title: Subjective Health Complaints Among Workers in the Aftermath of an Oil Tank Explosion.
abstract: The aim of the study was to assess whether exposed workers had more subjective health complaints than controls 1 1/2 years after a chemical explosion involving a mixture of hydrocarbons and sulfurous compounds. A cross-sectional survey based on the Subjective Health Complaints Inventory (SHC) was conducted among 147 exposed workers and 137 controls. A significantly higher total SCH score (linear regression, p=.01) was found for the exposed workers compared with controls when adjusting for gender, age, smoking habits, and educational level. The exposed workers reported significantly more headache, hot flashes, sleep problems, tiredness, dizziness, and sadness/depression. The cause of these complaints is unknown, but health personnel should be aware that health complaints might be related to polluting episodes even when exposure levels are below occupational guideline levels.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Bergen , Bergen , Norway.|b Department of Occupational Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital , Bergen , Norway.
authors.forename: Gro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tjalvin
authors.affiliation: b Department of Occupational Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital , Bergen , Norway.
authors.forename: Bjørg Eli
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Hollund
authors.affiliation: b Department of Occupational Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital , Bergen , Norway.
authors.forename: Stein Håkon Låstad
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lygre
authors.affiliation: c Centre for International Health, Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Bergen , Bergen , Norway.
authors.forename: Bente Elisabeth
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Moen
authors.affiliation: a Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Bergen , Bergen , Norway.
authors.forename: Magne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bråtveit
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D005107:Explosions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D000066388:Oil and Gas Industry; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: air pollution; environmental cleanup; environmental pollution; explosion; health status indicator; health survey; hydrocarbons; occupational accident; odor