Læknablaðið - 15.11.1980, Blaðsíða 16

270
LÆKNABLADID
the inHibition of cholinesterase from exposure
to certain organic phosphorous compotinds.
You can also study the absorbed material of
toxic substances in biological material (blood,
urine, hair, tissues) such as lead in blood,
metabolites as trichloracetic ac.id from trichlor-
ethylene and mandelic acid from styrene in
urine, or carbon monoxide in haemoglobin.
This will not show a disease but a dangerous
exposure and prevention should be introduced
before any occupational disease will occur.
Industrial hygiene surveys analysing air,
noise, vibration, etc. at the work place can be
carried out using modern methods and by
monitoring exposure will then detect the
health rísk at work before the occupational
disease has occurred,
Finally the individual diagnosis may be
difficult and then it is necessary to rely on
epidemiological studies comparing exposed
groups with control groups. WHO has recent-
ly held courses in epidemiology and occupa-
tional health and is preparing a manual on the
subject.
Occupational related diseases are when a
higher incidence of a disease is found in
certain occupations, as lung cancer among
certain miners than in the general population.
Here it is necessary to study the exposure in
detail and also to have epidemiological studies
of exposed groups and control groups to
reveal the higher incidence of diseases in a
certain occupation and then study the corre-
sponding factors at work and in the working
environment.
There will be studies on the effect of
occupational health factors upon different
target organs, such as skin, lungs, the central
nervous system and the study of occupational
cancer in order to reveal the mechanism of
action and to develop methods for early
diagnosis.
The interdisciplinary approach should be
applied especially in studying the occupational
health aspects of the production process,
where all the aspects at work or the work
environment should be studied together with
the health of the working or the exposed
population, for instance in welding or electro-
plating.
Interdisciplinary studies may also be carried
out on the occupational health aspects of a
whole occupation or a whole branch. Then it
is necessary to study the health of the working
population concerning morbidity, sickness ab-
sence, accident frequency, physical and mental
workload, labour turnover, job attitudes, and
also the work environment, e. g. gases, dust,
noise, vibration, etc., and also the psychologi-
cal aspects of work organization, the speed of
work, monotony, the working time, etc. Such
studies are costly and time consuming, but
they are extremely efficient in providing a
good background for prevention, especially
when there are changes to be foreseen in the
occupation or the working process.
Studies of this kind have been carried out
for instance in Sweden, on forestry, farming,
wood industry, and on stevedores (loading and
unloading ships) and in the meat industry.
Such studies have been carried out in the
fishing industries in the United Kingdom,
Denmark and Norway. Such studies provide
an excellent background for preventing the
occupational health risks and for improving
the working conditions from the health point
of view.
Sven Forssman, prófessor, er fæddur í
Lundi í Svípjóö árið 1911., Hann lauk
læknaprófi frá háskólanum í Lundi árið
1938. Lauk doktorsprófi í Lundi árið
1941 og var síðan dósent par í lyfjafræði
1941-1943, prófessor og forstöðumaður
atvinnusjúkdómadeildar heilbrigðis-
stofnunar sænska ríkisins 1943-1951, dó-
sent í atvinnusjúkdómum við Karolin-
ska sjúkrahúsið frá 1951.
Árin 1951-1966 var hann læknisfræðileg-
ur ráðgjafi sænska vinnuveitendasam-
bandsins og 1966-1972 forstöðumaður
sænsku atvinnuheilbrigðismálastofnun-
arinnar.
Prófessor Forssman hefur síðan 1972
verið ráðgjafi WHO á Evrópuskrifstof-
unni í Kaupmannahöfn og hefur unnið
ýmis sérfræðistörf á vegum WHO í
Evrópu, Afríku og Austurlöndum fjær,
bæði á pessu tímabili og allt síðan 1950.
Eftir prófessor Forssman liggja greinar
og bækur á sviði lífefnafræði, lyfjafræði,
atvinnusjúkdómafræði og félagslæknis-
fræði.
Prófessor Forssman starfar nú á vegum
UNDP/ILO sem aðaltækniráðgjafi við
stofnun National Centre on Occupa-
tional Health and Safety í Argentínu.