmental and Occupational Medicine (1992;
pp. 593-600))
Chemical and nonchemical causes of occupational heart disease were reviewed.
Several chemical agents were considered to have a direct effect on the
myocardium.
Plain Language About Shift Work
PDF
only 572 KB (47 pages)
NIOSH Publication Number 97-145 (1997)
This publication explains the hazards of shiftwork, how the hazards occur,
and how the hazards of shiftwork can be avoided.
Shift Work, Long Hours, and Cardiovascular
Disease: A Reveiw
(abstract--bibliographic information only)
(Occupational
Medicine (2000; vol 15, pp. 7-17))
A review of the literature with comments on possible mechanisms linking
irregular hours and heart disease as well as on the methodologic difficulties
of studying this topic.
Shift Work, Shift Change, and
Risk of Death from Heart Disease at Work
(abstract--bibliographic information only)
(American
Journal of Industrial Medicine (1996; vol 29, pp. 278-281))
A study of shift work and heart disease among blue-collar workers, which
found no relationship between non-rotating shift work and the risk of
heart disease.
Stress
A Follow-up Study of Job Strain
and Heart Disease Among Males in the NHANES1 Population
(abstract--bibliographic information only ; full text available on
journal web site)
(American
Journal of Industrial Medicine (1997; vol. 31, pp. 256-260))
A study of heart disease and job stress, which found that increased job
control--which reduces job stress--was associated with lower incidence
of ischemic heart disease, taking into account leading risk factors such
as smoking.
Occupational Heart Disease
(abstract--bibliographic information only)
(Environmental and Occupational Medicine (1992;
pp. 593-600))
Chemical and nonchemical causes of occupational heart disease were reviewed.
Several chemical agents were considered to have a direct effect on the
myocardium.
Stress...At Work
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication Number 99-101 (1999)
En
Español
This booklet highlights knowledge about the cause of stress at work and
outlines steps that can be taken to prevent job stress.
|