- 期刊
Cold Provocation Test Results from a 1985 Survey of hard-rock Miners in Ontario
並列摘要
A total of 143 miners, 6 ex-miners, and 42 referents from five mines in northern Ontario were examined with a cold provocation test. The skin temperatures, measured by thermocouples at the tips of the fingers and thumbs were recorded at 5-s intervals throughout the immersion in cold water (10℃) for 10 min and during the recovery period. The finger skin temperature was followed until 99% recovery had occurred as compared to the starting temperature. For the referents and the vibration-exposed subjects, the results by separate stage of the Taylor-Pelmear scale for hand-arm vibration syndrome were compared. There were statistically significant differences in the mean finger temperature at the 50, 75, 90, and 95% recovery times between stages 0, 0(subscript T)/O(subscript N), and stages 1 through 3 combined, as well as significant differences between stages 1, 2, and 3. The mean temperature at 10 min and the mean hyperemia temperature for eight fingers combined were compared between the miners and referents. There were significant differences in the mean temperature at 10 min and in the hyperemia temperature between the referents and miners in stage 0(subscript T)/0(subscript N) as well as between the referents and the miners in stages 1 through 3 combined. For the worst finger (defined as that with the lowest temperature at 10 min) there was an increasing trend towards a lower hyperemia temperature and delay in recovery time from stage 0 to stages 2 and 3 combined. Comparison of the positive predictive values of the cold provocation test results for the worst finger supports the use of a staging of blanched fingers based on social and work interference as the grade of severity, rather than the use of a blanching index rating.