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Objectives: To explore chimney sweeping work tasks, chimney sweeps' use of protective equipment, and type of fuel used by clients, over time. Further, to assess work-relatedness of current eye and airway symptoms., Methods: In a cross-sectional study in 2011, male Swedish chimney sweeps (n = 483; age 21-69 years) answered a questionnaire about their occupational history and eye and airway symptoms., Results: Between 1960 and 2010, black-soot-sweeping in private homes was the major task, although it decreased during the time period, for chimney sweeps. Between 1975 and 2010, the use of petroleum oil decreased, whereas the use of pellets and wood increased. Also, the use of gloves and masks increased significantly. Black-soot-sweeping in industry was associated with work-related eye symptoms (prevalence odds ratio POR = 3.76, 95% CI: 1.72-8.24, for every 10% increment of working time, adjusted for age and tobacco smoking). Chimney sweeps also had slightly higher prevalence of cough with increasing black-soot-sweeping (POR = 1.06, 95% CI: 0.99-1.13 for every 10% increment, further adjusted for the use of mask), and the association was more pronounced, although nonsignificant, for black-soot-sweeping in industry (adjusted POR = 1.26, 95% CI: 0.98-1.61)., Conclusions: Chimney sweeping tasks and use of protective equipment as well as type of fuel used by the clients changed significantly over the last 35 years, which may have changed chimney sweeps' exposure to soot. Still, chimney sweeps in Sweden have black-soot-sweeping-related eye and airway symptoms., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests. Ethical approval This study was approved by the Ethical Committee at Lund University, and an informed written consent was required for participation in the study.

Objectives: Environmental factors might be of importance for the dramatically increasing incidence of osteoporotic fractures. Persistent organochlorine compounds (POCs) have, in animal studies, impaired normal bone metabolism and resulted in increased bone fragility. The goal of this study was to assess whether a high dietary intake of POCs through fatty fish from the Baltic Sea may result in an increased incidence of osteoporotic fractures., Methods: Fishermen and their wives from the Swedish east coast on the Baltic Sea (exposed) and west coasts (unexposed) constituted the study base. Information on vital status and hospitalization of persons with fractures from 1987 to 1996, classified according to the ninth revision of the International Classification of Diseases, was retrieved for 17,823 subjects through register linkages. The impact of coastal stretch on fracture incidence was assessed by Poisson regression models, with age and calendar year also being taken into account., Results: There was a significantly increased incidence rate ratio (IRR: 2.29, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.23-4.28) for vertebral fractures among east-coast women, and a similar, but non-significant, similar tendency in men (IRR 1.45, 95% CI 0.74-2.84). Such cohort differences were not seen for any other fracture type., Conclusions: The results give some indirect support for the notion that a high dietary intake of POCs through fatty fish from the Baltic Sea might be a risk factor for vertebral fractures, but it cannot be excluded that confounding from differences in smoking habits might explain part of the observed effects. To clarify this, detailed individual information on exposure and potential confounders has to be ascertained.

Objectives: There is a concern that persistent organohalogen toxicants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), might display endocrine-disrupting effects in exposed populations. In this study the correlations between PCBs and thyrotropin (TSH) and thyroid hormone concentrations in plasma were assessed in adult women., Methods: The study group consisted of 182 fishermen's wives from the Swedish east coast, with a median age of 42 years (range 23-62) and a median current consumption of contaminated fatty fish from the Baltic Sea of two meals per month (range 0-12). TSH, free (FT3) and total (TT3) triiodothyronine and free (FT4) and total (TT4) thyroxin in plasma were analyzed by immunofluorometric assays, and 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (CB-153) in plasma was analyzed by gas chromatography with electron capture detection. Twenty other PCB and two hydroxy-PCB congeners were analyzed in subgroups of the women. Plasma lipid analyses were performed with enzymatic techniques., Results: The CB-153 concentration in plasma (range 16-776 ng/g lipid) was negatively correlated with the TT3 concentrations (range 1.0-3.0 nmol/l, rs = -0.29, P < 0.001). This association remained after age adjustment., Conclusions: The present study gives some support for the notion that dietary exposure to persistent organochlorine compounds (POCs) might weakly affect peripheral thyroid hormone concentrations in adult women.