title: Health complaints after a malodorous chemical explosion: a longitudinal study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Physical and psychological symptoms are prevalent in populations recently affected by industrial accidents. Follow-up studies of human health effects are scarce, and as most of them focus on residents, little is known about the long-term health effects among workers exposed to malodorous emissions following a chemical explosion.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether subjective health complaints (SHC) among workers declined over a 4-year period after an oil tank explosion that emitted malodorous sulphurous compounds.
  
  
  METHODS
  A longitudinal survey from 2008 (18 months after the explosion) to 2012, performed using the SHC inventory. Questionnaire data were analysed using a linear mixed effects model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a decrease in SHCs among the exposed workers, but they still had significantly more subjective neurological symptoms (P < 0.01) compared with controls, adjusted for gender, age, smoking habits, educational level and proximity to the explosion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although there was a downward trend in SHCs among exposed workers in the follow-up period, they reported more subjective neurological complaints than controls. Symptoms may be mediated by perceived pollution and health risk perception, and adaptation or anxiety may cause a chronic effect, manifested by a dysfunctional and persistent neuropsychological response.
authors: Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway, Department of Occupational Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway, gro.tjalvin@igs.uib.no.
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Tjalvin
authors: Department of Occupational Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
authors: S H L
authors: SH
authors: Lygre
authors: Department of Occupational Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
authors: B E
authors: BE
authors: Hollund
authors: Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, Centre for International Health, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors: B E
authors: BE
authors: Moen
authors: Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway, Department of Occupational Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Bråtveit
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D005107:Explosions; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D015995:Prevalence; D057566:Self Report; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Environmental pollution; epidemiological follow-up; malodorous pollution; oil tank explosion; subjective health complaints; workers.