Trends of occupational exposure to chemical agents in Finland in 1950-2020

Our plain-English summary of Trends of occupational exposure to chemical agents in Finland in 1950-2020, by T. Kauppinen, S. Uuksulainen, A. Saalo, et al (The Annals of Occupational Hygiene, 2013).

The study

• Authors: T. Kauppinen, S. Uuksulainen, A. Saalo, I. Mäkinen
• Journal: The Annals of Occupational Hygiene
• Published: 2013;57(5):593-609
• Cited by: 44 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of this study was to quantitatively estimate the long-term trends of occupational exposure to chemical agents in Finland for surveillance, prevention, and risk assessment purposes.

Methods: We studied trends by utilizing the Finnish job-exposure matrix (FINJEM), which includes occupation-specific estimates of the prevalence P (percent of employed) and average level L (agent-specific units) of inhalation exposure to chemical agents at different time periods. We used FINJEM data to calculate national estimates of the numbers of exposed workers (N exp), and the prevalence of and level of exposure to 41 chemical agents in 1950, 1970, 1990, and 2008. We also estimated the prevalence of employees exposed to levels exceeding 50% of the Finnish occupational exposure limit (OEL) (P high) and national occupational inhalation exposure (NOIE = N exp × L). Future exposures in 2020 were estimated according to the predicted change of the occupational structure of the labor force and the observed agent-specific exposure trends in 1990-2008. We estimated dermal exposure indirectly from the statistics of occupational skin diseases in 1975-2009.

Results: Inhalation exposure to most chemical agents had decreased. Using 1990 as the reference (100), the median values of P for 1950, 1970, 1990, 2008, and 2020 were 91, 149, 100, 58, and 41, respectively. The corresponding values were 218, 224, 100, 30, and 14 for P high, 151, 121, 100, 78, and 66 for L, and 119, 176, 100, 38, and 20 for NOIE. The trends varied considerably according to the agent. Exposure of, for example, asbestos, benzene, and benzo(a)pyrene substantially decreased. The annual incidence of occupational skin diseases due to chemical factors decreased from 6.9 per 10 000 employed in 1975-1979 to 4.6 per 10 000 in 2000-2009, suggesting a decrease in dermal exposure.

Conclusions: Inhalation exposure to most chemical agents has decreased in Finland since 1970. High exposures and the average level of exposure started to decrease already in the 1950s. The declining incidence of occupational skin diseases suggests that dermal exposure has also diminished. However, high exposures still exist and cause a substantial amount of occupational diseases and symptoms. Chemical exposures and the related disease burden are expected to continue decreasing in the future. These results cannot be generalized to other countries, particularly if the development phase of technology and the occupational structure of the labor force differ significantly from those in Finland.

In plain English

This study estimated national trends in workers' inhalation exposure to 41 chemical agents, including asbestos, in Finland. The authors combined the Finnish job-exposure matrix (FINJEM), built from industrial hygienists' occupation-by-occupation estimates, with employment data for 1950, 1970, 1990 and 2008. Values for 2020 were predictions that assumed the 1990 to 2008 trends would continue. Setting 1990 at 100, the median share of employed people exposed across all agents was 91, 149, 100, 58 and 41 for 1950, 1970, 1990, 2008 and 2020. For asbestos, the estimated share of employed people exposed was 3.0% in 1950, 5.2% in 1970, 1.1% in 1990 and 0.2% in 2008, with under 0.1% predicted for 2020. A national measure combining the number of asbestos-exposed workers and their average level fell by 17% per year in 1970 to 1990 and by 12% per year in 1990 to 2008. The authors concluded that inhalation exposure to most chemical agents has decreased in Finland since 1970. They also stated that the final validity of the underlying expert estimates remains unknown.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Analysis of national exposure trends based on expert estimates in a job-exposure matrix (FINJEM), combined with employment data, with a projection to 2020
• Who was studied: The employed population of Finland (about 2.0 million in 1950 to 2.3 million in 2008, with 2.5 million predicted for 2020), classified into 311 occupational titles, using census data for 1950 and 1970 and Labour Force Survey data for 1990 to 2008
• Exposure: Occupational inhalation exposure to 41 chemical agents, including asbestos (fiber type not specified; the Finnish exposure limit used was 0.3 fibers per cm3). Skin exposure was assessed indirectly from occupational skin disease records for 1975 to 2009.
• Main results:
  • Across all 41 agents, the median prevalence of exposure relative to 1990 (set at 100) was 91 in 1950, 149 in 1970, 100 in 1990, 58 in 2008 and 41 predicted for 2020
  • Asbestos: estimated percent of the employed who were exposed was 3.0 in 1950, 5.2 in 1970, 1.1 in 1990, 0.2 in 2008 and under 0.1 predicted for 2020 (relative to 1990: 276, 483, 100, 15, 4)
  • Asbestos: percent of the employed with high exposure (at least 50% of the Finnish limit of 0.3 fibers per cm3) was 2.5 in 1950, 4.1 in 1970, 0.3 in 1990, and under 0.1 in 2008 and 2020
  • Asbestos: average exposure level among exposed workers changed by −2% per year in 1950 to 1970, −10% per year in 1970 to 1990, and −3% per year in 1990 to 2008
  • Asbestos had among the largest declines in national occupational inhalation exposure (NOIE, number exposed multiplied by average level): −17% per year in 1970 to 1990 and −12% per year in 1990 to 2008
  • Annual incidence of occupational skin diseases due to chemical factors among the employed fell from 6.9 per 10 000 in 1975 to 1979 to 4.6 per 10 000 in 2000 to 2009
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that inhalation exposure to most chemical agents has decreased in Finland since 1970, with trends varying by agent.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • All judgments were subjective and depended on the assessors, so the final validity of the FINJEM estimates, and of the trends derived from them, is unknown
  • The way estimates were updated between periods tends to underestimate change
  • The effect of preventive measures could not be separated from technical improvements
  • The results are specific to Finland and cannot be directly generalized to other countries

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Occupational Exposure, Occupational Disease.

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